Matt Shea
RubySoho
Morgan Bell
Cibbuano
David O'Connell
Mountain Fog
Mull
January 11th 2010 05:06
Mull is Phoebe Mullins (Nadine Garner), a teenager with a terminally ill mother, an alcoholic father (Bill Hunter), a heroin-dabbling closet gay brother, a religiously fundamental (other) brother, and putridly annoying younger sister.
And while Mull attempts to hold this family of misfits together in their dilapidated St Kilda flat, she also has to deal with the burden of a pregnant best friend (Mary Coustas), a deaf-mute boyfriend, and her gay former schoolteacher plus his lover.
Man, sucks to be Mull, dealing with more issues in the space of six months than most people would rack up in two lifetimes.
The film is based upon a Bron Nicholls’s novel, Mullaway, and while you can’t help but feel Stephens probably imported his lashings of drama from the book, the film is simply overloaded with the problems it tries to tackle.
The result is a massive list of characters that are all seriously undercooked, as director Don McLennan attempts to juggle his way through their unintentionally hilarious emotional conflict. Most criminal is the effect it has on the titular character: Mull’s development is obvious, but the filmmakers have to resort to overarching diary entries to make sure the viewers are onboard with the young protagonist’s personal deliberations.
It’s hard to believe, but Garner was quite the young star at the time, having just finished The Henderson Kids II, and she equips herself adequately in the central role of Mull, even if she sometimes tends towards the one note. Bill Hunter, on the other hand, books in one of the most wooden performances of his career, and it hurts the film irrevocably, its greatest acting asset seemingly out to lunch every time the cameras rolled. The rest of the performers deliver by the numbers soap that squeezes the sympathy from their characters; rest-assured, you’ll hate the Mullins by the time the credits roll.
Technical credits range from the adequate to the hopelessly dated, with awful late-80s costume and production design providing some unintentional entertainment. A highlight is the appearance of a zoot-suited Vince Jones Band, reminding viewers of Australian pop culture’s late 80s love affair with jazz.
Inexplicably well regarded at the time, Mull is a film that hasn’t aged at all well. If you’re after a flash of nostalgia it might (just) be worth picking up, but otherwise avoid this overdone, mawkish and poorly made film.
I say: Perhaps 10BA is to blame, but some films from that age of plenty are unfathomably bad. This is one of them.
See it for: A wedding reception big on smoke machines.
*This image is from Umbrella Entertainment
| 52 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
What did ever happen to Garner?
And geez, Bill Hunter turns up in lot of bloody films!!
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
As for Garner: she's still around. I think she was over in the UK, but is now back in Australia featuring in a locally made cop show (can't remember which one - Ch7 or Ch9).
Avoid this. It was a bit of a let down after my week of Rolf
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
(and here I was thinking it was going to be a movie about potheads LOL)
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Yeah, I actually don't mind Nadine in these old productions, but I'm not sure of where she's at with the acting skills these days. As for Bill, I usually can't get enough of him, but definitely not in this!