Seriously Red Review
There’s a lot to love in this admittedly low spec Aussie comedy.
Red (Krew Boylan) is drifting through life; living in her mother’s garage, fired from yet another job she hates. But when she rocks up to a work function dressed as her idol Dolly Parton, and does a little number for the crowd, the ensuing chaos is punctured by an approach from Teeth (Celeste Barber) - a woman who works for a company that employs look-a-likes (or as they call them, Genuine Copies). Red jumps at the opportunity to be Dolly for real, but to really make the big time she has to convince company boss and Neil Diamond impersonator Wilson (Bobby Cannavale) that she makes the perfect partner for their top performer, Kenny Rogers (Daniel Webber).
Directed by Gracie Otto, Seriously Red has all the trappings of a much higher budget film. There’s some great musical numbers, plenty of laughs, and incredible costuming. The fact that its set in Australia also gives it a real point of difference, with iconic Australian (and more broadly in the region) locations popping up naturally, rather than shoehorned in.
Boylan is magnetic as the titular Red, bringing a mild sense of wanton chaos to the role that finds her both inciting laughs, and undertaking some pretty brave acts. Webber is muted as Kenny, but necessarily because of the way the character is written. Cannavale and Rose Byrne delight in their small roles, bringing a real sense of Hollywood glam to the piece. It’s Thomas Campbell, however, as Red’s best friend Francis, who really takes the limelight. He is funny, engaging and easily traverses the drama to comedy scope of his role. It’s a real star-making turn for the actor, who hopefully we’ll see much more of after this piece.
Ultimately, the production value and lack of stakes let’s the film down a little bit. Visually, everything feels a little too bright; a little too ‘TV’. Then there’s the ultimate conclusion of the piece, which sees a somewhat problematic turn for Red that almost feels like we’ve jumped into a David Cronenberg body horror for a second. What starts off as a relatively strong arc for Red veers a little off course at the end, and while that doesn’t make this any less of an enjoyable romp, it does rob it of any greater meaning.
