Tag: Madeleine Sami

Review: The Breaker Upperers

New Zealand comedy has broken out onto the world stage in strange and magical ways over the years. Flight of the Conchords gave us a taste of its unique beats, while Thor: Ragnarok proved it was possible to caress the Antipodean humour into a blockbuster. THE BREAKER UPPERERS is a fiercely proud Kiwi comedy, and unquestionably one of the funniest films of the year so far.

Jen (Jackie van Beek) and Mel (Madeleine Sami) have been friends for 15 years, ever since they discovered that they were being two-timed by the same man. Now they run a business where they break up relationships for cash. Sometimes it’s elaborate plots involving faked deaths and pregnancies, at other times it’s a phone call. However, after victim Anna (Celia Pacquola) reminds Mel of her conscience, the unstoppable friendship begins to crumble.

Comedy is pretty subjective, but co-stars/writers/directors Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami manage to find the right balance of pathos and side-splitters. Pacquola’s performance, in her debut feature, is the embodiment of this approach. Introduced with a comically awkward extended bout of sobbing, her increasing bout of bad luck pushes through the tragic and comes out the other side as hilarious. (“I used to have a cat. But it died. I think.”)

Yet as a platonic rom-com, it’s the interplay between van Beek and Sami that hits us in the feels and funnybones. There’s verbal sparring filled with razor sharp dialogue. Then it’s the height of glorious silliness as the duo recreate a karaoke video for Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.” If the film meanders, it’s when the pair aren’t on speaking terms, but that really only reinforces how strong this team is.

The rest of the film is filled with a who’s who of Kiwi comedy. There’s the obligatory appearance of Jermaine Clement as a random Tinder date. If James Rolleston, as a client/would-be love interest for Mel, it’s because he’s the slightly grown up star of Taika Waititi’s Boy (2010). Newcomer Ana Scotney creates a street-wise character as iconic as any of New Zealand’s countless cinematic eccentrics.

Ending with a dance sequence set to K-Ci & JoJo’s “All My Life” is about as perfect a way to wrap up a comedy as any, leaving the audience with a joyous celebration of the assembled talents on screen. Here’s looking forward to more from this team. See it as soon as possible so you can have bragging rights when they get their eventual Hollywood franchise.

[stextbox id=”grey” bgcolor=”F2F2F2″ mleft=”5″ mright=”5″ image=”null”]2018 | New Zealand | DIR:Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami | WRITER:Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami, James Rolleston | CAST: Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami, Celia Pacquola, Ana Scotney | DISTRIBUTOR: Madman Entertainment | RUNNING TIME: 82 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 6 June 2018 (SFF), 26 July 2018 (AUS) [/stextbox]

June 8, 2018
SFF 2018: NZ comedy ‘The Breaker Upperers’ to open Sydney Film Festival

The 65^th Sydney Film Festival today announced the Australian Premiere of THE BREAKER UPPERERS, a New Zealand comedy from writers-directors-stars Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami, as the Opening Night Film screening at the State Theatre on Wednesday 6 June.

THE BREAKER UPPERERS follows two cynical misfits earning a living breaking up unhappy couples for cash, by faking deaths, impersonating cops and strippers, and feigning pregnancies. Isn’t this just what people do on social media?

Executive Produced by none other than Oscar-nominated filmmaker Taika Waititi, the film’s production team includes Ainsley Gardiner (Boy) and Carthew Neal (Hunt for the Wilderpeople). It stars James Rolleston (the titular Boy in Boy) and Australian comedian Celia Pacquola (Rosehaven) in her first feature film.

Speaking of the film, Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley says it is “awash with humour and heart, with a surrealist touch that makes the film really shine. It is permeated with the endearing politeness and offbeat charm that New Zealand comedies have become known for.”

Previous opening night films have included We Don’t Need a Map (2017), Goldstone (2016), and Ruben Guthrie (2015). This marks a departure from the Australian content that has dominated the opening fare at one of Australia’s most prestigious and popular festivals.

Limited tickets for the opening night go on sale 23 April 2018. The full festival program to be revealed on 9 May 2018. The SFF has already hinted that there will be over 250 films and in excess of 150 local and international guests to keep us entertained. THE BREAKER UPPERERS will also be released in cinemas on 26 July 2018 from Madman Entertainment.

April 23, 2018
Review: Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business

The boys are back with a brand new mission from god, bringing their distinctive Kiwi charms that are five years older, not much wiser, but still just as funny.

[stextbox id=”grey” caption=”Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business (2012)” float=”true” align=”right” width=”200″]

Director: Simon Bennett

Writer(s): James Griffin, Oscar Knightley

Runtime: 85 minutes

Starring: Oscar Knightley, Shimpal Lelisi, Robbie Magasiva, Iaheto Ah Hi, Dave Fane, Teuila Blakely, Madeleine Sami, Nathaniel Lees

Distributor: Pinnacle Films

Country: New Zealand

Rating: Worth A Look (?)

More info

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Sione’s Wedding, known as Samoan Wedding around the world, was a 2006 comedy charmer that doubled its modest $2 million budget at the New Zealand box office, an impressive feat for a film that boldly explored the misadventures of four inner-city Samoan “boys” who were struggling to come to terms with adulthood. It was also the subject of a high profile copyright case in New Zealand, successfully alleging that a pirate causes a $500,000 loss in box office dollars, with the guilty employee of the post-production company forced to do 300 hours of community service. Undeterred, writers James Griffin and co-star Oscar Kightley bring us another chapter in the lives of this loveable crew.

In the first film, each of the boys – with a hard won reputation for causing trouble at weddings, parties and anything – had to find girlfriends before the titular wedding so that they would behave themselves or else be banned. Now they are all partially estranged, with the sensible Albert (Oscar Knightley) and Tania (Madeleine Sami) happily married, but struggling to have children. The usually argumentative Sefa (Shimpal Lelisi) and Leilani (Teuila Blakely) have got two kids, but Sefa won’t commit to marriage. Stanley (Iaheto Ah Hi) is training to be a Deacon, and Michael (Robbie Magasiva) has moved to Australia. However, when Sione dies, the Minister (Nathaniel Lees) once again summons them all together to find Bolo (Dave Fane), who blames himself for Sione’s death.

Comedy troupe The Naked Samoans are a bit of a national treasure in New Zealand, with the original members being the creators of bro’Town, an animated adult comedy that ran for 5 years and satirised the boys’ culture of New Zealand. The original Sione’s Wedding did this as well, effectively moving Kiwi comedy to the inner city suburbs of Auckland and showing New Zealand/Polynesian culture in a hyperrealistic comedic light. While the first film, like Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business, is lightly plotted, what it excelled at was in creating an endearing group of characters. As such, the real joy of this follow-up is getting to revisit the characters several years on.

In many ways, Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business surpasses the first film, with much tighter plotting, better characterisation and a higher hit-rate of laughs. The girls get more time in front of the camera, but this is still the boys’ film, but with the core group now the outsiders looking at the other groups of boys with the same satirical eye the first film viewed them with. Making a real effort to move the boys on in their character arc, the film sometimes plays like a page out of the Auckland tourist handbook, but does so with a sense of joy and high-spirits that makes it impossible not to walk away with a silly smile slapped across your face.

[stextbox id=”custom”]Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business is a cool summer breeze of a comedy that knows how to tread the fine line between comedy and pathos.[/stextbox]

Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business was released in Australia on 1 March 2012 from Pinnacle Films.

March 4, 2012