New Zealand’s Box-Office Hit Gets Guffaws, Gulps and Gratitude*****
Ok! This is a positively
out-of-the-box plot that deserves New Zealand’s all-time hit ranking. Enter Ricky baker. He’s fat, funny and a rebel with a cause. After
all, he been through the foster system and “Juvie” is a place he knows too
well. He’s placed with a farming couple. Bella, the mom is a warm, loving mom
who puts up with Ricky running away to sleep outside nearby. She even eggs him
on, and the psychology works. The problem is, Bella’s cranky hubby, Hec wants nothing
to do with the kid, but all that changes when Bella suddenly dies. Ricky now
has good motive to run away, but the authorities are on the hunt for him – and
eventually Hec who decides to look for Ricky. He finds them, and they hole up
in the wilds, trying to keep abreast of the cop duo. Hec and Ricky soon bond,
but Ricky nicks their closeness when Hec gives him up (one of the funniest
scenes in the film). Julian Dennison, as Ricky and Sam Neil are a winning combo
in their lead roles. Even the cop pair is hilarious in their personality
contrasts.
The lines of laughter never end.
Delightful, moving and superbly
acted, it picked up a slew of Official Selections: Sundance, Tribeca Film and
Calgary Underground Film Festival.
It was screened at Montreal's Fantasia Festival in 2016.
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