Directed by Paul Goldman

The Sunday Times claim that this movie is ?the most memorable Aussie film of the year? on the DVD cover. All I can say is that there mustn?t have been a lot of competition in 2003. This Australian film has gone back to the not so good old days when they needed to use American actors in the main roles when there are perfectly good Australian actors capable of doing them. I mean they have Dennis Hopper playing Frank Sinatra lip - synching to songs sung by Aussie Tom Burlinson. Why not give the role to Tom Burlinson so at least the singing looks authentic. It was only until I saw the credits that I realized it wasn?t Ol? Blue Eyes himself providing the songs. Burlinson is a great talent and soooo cute too.

The plot of ?The Night We Called It A Day? revolves around promoter Rod Blue (Joel Edgerton) who goes to Hollywood to try to convince Frank Sinatra to come and perform in Australia way back in 1974. Rod Blue needs his father to go guarantor on a loan to help with the financial aspects of the tour and refuses even though money is not a problem for him. As a result Rod has to use a lot of his own money to make the tour happen.

What happens next is just disastrous for Rod. Sinatra gets the press off side by calling them ?fags and hookers? and refers to Hilary Hunter (Portia de Rossi), a gossip columnist who hassles him about Marilyn Monroe, as a ?Two Dollar Whore? during his concert and then says ?that she is only worth a buck and a half?. A saucer of milk to Mr. Sinatra please. Meow! Well, that causes all hell to break loose for Sinatra. Bob Hawke, the Trade Union Boss, and 114 unions get together and decide to ?kill off his tour?. Poor Frank and his mistress Barbara Marx (Melanie Griffith) virtually become prisoners in their hotel room. There is no electricity, no room service and no lifts to the fourteenth floor. There is no fuel for him to fly out of the country either. Stuck in a cultural backwater!!

All the unions want is an apology but there are TWO things Sinatra doesn?t do. He never yawns in the presence of a lady he loves and he never says he?s sorry. Poor Rod and his assistants Penny and Audrey (Rose Byrne) have to try to organize a meeting between Bob Hawke and Sinatra?s entourage to find a solution. Finally, Frank agrees to perform a concert for all the union members to attend with the money going to a charity of Bob Hawke?s choice. The whole concert would be televised live on Channel 9. Of course, complications arise when Rod Blue and Sinatra don?t see eye to eye about whether re-runs of the concert can be shown on television.

That?s the basic story, but I am still not too sure as to what kind of a movie I just watched was. Was it supposed to be a comedy, if it was it wasn?t that funny. Sure the hairstyles were great and worth a giggle but that alone didn?t make it a comedy. I must say that the seventies hairstyles really suited Joel Edgerton and Melanie Griffith. It is probably the only film I have seen Melanie in when she actually looked good.

Was it supposed to be a romance? I mean we get to watch Frank and Barbara?s relationship develop to the point where he virtually proposes to her on stage. He actually marries her in real life. How sweet! We get to see Rod and Audrey?s love affair start even though Hilary Hunter does her best to sabotage the relationship. Or was it a Drama? I mean most of the film revolves around the treatment of Sinatra in Australia and how Rod Blue has to overcome many challenges to get the tour back on track including being beaten senseless.

Overall, I would describe the film as a waste of time. The storyline does not deserve to be in a feature film when a documentary would have been sufficient (half an hour?s worth). The only highlight for me was watching David Field transform into Bob Hawke. I mean who didn?t get a laugh when Bobby spoke. It was a bit of history I wasn?t really familiar with but that doesn?t mean I want to pay money to see it at the cinemas or hire the DVD.

However, I must say something in the film?s defence, that there is some good acting, particularly from Joel Edgerton who makes his big screen debut. He plays his promoter?s role to perfection. Rose Byrne was probably not in the film enough to shine, however, she was certainly on screen a lot longer than Marcia Hines who makes a brief cameo as a manicurist (a very challenging role, I must say).

Frank Sinatra was an amazing talent and I would prefer to remember him for that and not his foul language and his treatment of others. I don?t care who he slept with or whom he was married to. If you are also a fan of Frankie and want to watch him on DVD then try to find a concert of his or something but don?t waste your time with ?The Night We Called It A Day? because it is not a night you would want to remember. This film is another example why most Australian made films should be avoided at all costs. The flops far out weigh the successes in my humble opinion.

Don?t watch this film if you are sleepy as it just may be a cure for insomnia. Finally, this film has made me realize that whenever Tom Burlinson is in town performing his Sinatra shows, I will be lining up for a ticket.

THE EXTRAS

There are quite a few extras. They are:
1) Scene Selection ? 24 different scenes to choose from.
2) Audio Commentary by director Paul Goldman (with producer Emile Sherman and Joel Edgerton)
3) Audio Commentary by screenwriters/producers Peter Clifton and Michael Thomas.
4) A Theatrical Trailer ? runs for just under 2 minutes and manages to make the film look good.
5) Deleted Scenes ? There are TWO deleted scenes with commentary available if desired. They are called ?Lance McCullum? and ?President Nixon Calls?. The picture quality is quite poor overall. In the first deleted scene Lance McCullum come to offer Frank some fuel so he can fly out of Australia. This scene was quite sweet with Frank charming Lance?s blind mother Shirley who brings him a cake to eat. The second scene has President Nixon telling Frank to keep up the good work because he is keeping him off the front page. The worst American accent I have ever heard and a completely unnecessary scene. Both scenes are reasonably short.
6) Behind the Scenes of ?The Night We Called It A Day?- A fairly stock standard documentary. We get to hear from all the main actors who talk about how good their fellow actors are in the film. Dennis Hopper sucks up by saying he loves Sydney etc etc. We also hear from the director and screenwriter. There are no real behind the scenes action or information on how the film was made. It only runs for just over ten minutes.

CONCLUSION

?The Night We Called It A Day? is basically a film about a promoter Rod Blue (Joel Edgerton) who manages to bring Frank Sinatra (Dennis Hopper) out to Australia in 1974 for a concert tour. Barbara Marx (Melanie Griffith) accompanies him on his trip. The tour gets off to a very rocky start when Sinatra calls the Australian press ?a bunch of fags and hookers? and gets the ACTU President Bob Hawke and 114 Trade Unions off side who decide to ?kill off his tour?. Poor Frank is stuck in his hotel room with no room service, no electricity and no water?. All the unions want is an apology but there are TWO things Frank doesn?t do. He never says sorry and he never yawns in the presence of a woman he loves.

This to me was another example as to why I never go to see Australian films at the cinema. A very disappointing film that wasn?t even sure what sort of film it wanted to be. I wasn?t sure if it was a comedy, a drama or a romance ! However, there was something I was sure of, that ?The Night We Called It A Day? was not 92 minutes well spent.