THE BREAKER UPPERERS
New Zealand, 2018, 82 minutes, Colour.
Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek, James Rolleston, Celia Pacquola, Ana Scotney, Jemaine Clement.
Directed by Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek.
If you were ever wondering what the New Zealand sense of humour is like, try this comedy.
One of the producers of this film is tech I what Tiki, made an impact with his television program, The Flying Concordes (and one of the co-stars, Jermaine Clement has a cameo in this film). What Tiki made the excellent film, Boy (with James Rolleston, one of the stars of this film), What they do in the Darkness, the very popular Hunt for the World of people and directed and performed, tongue in cheek, with Thought Iran-Iraq?.
In comparison with those films, this is rather slight, running for 82 minutes, set in suburban Auckland. Many of the hilarious bits where edited into the trailer for the film which means that the whole film is not quite as hilarious as suggested but, rather, amusing.
The opening collage it is quite funny, two middle-aged women, Mel and Jen, friends for years (although tangling because of love for the same man, part of the plot running throughout the film), who have set up a business. Their role is to break up marriages and relationships. They have a variety of scenarios, a variety of disguises, very eccentric situations and the audience immediately gets a feel for the characters and their business.
However, there is much more than they breaker up a work. Do they have any prospects themselves for relationships? How does Jen get on with her would-be aristocratic and raucous mother? What about Mel’s soft spot and touches of compassion for people while Jen is rather more hard-hearted?
One of the main episodes concerns Anna, Australian comedian Celia Bacall, who is absolutely distraught, and for a long time, about the breakup of her marriage. The to keep running into her so there are a variety of episodes, especially when she accompanies them to the police station and discovers that when they came to her house they were posing as police rather than the real thing. Celia Pacquolai does comedy and unhappiness very well.
Then there is the young football player, not the brightest member of the team, who wants to break up with his girlfriend who is tough, very tough, working as a teller in the bank. He agrees to the payment, Jen and Mel coming with plan scenario which Jordan absolutely sabotage is leading to all kinds of complications, especially in a relationship between himself and Mel.
So, this is how it goes. We get to know Mel and Jen, sometimes liking them, sometimes disliking them. We can feel sorry for Anna. We can shake our heads in dismay at how dumb and fickle Jordan can be. And Jen attempt to reconciliation with her ex from 15 years earlier but discovers he has a changed man and has grown up.
They do is discover some compassion which means, of course, that they will direct their skills not just of breaking up but in putting couples together.
A visit to Auckland with some humour.
1. The title? The tone? Themes?
2. The New Zealand film, New Zealand humour, visual, verbal, situations? Irony? Spoof?
3. The Auckland settings, the city and suburbs, homes, sports fields, clubs, restaurants? Audiences identifying with the atmosphere of Auckland? The musical score?
4. Cowriting, directing, stirring, the effect?
5. The initial collage of the breaking up sequences, the individual jokes, the humour?
6. Jen and Mel, their age, middle-aged, the past, love for the same man, falling out, that background? Jen, the visits to her mother, her mother’s behaviour, the meals, cocaine, exuberant? Her father? Mel, the Indian background, the bond between the two, their plans, the variety of creative scenarios for breaking up? Seeing them in action?
7. Jordan, his age, footballer, slow-witted, his girlfriend, meeting the two, wanting to break up? His taking over the scenario, not going according to plan, the girlfriend defying Mel, Jordan thinking of her being pregnant and following through? The chase after Jen’s intervention? His attraction to Mel, the difference in age, the relationship, her pregnancy? The effect on Mel?
8. The old boyfriend, coming back into focus, 15 years passing, his marriage, family, love, his meeting with Mel, her declarations, his rejection? The sadness?
9. Mel and Jen clashing, not talking to each other?
10. Mel and her pregnancy, going to the club, Jordan and the contract for the Gold Coast? Jen and a visit to Ana at the bank? Her entourage, invading the club, the performance, Jen as part of everything? Jordan and his fascination with Ana?
11. Anna’s story, the relationship with Brendan, the breakup, her grief, the later visits, her thinking that Mel and Jen were police, at the police station, discovering the truth, the two women and their taking over the police station? Mel and her visits and Anna’s rejection of her?
12. The experience of breaking up partners, and the decision to bring people together?
