THE EXTRA

Australia, 2005, 96 minutes, Colour.
Jimeoin, Rhys Muldoon, Katherine Slattery, Shaun Micallef, Bob Franklin, Helen Dallimore, Michael Veitch.
Directed by Kevin Carlin.

The Extra is a star vehicle for Jimeoin. Best known as a stand-up comedian and on his television programs, he also made the 1999 comedy The Craic. Response to him will be a matter of taste.

This is a fairly broad comedy, an actor who wants to be a star, getting into all kinds of mix-ups during filming in Melbourne. It all depends on your sense of humour.

Kevin Carlin directed Boytown as well as The Extra – also acquired taste films.

1.Australian comedy, verbal, visual, the little man and his attempts to succeed?

2.The Melbourne photography, the city, homes, film sets, the buses and the streets, the countryside, the musical score?

3.The title, expectations? The introduction to the extra, his anonymity and insignificance? The place of extras in film-making? Their treatment?

4.The structure of the film: with the gun, the flashback, the phone and waiting, the film, the job – and the premiere (**you said it like premier, but it is premiere, isn’t it?) again? The humour of his frustration at the premiere?

5.Jimeoin’s comedy and screen presence, age and appearance, the loser, anonymous, jobs, as a stripper, the extra and the mistakes, standing on the hand? Yet the dinner, smiling at the star, the club and his being ousted?

6.The extra and his friends, the premiere, the back wall, the cut, others, going to the party and being ousted?

7.The bus, talking, home, sex, crabs? The doctor and the pants? The Romeo and Juliet style, the meeting, glamour, the star, home, the ending?

8.The Crimestoppers and the star, the audition and the police?

9.The director and his assistant, the thugs, the focus on money, Mr Big? The robbery and the escape, stealing from the set, the plans, the film? The trailer? The drive, the act in the lane, on the hill, the vehicle going down? The end of the film, the Weinstein producer?

10.The girlfriend, character, the thug?

11.The star, her tantrums, pleasant star, no-one talking, Jimeoin disappearing?

12.The jokes about movie-making, epics, the extras, the stars, assistants, fans, advertisements?

13.The amusing visual jokes, verbal jokes, the little man – no parties, but being satisfied with his lot?