THE KINGS OF MYKONOS

Australia, 2010, 108 minutes, Colour.
Nick Giannopoulos, Vince Colosimo, Alex Dimitriades, Zita Makrypoulia, Cosima Coppola, Kevin Sorbo, Dimitrios Starovas.
Directed by Peter Andrikidis.

Australia, since the end of World War II, has been a very Greek country, Melbourne allegedly having the third largest Greek population after Athens and Thessaloniki. Quite an audience for this film, plus other Australians who have enjoyed the comic and satirical theatre, television and film work of Nick Giannopoulis and his team of Wogs. They made Wogboy some years ago, capitalising on what used to be a derogatory term for migrants, especially from Greece and Italy, into an endearing term.

A warning is needed for those contemplating meeting the Wogboys again. This is not highbrow artistic comedy and those who look at it as if it were highbrow make the equivalent mistake of reading a newspaper’s comic strip as if it were the editorial. That said, Kings of Mykonos is undemandingly amusing farce with fun being poked at Greek stereotypes, Australian stereotypes and Italian would-be Casanova stereotypes.

It also borrows heavily from those stories of secret property deals by smug double dealers and the goodies, the ordinary blokes (and whatever the Greek translation of that is), finally winning out.

While there are some scenes in Melbourne, in Yarraville, most of the film takes place on sunny Mykonos, on the beaches and in the village, and could serve as tourist propaganda (as long as you avoided the internal squabbles amongst the population).

Nick Giannopoulis is a genial screen presence, an Aussie battler whose forte is not subtlety but who believes in fair deals (most of the time). His mate, Vince Colosimo, is more of a one note character, sex-preoccupied (and that is an understatement), who falls for an Italian tourist – and it could be the real thing for a change. Alex Dimitriades is the smooth-looking and smooth-talking baddy.

There are many corny lines and corny moments (as well as some very, very corny lines and moments and some silly malapropisms – or whatever the Greek equivalent is). But, it is meant to be light good fun and about trying to do the right thing.

1. The popularity of the Wog Boys: stage, television, screen? Wog as an insult, for Greeks and Italians, the Greeks and Italians taking it on and its becoming an affectionate name?

2. Greeks in the Australian population, style, language, becoming ocker, compared with Greeks in Greece, their style and customs, food and music?

3. The Melbourne scenes, Steve and Frank, their friendship, age, Frank and his wife, the councillor and throwing him out, Steve and his love for his car, the trophy in the car, the car being towed away? Parents, the restaurant? Tony the Serb and his malapropisms?

4. Mykonos, the beauty of the island and sea, the village, the beaches, the church, clubs, restaurants? Greek music and song, dances?

5. The situation, Panos dead, his funeral, the mobile phones interrupting, the speeches, the issue of inheritance, the inheritance tax? Mihali? His plans, deceit? Tzimi and his phone call to Melbourne? Steve calling him Jimmy?

6. Steve and Nick Giannopoulos and his screen personality, genial, a clubber, the disco dance with Frank? Broader interests than those of Frank? Thinking the call was a hoax, the Indian call centre? The decision to go to Greece, the arrival, Tzimi meeting them? The relatives – and everything free?

7. On Mykonos, Tzimi and his wife, her coming from Sparta, her boss in the house? Mihali and his plans? Zoe, the song at the club, Steve’s infatuation? The Germans, the archaeology, their interest in the goat and his droppings, the coins? Evidence for a historical site? The jokes about German sense of humour and their laughing just to be polite? The British tourists and their aggression? Zoe and her father, his losing his memory? Tony the Serb and his mangling of language? The tourists, the locals?

8. Steve and his situation, the issue of the tax, inheritance, Mihali and his plans? Listening to Zoe, the petals and throwing them? His relating to her, intimate? Frank and his behaviour, the information about Panos being Steve’s father, the photos, the cousins finally telling the truth, the reasons for their lies? Steve’s speech about food not being free and everybody exiting? Steve and the goat? His very Australian manner, way of speaking, frankness and friendliness?

9. The contrast with Frank, Italian, his age, leaving his wife, his focus on women, lust, lewd, language? Loutish yet naïve? His meeting Pierluigi? The king of Mykonos? His reputation and record with women? His down-to-earth talk with Pierluigi, discovering he was an American, architect, his working for Mihali? His fascination with Miss Italy, her ignoring him, thinking him a waiter? Steve giving him the book? Meeting her as an author, quoting her? Steve and Frank thinking he had betrayed him?

10. The police, the hairs for the DNA tests, rejection? The serious policeman? Friend of Mihali? The search for the goat, putting on his body armour?

11. The court scene, Steve and his plea for further evidence, the delay? Zoe and her going to Athens, Steve and his letting her go, her return with the documents, saving the day?

12. The gift of the car, Steve and his love for cars, tuning it up, Tony the Serb stealing the parts? The challenge to Mihali, calling him chicken? Revving the cars, the beginning of the race, the sudden stop? Everybody searching for the goat? Steve finding it, with Zoe’s father, the droppings, the evidence?

13. Frank and his rescuing Miss Italy from her cramp in the beach? Mihali and his loss? Steve and Zoe together?

14. The final song – and the imitation of the Mamma Mia musical style?