Playing For Charlie

Part sports movie, part urban drama, part coming-of-age story Playing for Charlie is an ambitious film that although over-written in parts is an impressive achievement for debut writer-director, Pene Patrick.

Tony Hobbs (Jared Daperis) is 16, living with his mother Paula (Jodie Rimmer), who suffers from multiple sclerosis and works nights in call-centre to support Tony and his baby brother, Charlie, in Werribee in Melbourne’s Western suburbs. Tony wants to play rugby union professionally and is encouraged by his coach, Mr Ruddock (Shane Connor) but when Tony's dodgy half-brother, Scarf (Mark Leonard Winter), turns up, the offer of quick money which Tony needs to realize his dreams also threatens to derail them.

Patrick does a good job in knitting all this together although there are too many purely conventional aspects in the script for the film to fully engage its audience despite the winning performance from Jared Daperis in the lead. Probably the most insistent instances in this respect are the scenes involving Tony and Scarf which have too much of the flavour of the Bronx as seen in innumerable American movies to ring true whilst the gruff Mr Ruddock is a character from every sports movie you've ever seen.  If this had been played with more matter-of-factness rather than being jazzed up with obvious narrative devices (in the early part of the film, for instance, Tony is attending school but this gets forgotten about as the film progresses) this might have been a more memorable film, particularly as it has a fine score by Lisa Gerrard whose music well suits a more restrained. contemplative approach. No doubt this would have been a riskier strategy commercially speaking but given its rather glum setting the film is already half-way there, so why not go the whole hog?

Playing For Charlie is a solid film, with fine photography by Leilani Hannah and there is a palpable sense that Patrick knows his subject matter well but it is also one which probably would have benefited from a more realistic treatment.

DVD Extras: Cast and crew interviews; Theatrical trailer.

Available from: Umbrella Entertainment

 

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