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Danny Deckchair

2003, Movie, PG-13, 97 mins

Danny Deckchair: Review

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Lighter than helium but irresistible nonetheless, this sweet Australian comedy follows a man who's literally lifted out of his humdrum existence and dropped down into a richer, far more satisfying life. Danny Morgan (Rhys Ifans) pours cement for a living and dreams about the camping trip he's about to take with his live-in girlfriend, Trudy (Justine Clarke). Trudy, however, an ambitious real estate agent, has much bigger fish to fry and she's about to reel in a whopper: dashing TV sports reporter Sandy Upman (Rhys Muldoon), who looking for a new house. Unfortunately for Danny, that house-hunting date Trudy's made with Sandy means that their vacation is off. With nothing better to do than hang around the house in a funk — which only deepens after he overhears Trudy complaining about how he'll always be one of the "little people" — Danny impulsively decides to see what would happen if he tied, say, 30 jumbo sized, helium-filled balloons to an aluminum deckchair. During a weekend barbecue with his friends, he finds out: Danny, deckchair and all, lifts clear off the ground and floats away into the ether high above Sydney. By the time he's accidentally shot down by a fireworks display hours later, Danny's made it as far north as the idyllic Northern Rivers town of Clarence. Danny lands in a tree belonging to Glenda Lake (Miranda Otto), a traffic cop who lives by herself in her late parents' house. Glenda has given up on romance — that is until Danny, who immediately finds life among the inhabitants of Clarence (who have no idea who he is or where he's come from) far preferable to life in Sydney, starts shaking things up. Meanwhile, the rest of Australia is abuzz with the mysterious disappearance of Danny Morgan, and, ironically, the story of his accidental flight becomes an inspiration to his fellow Aussies who've dreamed, but never dared — Trudy included. With a little help from Sandy Upman, the grieving girlfriend becomes an overnight media star. The shaggy Ifans is far from a typical romantic hero, but he's perfectly cast here as a man who, once he finds his voice, seems continually surprised by himself, and he shares a wonderfully playful chemistry with Otto. There is a forced bit of populism towards the end when story-board artist-turned-director Jeff Balsmeyer goes for a Capra-esque big moment, and it's hard to believe that no one in Clarence ever sees a picture of the missing Danny Morgan on the news, but why quibble: Disbelief isn't much to ask for in exchange for a such a winning comedy. leave a comment --Ken Fox
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