Siam Sunset

I was a bit perplexed by the first half of Siam Sunset. It was trying to be a comedy, tradgedy and a serious piece all at the same time. The poor wife gets flattened by a fridge, people fall down stairs for no apparent reason, and in the meantime our hero is moaning about loss and strange things that happen, quite straight faced...

The first time my husband and I watched the film, we missed a lot of the humor as we were taking the film too seriously. We had to watch it again to catch all the stuff we missed. We've seen it several times now and love it. We plan to purchace a copy.

This is a quirky, black comedy adventure, and a road-trip from hell for holidaying Brit, Perry (Linus Roache) who won a trip on the decidedly budget-range Whippet's Tours from Adelaide to Darwin. Unfortunately, the bus is on its last legs, the driver-tour leader a border-line sociopath, and the fellow passengers personifications of annoying Aussie pecidillos; but fortunately, pretty, smart Grace (played by Kiwi Danielle Cormack) sees Perry as a kindred soul despite his worries about being jinxed by disasters. Unfortunately for the course of true love, her violent, drug-dealing ex-boyfriend is on her trail after she stole a heap of cash from him. It all adds up to a heap of fun, a few thrills and a little unlikely romance for a man whose only wish was to replicate the colour he saw in his wife's hair on a beach in Thailand. This was actor John Polson's only directorial effort, but he has produced an entertaining romp, with a few shades of magic outback realism.

I really enjoyed this movie, as did the two others who attended with me. The humour is quirky and often unexpected. The message of the movie is, in my view, make the best of what life throws at you -- and for the main character, life throws quite a bit!!

This movie had me laughing from start to finish. I saw it at the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival, and I can't believe it wasn't their closing night feature. It was far more enjoyable than the other films I saw there. Great comedic performances and a very funny script make this a film not to be missed.

I enjoyed this movie. It isn't a classic, but its quirky black comedy should ensure a big following (how many films are about people killed by a fridge falling from the sky?!). As an Englishman living in Australia, I suppose it appealed, as that is the core of the film, and English chemical engineer winning a trip to Australia. The film shows great contrast between the two countries and duly ridicules both. Maybe you have to have been to Australia to appreciate the caricatures of the characters on Bill's bus trip, I'm not sure, but they're done superbly - but maybe act as a bit of a distraction in some ways. There's some excellent black humour, and the lead character's search for the perfect shade of paint is a harmless but involving aspect. I'm not sure the message director John Polson was trying to portray, but that didn't matter to me. If you know Australia and Australians, pay a visit to this film - you'll love it.

Maybe if you are uptight and too serious you will not like this black comedy, but the four of us loved it! "We" were from 23 yrs to 53 yrs, including Japanese, New Zealand, and American nationalities. I often steer clear of black humour because it can be too weird and cruel, but the Aussies did their normal brilliant work on this film and I do recommend it. There are so many small and big things in this movie that are hugely LAUGH-OUT-LOUD, that we thoroughly enjoyed it. So, grab a drink, put up your feet, forget about being being conventional, expect the unusual... and prepare for a FUN time (with some serious messages under all of it as well!).