I Love You Too (2010)
Director - Daina Reid
Starring - Brendan Cowell, Peter Dinklage, Yvonne Strahovski
4 stars
How refreshing is it to hear about an Australian film that doesn’t focus on a niche market or isn’t located in outback and focusing on families in the lower class of society! People overseas probably don’t realise that us Aussies do actually live in affluence if they were to base their opinions on the few movies that actually make it to the big screen. Fortunately, the narrative structure for ‘I Love You Too’ is entirely universal. With that said, the characters are uniquely Australian (well, the ones that are Australian!) and this provides a glowing sense of patriotism. All in all it’s a fantastic (Aussie!) film about love, heartbreak and finding out about whom you really are when dealing with it all.
The story follows the relationship between Jim (Brendan Cowell) and his English girlfriend for the past three years, Alice (Yvonne Strahovski). Jim, 33, is happy with how his life is right now. He is comfortable living in the bungalow out the back of his sister’s house, working at the largest miniature train track in the southern hemisphere and the way things are going in his relationship with Alice. Alice, on the flip side, wants more. Although she has marriage on her mind and desperately wants Jim to grow up and live more of an adult lifestyle, the thing that is pushing her to boiling point is the fact that her boyfriend of three years is still yet to tell her that he loves her. When Jim gives her a commitment ring on his birthday, the shit really hits the fan. They break up, and after a drunken binge, Jim ends up bumping into a stranger that may end up helping him find the answers to it all.
In a story so heavily focused on its characters, it was invigorating to find out that not only were they all well developed and filled out, they were also played to perfection. Being an Australian film I will endeavour to give my three votes, Brownlow Medal styles, for best afield.
- One Vote -Bridie Carter. Carter played Jim’s older sister, Marie. She is such a deep and passionate actress with the grand ability to portray about 1000 emotions in just one facial expression. She is a class act, and did such an amazing job capturing her character with a raw ability that made her so believable.
- Two Votes - Brendan Cowell. The main man. For a movie to have any sort of success, especially one so heavily based on characters and their interaction, it is imperative for the lead to tick all the boxes. I found Cowell’s character Jim a little bit hard to follow early on but the consistency in his personality really came to show as time went on and it was impossible not to really feel every step of his development throughout. Job well done.
- Three Votes -Peter Dinklage. It only hurts mildly to give the best on ground honours in a cast of home grown talent to a Yank but when you watch the movie, you will know why. Dinklage, better known as the midget from ‘Death at a Funeral’, absolutely steals the show as Charlie, the unsuspecting new friend of Jim who helps him on his quest to win back Alice. The film most definitely lifted a notch on Charlie’s inclusion and from that moment on he was controlling the narrative. A genuinely talented actor in his own right, Dinklage went a long way to supporting the overall success of the end product as his character was no doubt an incredibly important one.
Honourable mentions go to Strahovski, Megan Gale and the enjoyable cameo of Hamish Blake. Peter Helliar wasn’t great. He confirmed my initial thoughts of him as an actor when most of his comedic moments seemed forced and awkward. I think he’s brilliant when he’s not on the script but he does become stale when he needs to follow a bunch of lines. His dramatic scenes were far more natural than the humorous ones.
As for the film as a whole, it went down a similar format to Brendan Cowell’s performance. It started a little slow, but once the ball got rolling (and the inclusion of Dinklage) it worked brilliantly. It definitely had some comedic moments throughout, but it certainly wasn’t full of many laugh out loud moments. It was more of a light hearted drama with elements of a genuine rom-com.
It got me (like so many movies do) emotionally involved which I just love. I enjoyed going along the journey with the characters and although it contained elements of predictability, it didn’t spoil any of the entertainment level. At the end of the day, that is why we go to the movies… to be entertained.
And if it is for that reason alone, entertainment, go and see it. Even if you don’t enjoy the brilliant cast, incredibly in-depth and well thought out characters and rollercoaster ride of emotions, it is one of those films that can still keep you interested in it. Peter Helliar has written a stellar screenplay and should be applauded for it. 'I Love You Too' is a real winner and hopefully a true sign of things to come for Australian cinema!
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