Recent viewings

The Castle. A sardonic, witty Australian comedy about ... eminent domain?

Meet the Kerrigans.

They're perfectly happy in their ramshackle tract house adjacent to a busy airport, where the roar of jets passing overhead only occasionally drowns out conversation.

Dad's a tow truck driver and an amateur home-improver whose additions to the house, although not necessarily level or square, satisfy the family's needs. Also, those of his multiple dogs, who live in a multi-story kennel. He enjoys sitting in his back yard and gazing at his "view" of the immense powerline towers that overshadow the property.

Meanwhile, Mom keeps the family happily fed with recipes that only James Lilek could love, and fulfills her artistic ambitions by making lopsided pottery and garish knicknacks. Daughter Tracy has made the family proud by graduating from beauty school and marrying an accountant. One son spends his days trolling the secondhand ads in the paper, looking for bargains on ergonomic chairs and jousting sticks. Another son is in prison.

They are, in short, the worst possible nightmare for the kind of homeowner who worries that tacky neighbors might reduce his resale value.

When a notice arrives in the mail informing them that their home is being "compulsorily acquired" for the expansion of a politically-connected business, they face a dilemma. Surrender meekly? Or fight City Hall?

Darryl turns out to be stubborn. A man's home is his castle, after all. And he knows a lawyer! Shouldn't the same guy who handles property conveyances and has an office above the local cafe be able to handle this?

I'm not sure how accurate the film's portrayal of the Australian legal system is. But it's great fun watching blustering Darryl and his well-intentioned but grossly-outclassed neighborhood solicitor take on the impossible task of blocking the seizure of the family's home. ("It's, um, the vibe of the Constitution, your honor....")

And with a stroke of luck or two, perhaps things aren't quite as one-sided as they seem....

The production may look downright primitive to some viewers. There are practically no special effects, and the soundtrack is limited to a few pieces of music. Many scenes have no musical soundtrack at all. It doesn't matter, because the situations and the characters are genuinely funny, and the dilemma they face is genuinely interesting.

It's an enjoyable comedy with a worthwhile point. Even tacky people have rights, and be it ever so tacky, there's no place like home.