Cast: Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto, Justine Clarke, Rhys Muldoon, John Batchelor, Alan Flower, Jules Sobotta
Director: Jeff Balsmeyer
Producer: Andrew Mason
Screenplay: Jeff Balsmeyer
Cinematography: Martin McGrath
Music: David Donaldson, Steve Roche, Janet Roddick
U.S. Distributor: Lions Gate Films
The oddly-titled Danny Deckchair represents the first outing by Jeff Balsmeyer as a writer/director. The limp movie seems to be an attempt by an Australian to mimic a bad American romantic comedy, and, unfortunately, he succeeds admirably. Along with a feel-good ending to make viewers leave theaters in a state of sugar shock, the movie boasts plastic characters, inane situations, and canned comedy. It's not particularly funny or fun, and is sadly reminiscent of dozens of similar films I have seen in multiplexes during the past few years.
Danny Deckchair stars Welsh actor Rhys Ifans as Danny, a concrete mason living in Sydney, who, fed up with his day-to-day routine and the seeming indifference of his live-in girlfriend, Trudy (Justine Clarke), ties a bunch of helium-filled balloons to his favorite deck chair and ends up going on an unexpected trip. One thunderstorm later, he crash-lands in the backyard of a traffic cop named Glenda (Miranda Otto), who lives in the town of Clarence - not exactly a next-door neighbor to Sydney. Glenda makes up a story to explain Danny's presence to the locals, and, after cleaning himself up, he becomes a local celebrity. He's also the talk of the country as news stories about the man in the flying deck chair generate public interest. However, Danny decides that he doesn't want to go back to his old life - he'd rather live in the obscurity of Clarence and settle down with the woman he loves than accept his 15 minutes of fame and return to his problem-filled existence with Trudy.
The only element missing from Danny Deckchair is a laugh track. That's how generic the humor is. In a theater with about 200 patrons, there wasn't much laughter. To succeed, the premise - a man travels long distance in a deck chair - requires an absurd, over-the-top sense of comedy. But this Monty Python idea is treated with the banality of any 30-minute television sit-com. And the romantic element can't save the movie, because Balsmeyer doesn't spend enough time developing it. Only about 25% of the running length is devoted to building the relationship between Danny and Glenda. That's enough time for a couple of conversations, a few longing-filled glances, and a romantic dance. Miranda Otto and Rhys Ifans are adequate as the star-crossed pair, but both have done much better work. Ifans in particular seems out of his element. His talent is best served when he's playing a scruffy supporting role rather than a clean-cut lead. (Remember Notting Hill?) By the time he has taken a razor to his whiskers and shears to his hair, he looks a lot like Owen Wilson.
Danny Deckchair is a safe, generic motion picture that, while not offensive in its lack of freshness, is more clumsy than endearing. This movie is targeting the popcorn crowd, not the kind of movie-goers who frequent art houses. And, without a big star, it's unlikely to find much of an audience. The presence of some chemistry between Ifans and Otto is hardly a reason to recommend a movie that suffers from a terminal reliance upon stock formula elements. Aside from the underused possibilities associated with a man who builds his own, homemade flying machine, Danny Deckchair treads an all-too-familiar road.
© 2004 James Berardinelli