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Friday, June 5, 2020

The Castle (1997)


The Castle follows a middle-class "typical" Australian family.  It heavily stereotypes but somehow this works well.  While the narrator is Dale Kerrigan, the film actually follows his father, Darryl.  In the first twenty minutes, we see how this family functions.  They put a lot of value into their family, and while not everything is perfect (such as how one of their family is in jail for armed robbery), they see the positives.  The film does a fantastic job of making the family instantly likable.  The conflict comes into play when their home is being compulsorily acquired by a big corporation.  It is a textbook case of David vs Goliath and the Kerrigan's face despair as they lose all avenues for recourse.  Most of the humor comes from the stereotypical image of the Australian family but it is never self-deprecating, rather, the family themes that it touches upon is much to be admired.  Throughout it all, you can't help but root for the Kerrigan's, feel sad for their current situation, and eventually want what is just for them.  The Castle is a great film that is definitely worth a viewing.
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