The sunshine and shorts, madcap family lunch is pretty much a staple of the Aussie Christmas movie tradition. A Savage Christmas makes a genuine attempt to diversify the concept with an LGBTQ and multicultural lense…and before anyone stands atop their VB carton as replacement soapbox…don’t worry there is Bogan cultural representation too!
Davina, a recently transitioned trans woman and television chef played by Gunggari, Lardil and Kullilli woman Thea Raveneau, returns home for Christmas time with her partner Kane (Max Jahufer) to see her asset rich and cash poor parents former League star James (David Roberts) and wannabe chef Brenda (Helen Thompson), soon to be divorced Sister Leia (Rekha Ryan) and former cop/aspiring rapper Jimmy (Ryan Morgan) along with Uncle Dick (Darren Gillensham who is mandatory for your Aussie Christmas movie at this point) and Peter (Gary Sweet) the aforementioned bogan culture rep who is after 20k owed by Jimmy.
This has a couple of genuine laugh out loud moments, one Bruno Mars joke in particular that is worth the price of admission and it is refreshingly diverse in both cast and subject matter, but in keeping with the savage title , it lacks the sentimentality that is usually woven into these Christmas tales.
Neighbours fans keep an eye out for Charlotte Chimes who played the first version of Nicolette before the reboot recast and my lips are sealed about the hilarious cameo from an big name Aussie actress as a Doctor with terrible bed side manner.
The sunshine and shorts, madcap family lunch is pretty much a staple of the Aussie Christmas movie tradition. A Savage Christmas makes a genuine attempt to diversify the concept with an LGBTQ and multicultural lense…and before anyone stands atop their VB carton as replacement soapbox…don’t worry there is Bogan cultural representation too!
Davina, a recently transitioned trans woman and television chef played by Gunggari, Lardil and Kullilli woman Thea Raveneau, returns home for Christmas time with her partner Kane (Max Jahufer) to see her asset rich and cash poor parents former League star James (David Roberts) and wannabe chef Brenda (Helen Thompson), soon to be divorced Sister Leia (Rekha Ryan) and former cop/aspiring rapper Jimmy (Ryan Morgan) along with Uncle Dick (Darren Gillensham who is mandatory for your Aussie Christmas movie at this point) and Peter (Gary Sweet) the aforementioned bogan culture rep who is after 20k owed by Jimmy.
This has a couple of genuine laugh out loud moments, one Bruno Mars joke in particular that is worth the price of admission and it is refreshingly diverse in both cast and subject matter, but in keeping with the savage title , it lacks the sentimentality that is usually woven into these Christmas tales.
Neighbours fans keep an eye out for Charlotte Chimes who played the first version of Nicolette before the reboot recast and my lips are sealed about the hilarious cameo from an big name Aussie actress as a Doctor with terrible bed side manner.
