The Wannabes Review

Dopey Danny, Nick Giannopoulos, who fancies himself a show biz personality, agrees to rehearse with a quartet of boofy blokes, Russell Dykstra, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Costas Kilias and Ryan Johnson, who want to be children's entertainers – they want to be the next Wiggles. That's what they say. Actually, they're plotting to rob the home of a geriatric multi-millionaire who is married to a brassy Filipino woman, while entertaining the couple's son.

Comedy is very much a personal thing, and I found The Wannabes quite funny, in an odd sort of way. The premise, certainly, is original and wacky, and most of the cast members are a jovial bunch. I especially enjoyed Russell Dykstra's hoodlum with a heart of gold and the amazing Costas Kilias, as the sexually repressed Adrian who eventually comes out in quite unexpected ways. Funny, too, is Felix Williamson as a vain Hollywood superstar. The film isn't very well directed, and I don't think that Gianopoulos does himself any favours by including so many 4-letter words and surprisingly explicit sexual jokes. Yet, despite all its flaws, I laughed at a lot of this film, and that's the main thing.

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2 min read

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By David Stratton
Source: SBS

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