Product Details

• Actors: Bernard Derriman, Damian Walshe-Howling, David Michôd, Eve von Bibra, Ronald Jacobson
• Directors: Clayton Jacobson
• Producers: Kenny
• Format: Import, PAL, Widescreen
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 4 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Madman Entertainment
• Run Time: 103 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000N16208
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,005 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: 2-DVD Set, Anamorphic Widescreen, Behind the scenes, Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Interactive Menu, Making Of, Short Film, Special Edition, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: From the biggest festival to the smallest church social, Kenny Smyth delivers porta-loos to them all. Ignored and unappreciated, he is one of the cogs in society's machinery; a knight in shining overalls taking care of business with his faithful 'Splashdown' crew. Follow Kenny as he tackles every septic challenge that comes his way, culminating in a pilgrimage to that Mecca of waste management, the International Pumper and Cleaner Expo in Nashville Tennessee - or as Kenny affectionately calls it, 'Poo HQ'. With fly-on-the-wall honesty and wit, 'KENNY' lifts the lid on one of Australia's roughest diamonds as he juggles family tensions, fatherhood and sewage with charm, humour and unflinching dignity. 'It takes a certain kind of person to do what I do... No-one's ever impressed; no-one's ever fascinated... If you're a fireman, all the kids will want to jump on the back of the truck and follow you to a fire. There's going to be no kids willing to do that with me. So, I don't do it to impress people - it's a job, it's my trade, and I actually think I'm pretty good at it.' - Kenny Smyth Part philosopher, part comedian and all heart, KENNY is living proof that in sewage, like life, the best will always rise to the top. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Australian Film Institute, Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, ...Kenny

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I'd love to be able to say "I plumb toilets" and have someone say "Now that is something I've always wanted to do.", February 9, 2008

By 

Trevor Willsmer (London, England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Kenny [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ] (DVD)

"It takes a certain kind of person to do what I do. No-one's ever impressed; no-one's ever fascinated. If you're a fireman, all the kids will want to jump on the back of the truck and follow you to a fire. There's going to be no kids willing to do that with me. So, I don't do it to impress people - it's a job, it's my trade, and I actually think I'm pretty good at it."

Kenny is a plumber for a company that specializes in Corporate Bathroom Rentals - "At the end of the day it's just a fancy way a having somewhere to ***t. Having a nice place to pooh." Sometimes that involves calculating the **ss-to-***t ratio at a rock concert (whether they're serving curry or not is a crucial factor), sometimes it means crawling in aseptic tank with a smell that's going to outlast religion and sometime it means rolling up his sleeves to retrieve a lost wedding ring before it gets a chance to `settle,' but that's not as bad as it sounds. After all, it's 80% water and the chemicals take care of the other 20%. But he doesn't think he has anything to apologize for - after all, it's not all pain and anger and he never has to worry about his business drying up overnight. It has his drawbacks: it led to his bitter divorce, but as he freely acknowledges "When you spend more time with other people's pooh than you do with your own wife you've got to pay the penalty." And it's not as if the rest of his family are going to be up for any awards. His constantly nagging dad's emotional bank account only has two cents in it and his brother can't even stand to spend a single night with them.

The comedy mock-doc is a hard beast to get right. Since The Rutles: All You Need is Cash set the style and This Is Spinal Tap caught the public imagination, the floodgates have opened for no-budget filmmakers with half an idea and a camcorder they got for Christmas giving it a go and failing miserably. Even talented and experiences professionals have failed more often than they've succeeded, often leaving films that would have been better as half-hour sitcoms or a mere sketch in their wake. So it's and especially welcome surprise that director-writer-star Clayton Jacobsen's constantly delightful Australian comedy actually manages to sustain its generous running time without ever outstaying its welcome. The reason is simple, and it's not just because the jokes are funny and the film is often beautifully observed as it follows its titular hero through the run of concerts, races and beach parties he services and the family tightrope he walks: it's that Kenny himself is such a genuinely likeable character as he shares his glass half full philosophy. Unambitious, happy in his trade but never a simpleton or an easy object of ridicule, he's well worth spending 100 minutes or so of your time with. At times feeling like a superior Australian feature-length episode of That Peter Kay Thing, it may sound "as silly as a bumful of Smarties" but this charmer really is worth sitting down to.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Kenny" needs to be released in the US, June 24, 2007

By 

R. Unger - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kenny [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ] (DVD)

I simply fell in love with this movie. "Kenny" is without a doubt the best Australian film I have ever seen. In fact, in my opinion, it's one of the most entertaining films ever made anywhere. It's witty, touching and, most of all, inspiring. Shane Jacobson is my new hero. After seeing his fine performance in this marvelous picture, I'm now his biggest fan, at least here in the states. It is just so hard to believe this was his very first acting role. His portrayal of the likable, down to earth average working stiff Kenny Smyth is nothing short of brilliant. No wonder he won the AFI's Best Actor Award for 2006, Australia's equivalent of the Oscar. This movie just has to be released in the US. Wake up, America. You just don't know what you're missing.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aussie Comedy Classic, August 1, 2007

By 

Dr H.Alloy (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kenny [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ] (DVD)

Australia makes arguably the worst, least entertaining, most anti-mainstream audience movies in the world right now. So it's no suprise this comedy hit was independently funded completely outside the poisonous aussie film industry system. And Kenny is easily the best Aussie comedy in 10 years. If your going to make a film about a toliet plumber this is the way to do it. A simple, well told feel good movie with charming characters.Plus it's bloody hilarious!! Gags galore and trenchant character humour make 'Kenny' a riot.

It's all driven by a brilliant performance by Shane Jacobsen as 'Kenny' not only does he pump out the terrific one liners with great comic timing, he's got the kind of appeal that instantly charms an audience.

Also brilliant is Kenny's ghastly old father (Played by Shane's father Ron-right up there with such nightmare screen dad's as Frank Costanza, Frank Barone and Cotton Hill) he's a bitter old curmugeon who'd be utterly detestable if it weren't for the fact the fact that he's also damn funny.

And Kenny's co-workers are a bunch of all too familiar eccentrics that provide plenty of laughs and some killer slapstick. Just to top it off
there's a nice romantic subplot that's deftly handled.

The plot is probably a little thin in places, but it doesn't matter a hoop, Kenny's one of the only recent Aussie movies that is a sure fire crowd pleaser. More please.