Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Little Movie With An Enormous Heart, January 21, 2005
Danny Deckchair is as charming a movie as I've seen in years - a total surprise of a film with a heart as big as the great continent it comes from.
Rhys Ifans is nothing short of amazing as Danny - bringing a believability factor to a role that easily could have come off as slap-shtick. Ifans brings an inherent vulnerability that makes Danny, a bit of a loser, immediately likeable. He isn't fully prepared - nor is the viewer - for the remarkable journey he finds himself taking and Ifans expressive face registers everything; fear, anger, disbelief, acceptance, but most of all wonder. The transformation Danny undergoes upon his unexpected arrival in Clarence is remarkable as his life changes in almost unimaginable ways. Where in Sydney he'd been stuck in a dead end job (where he still made his own fun) living with a woman increasingly growing weary of him, no real prospects for the future and his "lame" ideas shot down at every turn, in Clarence he is hailed as a hero, transforming not only himself but Glenda and the town itself.
Miranda Otto's Glenda is a gloriously rare creature, an enigma: tough yet fragile as lace the town views her almost as an outcast, yet when Danny arrives, she becomes adored by everyone. Otto's transformation is no less astonishing than Danny's and as the film progresses she almost literally glows. She becomes the ideal woman in nearly every way imaginable. When things get tough, we see another crack in her veneer and learn a lot when she cries out "I just don't want to feel." Otto makes it utterly impossible not to fall in love with this beautiful creature.
The supporting cast all turn in terrific performances, both the folks back in Sydney and Danny's new life in Clarence.
The film - and Danny's message comes across loud and clear: there are no little blokes, no little jobs, no little anything, that everything in the world matters and has worth.
Watching Danny Deckchair one slips back a little into a world where anything is possible - especially if you've got a few dozen balloons and a couple tanks of helium!
This gets my highest recommendation.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Get Away From It All, May 29, 2006
"Danny Deckchair" isn't a complex movie, nor is it particularly deep. If you're looking for a serious drama about relationships and love, look elsewhere. If, however, you're looking for a genuinely charming and funny movie that will leave you feeling pretty good overall by the end, then this is it.
Danny, a "cement man" in Sydney, Australia, leads a pretty normal life with his girlfriend, his house, his weekend barbeques, and his friends. He does, however, have some pretty crazy ideas. Frustrated in his fruitless attempts to take a vacation somewhere out of the way, and confused by his reaction to his girlfriend's possible infidelity, he comes up with the craziest one ever: strap a huge bunch of yellow helium balloons to a lawn chair and see where it takes him. To the surprise of everyone (including himself!), it works, and it takes him to the little town of Clarence. There, he discovers the possibility of new love in the form of the local parking meter cop who first finds him when he falls out of the sky, and he finds that he can be someone important after all: himself.
I love watching "Danny Deckchair" because it walks so many fine lines so well. It's a little predictable, but not insulting. It's fun and funny, without delving into stupidity. It's a "feel-good" movie but it's not saccharine-sweet. The two main actors (Rhys Ifans and the lovely Miranda Otto) are really likable and have a lot of natural chemistry, without any of it seeming forced or manufactured. It's just a fun movie to watch when you need a pick-me-up, or when you want to feel happy about something. And, corny as it sounds, it's a little reminder about some of the more important things in life...new discoveries, happiness, friendship, and yes, love.
Watching "Danny Deckchair" is kind of like a little vacation all its own, without the extra expense, stress, or the need for a bunch of yellow balloons. Have a seat, grab a cool drink and someone you love to hold on to, and just enjoy it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Spiffing!, March 8, 2006
I happened across this film, thanks to my new dishnetwork satellite hookup (not a marketing post, I swear), and it absolutely hooked me right from the start. One look at "Danny's" face, and I knew in there somewhere was a beautiful man dying to break out of his shell. Maybe it's a mirror of my middle-aged self examination, but I saw in Danny and his story the wonder of emerging as the person you are inside after a lifetime of being dissed. Somehow, for him, he lands in the right place, almost in the lap of the right person, and this fairy tale takes off. Lots of great characters, a beautiful town, a story that moves right along, and it just doesn't seem syrupy at all. Wonderful, old-style romantic, well paced.
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