Danny Deckchair (2003)

            This delightfully funny, romantic comedy begins its story in Sydney, Australia and moves to the fictitious town of Clarence.  Our hero, Danny Morgan, travels there by tying helium balloons to a patio chair.  What might seem to be an absurd screenplay gimmick is actually based on a true event that occurred in Australia and was carried as human interest by international news services.  The real town of Bellingen in New South Wales, Australia was used for the Clarence scenes.  It lies approximately 323 miles from Sydney, as the crow (or the patio chair) flies. 

            Rhys Ifans (pronounced Reese Ee-vans) plays Danny Morgan.  He brings a unique combination of carefree flamboyance and serious melodrama to the role.  As the story begins, Danny's job as a cement truck driver brings him no sense of achievement and Trudy, his girl friend, is taking off in her career.  Like Dorothy's trip to Oz, Danny's trip to Clarence brings him to a new and much more interesting life.  But instead of landing on a witch, he lands in a tree that belongs to Glenda, a beautiful parking ticket cop.  The rest is lighthearted fun.   

            The plot is the stuff of mid-life crisis, i.e. in a rut and looking for a way out.  It's also about relationships that have grown stale for one reason or another and the discovery of a kindred soul mate.   Miranda Otto plays Glenda.  She and Ifans connect with a terrific chemistry that brings emotion to the story and intensity to their screen relationship.

            The screenplay plot points follow a traditional formula from problem through action to climax and anticlimax. 

The DVD Special Features section called The Making of Danny Deckchair provides repeats of key scenes with comments by the principles.

Reviewed December 13, 2005            Copyright 2005 Charles T. Markee

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sex-related situations.