Amazon.com

This is another one of those Cuckoo's Nest mental patient liberation stories, but with a clever "let's put on a show" twist. A group of melancholy Australian patients dares to pull off a theatrical version of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte. This film adaptation of Louis Nowra's play is quite absurd and quite erratic, yet quite affecting in the second half when the patients finally commit to the quixotic project. But how to relate to Mozart's 1790 opera about true love? By identifying with the theme of infidelity as a therapeutic exercise. And how do they pull of this madcap farce? By relying on their ability to pretend, of course. This is most difficult for the unimaginative and uncaring director (Mendelsohn), who finds himself in a life-imitates-art conflict with his curt girlfriend and a damaged yet flirtatious patient. However, it is the passionate patient (Otto) who won't let Cosi die who is the film's emotional center. He's a neurotic perfectionist and a delusional addict--a sad, desperate man with a dream to show the world how to love and be loved. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt!
I love this movie! I am Australian and you may think that makes me biased, but I'm not a great fan of all Australian movies. Having worked in another Psychiatric Hospital very near to the one where this was filmed, I can vouch for the characterization of the patients and staff. I saw exact replicas of patients I'd known, and yes a lot of them really do act like that. No-one gave a bad performance but the three knockout actors were Jackie Weaver( Cherry), Barry Otto (Roy) and David Wenham (Doug). We don't make many formula movies in Australia-we leave that up to Hollywood ,but if you like something different, offbeat and gritty and you're a fan of movies like Strictly Ballroom, Priscilla or Muriel's Wedding, you'll love this. I found it hilariously funny but also touching in a not-so soppy way.

A rare treasure in a sea of bad Aussie movies! ;)
Cosi is an absolutely fantastic find in the sea of Australian movies that are often total trash! A truly honest and original film, it creates several hilarious psychiatric patients including a pyromaniac to make Cosi a captivating story that really does entertain you for a couple of hours.

Based on the play written by Louis Nowra, Cosi is the uplifting story of how a group of psychiatric hospital tenants come together to perform an Italian opera Cosi Fan Tutte (Mozart) against the initial thoughts of the amateur director who has agreed to help the patients "come out of their shells". This is a tale of how "Jerry" (as one of the patient labels him) learns to accept these people and eventually he discovers and reveals to the audience that although these people are considered "crazy lunatics", they are, in essence, no more crazy than the people on the 'outside'.

This movie is for those looking for an original, creative film that guarantees laughs and smiles as well as entertaining characters and good ol' Aussie humour.

Enjoyable!
This is a funny and poignant story- our hero is hired to direct a play at a mental hospital as a type of therapy for the patients. Lewis is not quite sure what he is in for. He meets an vaired assortment of societal outcasts and oddballs who in the end don't appear to be all that different from the people outside the institution.

Notable performances-
Ben Mendelsohn as Lewis the director
Rachel Griffiths as Lucy his girlfriend
Toni Collette as Julie a troubled young woman whose parents have sent her to a mental institution to deal with her drug problem
David Wenham ( aka Faramir from Return of the King) plays Doug a disturbed pyromaniac who stirs up trouble for the production.

The patients do not settle for some lame variety show and push to put on an opera- Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart. They do the opera as a play in English with singing for the finale. The play's theme is echoed by the events of the film- Lewis's friend Nick moves in with Lewis and Lucy and tells Lewis she is cheating on him. They make a bet. The play revolves around two young soldiers who make a bet that their women will be true- and then deceive them and the women fall in love with the new men they think they have met while their men are off at war.

The comedy is typical Aussie- a combo of physical slapstick and sight gags and some biting verbal barbs.

Toni Collette proves here she can sing beautifully- does an a cappella rendition of Stand By Me that steals the show.

Enjoyable overall- a gem in the rough I was pleased to stumble onto!

Haven't received it yet
After two full months after my Visa was charged, my copy of Cosi (one of my favourite movies) hasn't arrived. There's no way I can contact the company directly, so I have to use this medium. I can only hope that someone will read this and try to fix this problem. Otherwise, they've stolen my money!

the most hillarious of all time
ive loved this movie since the first day i saw it 6 yrs ago. every time i see it i still find myself laughing till im purple. you will never see a movie that has so many interesting characters doing so many different styles of comedy. if you like anything from the wedding singer to spy hard, space balls to theres something about mary, youll love this one. ... Read more

Amazon.com

As she does in The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Janeane Garofalo proves she's a capableleading lady--beautiful, charming, self-effacing, and what used to be referred to as sharp as a tack.Garofalo plays Marcy, aide to dim Massachusetts senator McGlory (Jay O. Sanders). Denis Leary isappropriately slimy as a fellow aide. The senator and Nick dispatch Marcy to the remote (and fictitious)Irish town of Ballinagra, where she's supposed to unearth relatives to use in the senator's PR campaign. Along the way, Marcy not only encounters the eccentric locals, but finds herself in the maelstromof the town's annual matchmaking festival. The single Marcy inadvertently catches the eye of the movie'seponymous matchmaker Dermot (a captivating Milo O'Shea). Dermot senses sparks between Marcy andthe equally cynical, recently returned local boy, Sean (David O'Hara), once a successful journalist who'sreturned home to work on a book. The intimacies of the small town, the relationships between the locals, and the dialogue are credible and engaging. Look for beautiful cinematography and music, too. Also notable is the movie's ability to convey the feel of a foreign film while injecting humor that's both sarcastically American and yet Irish in trademark. --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Not The Quiet Man, Thank God
Someone called this movie a romantic comedy for people who don't like romantic comedies, and I think that's pretty accurate. The story of a hapless senator's aide (Garafalo) who is shipped to Ireland to search out Irish relatives (bogus or otherwise) of her dim boss, it is refreshingly funny, cynical and lighthearted. While there are, of course, some of the Irish stereotypes and cliches to be found, they are presented in a very sly, acidic, tongue-in-cheek manner, and some of the digs at tourists are particularly funny. The characters are charming, from the matchmaker(s)to the Kelly brothers who run one of the local hotels/pubs. David O'Hara is a find as a romantic leading man--no pretty boy but very sexy--and Jeananne Garafalo makes a great, offbeat romantic foil for him. The scenery is beautiful (it's Ireland, after all) and the dialogue very funny and, at times, touching. Even Murphy, the dog, is funny (note especially the scene in the home of the crusty and anti-tourist Aran Islander). In sum, this movie has some of the best comedic scenes I've seen and some of the most endearing characters as well. Highly recommended for light viewing.

Refreshingly different romantic comedy
The Matchmaker is a romantic comedy with a twist - it has an orginal premise, funny characters, truly comic moments, and the leads look like real people, which only adds to their appeal.

Janeane Garaofalo, as the U.S. Senator's aide visiting a coastal Irish village during their annual matchmaking fair, is funny and caustic. David O'Hara, as the seemingly n'er do well bartender who turns out to have a bit more going for him, is sexy as all get out, without looking anything like a Hollywood pretty boy.

The two stars have great chemistry and timing with each other, and the supporting cast is excellent. The only false notes are sounded by Dennis Leary, who overacts a bit as the obnoxious Senator's aide, and the character of the Senator himself, who is too much of a caricature. Milo O'Shea brings a poignancy to the key Matchmaker role that could have easily sunk into a stereotype.

This film has some very funny moments, with one of the best being a desperate car ride by O'Hara and his brother, both sporting full leg casts and trying in vain to pilot a stick shift.

All in all, you could do worse than to spend a couple of hours with "The Matchmaker". It left me smiling, as well as wanting to see more of O'Hara in future lead roles.

a sweet little sunday afternoon type of movie
having visited Ireland and flown into Shannon airport like Janeane Garofalo does at the beginning of this movie,it is a favorite.the scenery is beautiful,Janeane is adorable. i absolutely love the scene when she judges the singing contest!this movie is something you can simply enjoy-let it take you away to Ireland,its beautiful there!

Worthy of a Deluxe Turbo Tan!!
Bollix to those of you who don't like this movie! It is filled with quirky off center humor and constantly had me asking, "Did I really just hear that?" As a very pale caucasion myself, I related particularly well to the various jokes about the lack of pigment in the Emerald Isle. Anyone who's ever been set up on a blind date will find the matchmaking humor particularly entertaining as well. The charachters are wild and eccentric, but entirely lovable. This is one of those movies that leaves you feeling warm fuzzys, and is not to be missed. Even if you end up hating it, I recommend that you watch it and decide for yourself.

A Disappointment
This movie has beautiful scenery of Ireland but beyond that I can't recommend it. The acting is weak and the story hard to believe. There is a lot of offensive language that isn't really necessary to the story. The film never held my attention but did make me want to visit such a beautiful country. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Efficiency Expert (released in theaters as Spotswood), a warm-hearted,wacky comedy with a social conscience, takes place in Australia in the "Swinging '60s," and its character, substance, music, and design are so authentic one nearly forgets that it was made in 1991.Sir Anthony Hopkins is wonderful as Errol Wallace, the efficiency expert of the title, who devises painful belt-tightening measures for struggling companies.Wallace is hired to modernize the dotty, antiquated Ball Moccasin Factory, and he's stunned at the impossibility of the task. The cutting room resembles a workshop full of Santa's elves; the men literally dance jigs while they work.Still, Wallace takes the bull by the horns and deputizes a young man, Carey (the winning Ben Mendelsohn), to help him downsize the factory.It's like trying to disband a tribe; many of the employees have been there for30 years; romances blossom there. Homely Wendy (Toni Colette, ofMuriel's Wedding and The Sixth Sense) loves Ben, but he lusts after tarty Cheryl (Rebecca Rigg), whose nasty shark of a boyfriend, Kim, is played by a young Russell Crowe. Wallace thinks he's teaching these factory workers how business works, but it's he who learns a lesson."Work isn't just about money," declares old Mr. Ball, the factory's owner (the exceedingly touching Alwyn Kurts). "It's about dignity, about treating people with respect.People need to make things."The movie's message has timeless resonance, as job security and pride in manufacturing vanishes from large industrialized nations. --Laura Mirsky ... Read more

Reviews (3)

How to find a personality by slot car racing
Anthony Hopkins is the efficency expert. In this movie he is to decide if an old shoe factory is to be closed and the staff fired. When he first arrives, he's ready to close the factory, but as the movie progresses he finds that the workers are more useful that he first thought. As the movie progressed he moved from a man who was just as empathetic as the character he portrayed in "Nixon" to someone who actually relates to other human beings...the funny part is that a slot car race at the local club is the act that finally fosters a change in him. The movie drags in spots but I think it was done intentionally to give a laid back contrast to the hard charging but souless expert.

Mike

INTERESTING LESSON ABOUT BUSINESS, GLOBALIZATION, LIFE.
Flawless production, coupled with sparse (which is unfortunate) musical selections of the Sixties, this unsung but gratifying little film captures beautifully the discovering/rediscovering of true, basic human needs from the vantage point of two separate generations and social classes.

With the current scourge of globalization, it strikes a very poignant chord when an "efficiency expert" (the ever versatile Anthony Hopkins) comes to investigate the dwindling profits of a small town shoe-manufacturing firm. He is occupied with cold facts and figures rather than compassion and dignity for the workers as he decides that 50% of the company could be laid off in the interests of getting the firm out of the red.

There's financial consulting, change management, resistance to change, the usual works. Then something happens that changes his perspective on his consulting recommendations, specifically a (doozy) car racing event.

In its denouement, the movie goes somewhat Polyanna (how one wishes such "solutions" were possible in the real world) but the cosy, relaxed pacing of the movie and its simple lessons make this a worthy rental.

Oh, and if Russel Crowe is the reason you're renting this, beware: he has a small part, I should have guessed this, the movie is from 1992 and he was still a budding Australian actor.

English efficiency consultant goes to Aussie shoe factory
Excellent funny movie about efficiency consultant, Hopkins, that goes to evaluate an Aussie shoe factory, and eventually ends up saving it. The owner is an idealistic capitalist who attempts to shelter employees from external changes by losing money. Eventually he has to face the music or else all his employees will lose their jobs. Very timely movie given all the talk about downsizing. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Can't Help Falling in Love with the Story
This was a great movie. The ending was totally predictable, especially after you see Sean standing on the car door watching Marcy's plane fly overhead. You just know he's going to come to Boston after her. And Nick sure had it coming throughout the entire movie. It was a beautiful romantic comedy, one you could watch over and over again, and just keep falling in love with the characters.

One of my favorites
When I saw this movie, I totally just fell in love with it. I guess I was already a romantic comedy type girl, but this one really is great. I love the scenery, and the mood of the movie itself. David O'Hara is perfect, and all the other cast members are delightful. You must see this movie.

Cute Movie..
In the mood for a romantic light-hearted Irish movie, then the
Matchmaker is your best bet. The scenery is beautiful and the
cast is perfect. Garofalo is at her best. I bring this movie
out often especially on St. Patricks Day....

A Pretty Good movie :)
This movie depicts a dedicated political assistant (Janene Garofalo) who goes to Ireland in search of a family, and finds much more.
Garofalo doesn't really break away from her typcasted role, being a jaded, cynical woman who doesn't really have time for love. She is convincing as always, and this movie has many humorous moments. It also has its share of moving moments, and the Irish background is perfect. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

How to find a personality by slot car racing
Anthony Hopkins is the efficency expert. In this movie he is to decide if an old shoe factory is to be closed and the staff fired. When he first arrives, he's ready to close the factory, but as the movie progresses he finds that the workers are more useful that he first thought. As the movie progressed he moved from a man who was just as empathetic as the character he portrayed in "Nixon" to someone who actually relates to other human beings...the funny part is that a slot car race at the local club is the act that finally fosters a change in him. The movie drags in spots but I think it was done intentionally to give a laid back contrast to the hard charging but souless expert.

Mike

INTERESTING LESSON ABOUT BUSINESS, GLOBALIZATION, LIFE.
Flawless production, coupled with sparse (which is unfortunate) musical selections of the Sixties, this unsung but gratifying little film captures beautifully the discovering/rediscovering of true, basic human needs from the vantage point of two separate generations and social classes.

With the current scourge of globalization, it strikes a very poignant chord when an "efficiency expert" (the ever versatile Anthony Hopkins) comes to investigate the dwindling profits of a small town shoe-manufacturing firm. He is occupied with cold facts and figures rather than compassion and dignity for the workers as he decides that 50% of the company could be laid off in the interests of getting the firm out of the red.

There's financial consulting, change management, resistance to change, the usual works. Then something happens that changes his perspective on his consulting recommendations, specifically a (doozy) car racing event.

In its denouement, the movie goes somewhat Polyanna (how one wishes such "solutions" were possible in the real world) but the cosy, relaxed pacing of the movie and its simple lessons make this a worthy rental.

Oh, and if Russel Crowe is the reason you're renting this, beware: he has a small part, I should have guessed this, the movie is from 1992 and he was still a budding Australian actor.

English efficiency consultant goes to Aussie shoe factory
Excellent funny movie about efficiency consultant, Hopkins, that goes to evaluate an Aussie shoe factory, and eventually ends up saving it. The owner is an idealistic capitalist who attempts to shelter employees from external changes by losing money. Eventually he has to face the music or else all his employees will lose their jobs. Very timely movie given all the talk about downsizing. ... Read more