Hell Has Harbour Views (TV Movie 2005) Poster

(2005 TV Movie)

User Reviews

Review this title
2 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
9/10
Do lawyers REALLY only think of sex, booze, sex, long lunches, sex, and cheating?
wombat_16 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
According to this very funny and very black comedy, that is indeed all that they do. With a cast containing more stars than Sagittarius, this movie seemed destined to succeed, and indeed it does.

I see that sometimes people agonizes over the question "why is a movie funny?" (or not funny). Well, I don't know the answer either, but one thing that seems to contribute here, is that every one of the stellar cast members seems to be enjoying him or herself here. Steve Bisley in particular is the most animated I have ever seen him to be.

Lisa McCune is indeed a very beautiful woman, and this is the first I have seen of her that allows that to come through. Coles commercials and policewoman's uniforms have truly done nothing for her. Freya Stafford always looks great, but she seems to have been given (or chosen!) more opportunities to show herself off.

The storyline is black, black, black. Our hero works in a very high powered law firm, beset by both internal and external problems. All of the clichés about lawyers come into play. He is buffeted by forces way outside his control, and tries to do the "right thing". Often his choices are only between overwhelming evils. It is surely not a spoiler to say that ultimately he finds a truly creative way to succeed.

The takes where he talks directly to the camera, a la Bruce Willis in "Moonlighting", are very well done, and not overdone. And the opulent settings in downtown Sydney add much to the mood of the movie.

The ending left little room for a sequel or a series. Nevertheless, I hope and pray that there will be one.

If you are a lawyer, I suspect that you won't find this too funny, and if you are forced to sit through this, you may well cringe the entire movie. If you are anyone else, I suspect that you, like me, will find this movie to be ROFL funny.
16 out of 19 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
key phuquen rap
MikeOne49613 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
In my dictionary, under 'lame', 'keyrap' & 'insulting', this title is listed as definition #1. Perhaps it's merely the 'semi-social', boarderline psycopath in me, but really, anyone enjoying this as comedy has a significantly warped semi-sense of humor. The entertainment value is ziltch. The social redeeming value is nil, except to offer an Australian example of why there's 'Hollywood', 'Bollywood' & 'Pine Wood' studios but never a 'Sydneywood', 'Brizzywood' or 'Perthwood'. The language alone is obnoxiously foul & the premise offensive. Unfortunately, it suits assbackwards Australia to perfection. Especially since 'A modern tale of love and litigation.' has the looks & feel of 1987, when certain political corrective measures had yet to be recognized. Wot a load!
0 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed