Three Dollars (2005)

THREE DOLLARS is the story of Eddie, an honest, compassionate man who finds himself with a wife, a child, and three dollars. Eddie's world revolves around the three women in his life: his ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Connolly

Writers:

Elliot Perlman (novel), Robert Connolly (screenplay)

Stars:

David Wenham, Frances O'Connor, Sarah Wynter

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Wenham	...	Eddie Harnovey
Frances O'Connor	...	Tanya Harnovey
Sarah Wynter	...	Amanda
Robert Menzies	...	Nick
David Roberts	...	Gerard
Nicole Nabout	...	Kate
Joanna Hunt-Prokhovnik	...	Abby Harnovey
Nico Billeam	...	Tiny
Christopher Bunworth	...	Chamberlain
Phillip Griffiths	...	Young Eddie Harnovey
Casey Petersen	...	Young Amanda
Helen Fletcher	...	Amanda's Mother
Phil Jones	...	Mr. Claremont
Kieron O'Leary	...	Young Eddie's Father (as Keiron O'Leary)
Jamie Robertson	...	Record Shop Assistant

Storyline

THREE DOLLARS is the story of Eddie, an honest, compassionate man who finds himself with a wife, a child, and three dollars. Eddie's world revolves around the three women in his life: his brilliant wife Tanya, a passionate academic, their six year old daughter Abby, who heightens the stakes on every decision Eddie makes, and his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful, privileged Amanda, who re-appears in his life with mathematical certainty every nine and a half years. Surviving with a blend of self-depreciating wit, spirited sensitivity and a big heart, his life is rich with the pleasures and pains of love, family, friendship and marriage. But with only three dollars to his name Eddie will be faced with a choice that will change the direction of his life forever.

---

Plot Keywords:

australia | based on novel | number in title | 

---

Taglines:

The epic story of an ordinary man

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexuality and brief violence

Did You Know?

Connections

References North by Northwest (1959)

User Reviews

Worth more than the title

I saw "Three Dollars" today, on a bleak Canberra day. It was not the best Australian movie I have ever seen (my heart belongs to "Picnic at Hanging Rock"). But it was the kind of movie that Australians ought to make (rather than being the location for explosion-based stuff from the US) and that Australians ought to queue to see. It was unerringly about us. Not the flatulent lies of nationalism or the chest-beating idiocies of economic rationalism. It was about how, faced with the second of those two catastrophes, a decent man emerged. He did not win (not in the film, anyway). His professional concern about a toxic land development did not stop it. He did not win Lotto, or write an award winning book. The most he may have done was change the perceptions of Amanda, a representative of those who succeed when goodness is a handicap. Like good men everywhere, since the Biblical Job, he tried throughout to act as a good man should. As is inevitable with screenplays adapted from literature, there were options that could have been taken and were not. One could quibble, but I'll leave that to others. Long scenes may have alienated some viewers, but were uncomfortably real - in my life at least, conversations don't end with the bit that advances the plot and events spill out in several directions at once. (Linearity is a curse!). The performances were uniformly sound. David Wenham showed versatility and a depth that was present in "The Boys". Frances O'Connor underplayed wonderfully, so that the Edam cheese scene became the strongest signal of her character. The child was unusually persuasive and thoughtful direction produced depth and colour from the more peripheral roles (the alcoholic, the creature made manager and Kate, the friend of Tracey). This is a film of lacerating honesty, and a work that asks whether society is advanced by blind progress. Eliot Perlman's book from which the film was adapted was a revelation - an epistle of decency written by a lawyer - and his second book ("Seven Types of Ambiguity") is even more challenging. I look forward to the film and am trying to predict the cast already.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 2005 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Tres dólares

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$872,846

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arenafilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color