Steve and Frank, of Greek and Italian heritage, were popular as the Wog Boys in the 1990s. Here they are again, older, not necessarily wiser, in the broadest of comedies, but with a number of still relevant political and cultural issues. Source: Jesuit Media.
While Nick Giannopoulis and his stage presentations were popular in the 1990s, the first Wog Boys film was released in 1999. Then came The Kings of Mykonos in 2012. And now the third instalment – decades between gigs. Fans (and non-fans), of the first two films will know what to expect.
This is a film of broad (sometimes very broad) comedy, quite a lot of basic jokes, right from the start. But as it goes on, it is like its predecessors, an acknowledgement that, apart from First Nations people, everybody in Australia is a migrant or descendant of migrants, whether they want to acknowledge this or not. And, the point is made, that every migrant generation tends to be wary of, critical of the next.
There is a lot of basic groundwork in the early part of the film, reintroducing Steve Karamitsis, comedian and writer Nick Giannopoulis’ long-standing character. But now, he has been alienated for years from his friend Frank Di Benedetto (Colosimo doing his usual), driving a cab, part of the team of cabbies most of whom seem to come from the subcontinent, establishing just how many migrants there are in Australia, where they live, their jobs, and issues of visas and the government. And Steve has some bizarre neighbours who provide some of the basic jokes.
Then, the film becomes a bit more interesting when there are some indications of plot. In fact, there are two plot streams which come together. The first is romantic, Steve suddenly finding his passenger is Cleo (an engaging Sarah Roberts) whom he dated more than 18 years before. The main part of the plot, and perhaps the interesting part, is political. We may or may not remember that Steve and Frank fell foul of an ambitious politician back in 1999. And now we have her two children, as ruthless as she, one a minister in government responsible for migration. They want revenge on Steve because of their mother and are into all kinds of entrapment.
The plot definitely thickens with all kinds of shenanigans.
Review by Peter Malone MSC, Jesuit Media.
Wog Boys Forever. Starring Nick Giannopoulos, Vince Colosimo, Sarah Roberts, Annabel Marshall-Roth, Anthony J Sharpe, Costa D’Angelo, Carlo Salanitri, Liam Seymour, Havana Brown, Newnest Addakula. Directed by Frank Lotito. Rated MA (Strong coarse language).
FULL REVIEW
Wog Boys Forever (Jesuit Media, via Australian Catholics)
