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A MAN'S GOTTA DO Send This Review to a Friend
An Australian import, “A Man’s Gotta Do” is a mildly entertaining look at a screwed-up family. Father, mother and daughter all have their issues, and getting everything sorted out provides some amusement, but there’s nothing about the film to compete with the better flicks that have come this way from down under.
John Howard plays the gruff, overbearing dad, Eddy, who is a hit man as well as a fisherman. Pretty Alyssa McClelland portrays his daughter, Chantelle, who has a rebellious streak in her and is yearning for marriage. Rebecca Firth is Eddie’s wife Yvonne, who feels unsatisfied and restless in her marriage and also most cope with Chantelle. The film is peopled by an assortment of other characters entwined in the complicated plotting.
Writer-director-co-producer Chris Kennedy tries to give everything a homey spirit, as if these were all ordinary folk despite some dark doings. The accent is on humor and personal feelings, but the trouble is that the film isn’t really either funny or moving enough. The infighting, flirtations, talk about pregnancy, an impending wedding and such aren’t really very compelling. The tone is amiable, but the affability doesn’t mask the lack of sparkle. Maybe it looked better in Australia.
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