Charlie & Boots
Encyclopedia
Charlie & Boots is a 2009 Australia
n film starring Paul Hogan
and Shane Jacobson
. It had the best opening weekend for any Australian film in 2009 when it was released on Father's day
. The film features many small towns in country Australia. It also has a cameo by Reg Evans
, who died in the 2009 Victorian bushfires before the film was released, and the film is dedicated to the victims of the fires.
from Victoria to the Cape York Peninsula
in a Holden Kingswood
, passing through towns like Tamworth
. The film starts with the death of Gracie, Boots' mother and Charlie's wife. After Gracie's death, Boots goes to visit Charlie on the family farm, finding him locked away in the house in the dark, curtains drawn. Boots looks at a calendar on the wall with a picture of Cape York and remembers his father promising to take him fishing off the northernmost tip of Australia. As the trip starts out, Boots and Charlie seem tense but as the days pass they begin to rekindle their father-son relationship.
Their journey involves visiting different towns,hang-outs in different restaurants,visiting famous attraction . On their way, they start to reconcile and express their emotions about the recent death of Gracie, Charlie's wife and Boots's mother and the drama unfolding around the death of Ben, Boots' son, by drowning.
They even help a young 16 year old girl named Jess by allowing her to escape her boyfriend Tristan and aid her in her dream to go to the famous country city of Tamworth. The trio manage to arrive in the town, and Jess played one of her songs in the famous large hall, after passing a manager. They pushed a car owned by a Tristan out of a car park at night and end up damaging it. They flew in a small aircraft with a pilot (Roy Billing). From the craft they saw the Great Barrier Reef. The pilot continuously hit the altitude meter, making Boots feel nervous. They were dropped off by the pilot and they both waved goodbye as it left. In the end Charlie and Boots both make it to their destination, Cape York, the northernmost tip of Australia. They took their fishing rods and quoted a few sentences they travelled with on their journey. Later Jess became a famous country singer and we can see the father-son team continue travelling as they look up from their car and out at a sign on bridge looking for their next destination.
from 11 reviews as of September 2009. It was called a "likeable family comedy" by Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald
and a "a superbly relaxed and good-natured film." by Evan Williams of The Australian
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n film starring Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan, AM is an Australian actor best known for his role as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee from the Crocodile Dundee film series, for which he won a Golden Globe award.-Early life and career:...
and Shane Jacobson
Shane Jacobson
Shane Jacobson is an Australian actor, director, writer, and comedian, best known for his performance as the eponymous character Kenny Smyth in the 2006 film Kenny...
. It had the best opening weekend for any Australian film in 2009 when it was released on Father's day
Father's Day
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...
. The film features many small towns in country Australia. It also has a cameo by Reg Evans
Reg Evans
Reginald "Reg" Evans was a British-born actor active in Australian television, theatre, and cinema from the 1960s....
, who died in the 2009 Victorian bushfires before the film was released, and the film is dedicated to the victims of the fires.
Plot
Shane Jacobson plays Boots who takes his father (Paul Hogan) on a trip to fish on the northernmost tip of Australia because of something his father told him when he was a kid. Although he probably wasn't serious and can't remember it Boots decides to carry it out. They travel on a road tripRoad trip
A road trip is any journey taken on roads, regardless of stops en route. Typically, road trips are long distances traveled by automobile.-Pre-automobile road trips:...
from Victoria to the Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
in a Holden Kingswood
Holden Kingswood
The Holden Kingswood is a full-size car that was manufactured by General Motors-Holden's, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors , from the beginning of the HK series in 1968 through to the conclusion of the WB series in 1984...
, passing through towns like Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
. The film starts with the death of Gracie, Boots' mother and Charlie's wife. After Gracie's death, Boots goes to visit Charlie on the family farm, finding him locked away in the house in the dark, curtains drawn. Boots looks at a calendar on the wall with a picture of Cape York and remembers his father promising to take him fishing off the northernmost tip of Australia. As the trip starts out, Boots and Charlie seem tense but as the days pass they begin to rekindle their father-son relationship.
Their journey involves visiting different towns,hang-outs in different restaurants,visiting famous attraction . On their way, they start to reconcile and express their emotions about the recent death of Gracie, Charlie's wife and Boots's mother and the drama unfolding around the death of Ben, Boots' son, by drowning.
They even help a young 16 year old girl named Jess by allowing her to escape her boyfriend Tristan and aid her in her dream to go to the famous country city of Tamworth. The trio manage to arrive in the town, and Jess played one of her songs in the famous large hall, after passing a manager. They pushed a car owned by a Tristan out of a car park at night and end up damaging it. They flew in a small aircraft with a pilot (Roy Billing). From the craft they saw the Great Barrier Reef. The pilot continuously hit the altitude meter, making Boots feel nervous. They were dropped off by the pilot and they both waved goodbye as it left. In the end Charlie and Boots both make it to their destination, Cape York, the northernmost tip of Australia. They took their fishing rods and quoted a few sentences they travelled with on their journey. Later Jess became a famous country singer and we can see the father-son team continue travelling as they look up from their car and out at a sign on bridge looking for their next destination.
Locations
- WarrnamboolWarrnambool, Victoria-Cityscape:The original City of Warrnambool was a 4x8 grid, with boundaries of Lava Street , Japan Street , Merri Street and Henna Street . In the nineteenth century, it was intended that Fairy Street – with its proximity to the Warrnambool Railway Station – would be the main street of...
- HorshamHorsham, VictoriaHorsham is the largest city by population and regional centre of the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia and is approximately north-west of Melbourne via the Western Highway. At the 2006 census, Horsham had a population of 14,125. Horsham is in the federal Division of Mallee...
- Echuca
- HayHay, New South WalesHay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....
- TamworthTamworth, New South WalesTamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
- TenterfieldTenterfield, New South WalesTenterfield is a town in New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the New England region at the intersection of the New England and Bruxner Highways. Tenterfield is a three-hour drive from Brisbane, 2.5 hours from Byron Bay, two hours from Armidale, New South Wales and 10 hours from Sydney....
- EmeraldEmerald, QueenslandEmerald is a town located in the Central Highlands district of Central Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Emerald had a population of 10,999. The town is the business centre for the Central Highlands Regional Council....
- Cape York PeninsulaCape York PeninsulaCape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
Reception
The film received generally positive reviews with 64% positive rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
from 11 reviews as of September 2009. It was called a "likeable family comedy" by Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
and a "a superbly relaxed and good-natured film." by Evan Williams of The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
.