Australian widower Harry (Jack Thompson) and son Jeff (Russel Crowe) have a close unconventional bond. Harry is excessively open-minded about his uncloseted Rugby-playing son's unsuccessful search for gay love, and takes an active part in Jeff's search for Mr. Right. Harry's mother was a lesbian, probably accounting for his attitude toward Jeff. Eventually Harry, using a dating service, finds a divorcee named Joyce Johnson (Deborah Kennedy), who may not be so understanding after noticing a gay magazine in Harry and Jeff's house. Jeff's gardener boyfriend, who is closeted from his own homophobic father, finds it difficult to relate to Harry's matchmaking ways. Unfortunately, Harry suffers a massive stroke and is disabled, leaving him unable to speak or walk. Jeff cares for him as best as he can, while Jeff's boyfriend is kicked out of his home when his father sees him on TV in a gay parade. Harry and Jeff meet up with him in the supermarket one day, and Harry gives Jeff the go-ahead to try to rekindle their relationship.
This Australian gay comedy originated as a stage play, and like the play, the characters sometimes speak directly to the camera--breaking "the fourth wall". To some extent it's a one-joke movie about the father's tiresome and unwelcome enthusiasm for his son's sex life. The film follows no formula, it's a refreshing display of of what a family without prejudice looks like. David Faulkner composed the music, and David Stevens wrote the script from his play. Geoff Burton and Kevin Dowling directed. Stevens' screenplay won awards from the Australian Film Institute and the Montréal World Film Festival, and the movie was named Best Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival.
