Charming enough, but very contrived and derivative

Rating: 5/10 (30 October 2006)

This is yet another one of those try-hard 'quirky comedies' depicting the antics of a dysfunctional family. It is highly derivative from truly good films like Donnie Darkie and lesser films, but doesn't even start to come close. The film tries to be different, but somehow feels like it's been done many times before.
The film underestimates your intelligence with no subtlety - everything is spelt out clearly in an exaggerated and contrived manner to make sure you 'get it'. The grandfather is not just foul-mouthed, but foul-mouthed to the extreme. The young girl is not just pudgier than the other contestants, she's twice their size. And so on and on and on. It all gets rather boring after a while.
For most of the film it is charming enough, and sure to please many cinema-goers. It never really soars, though. At times it becomes quite tedious and you find yourself wondering what the point of the film is.
For me, it was a 6/10 film for most of it, but the ending was a real embarrassing downward spiral full of weak contrivances. OK as a time-filler, and nowhere near Toni Collette's or Greg Kinnear's best work.