Something crucial is missing, and this extends to the film as a whole. It presents country Australia as a place populated by yokel adults in comfy cardigans and teenagers mainly interested in courtship instead of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. The problem with getting the period so wrong is that The Dish is all about Neil Armstrong's moon landing, which was relayed to the world through Australian tracking stations at Honeysuckle Creek in the ACT and at Parkes. Yet apart from such historical footage, everything else is treated as a joke. The film's makers, Melbourne's Working Dog group, also produce Channel 10's The Panel , and they have treated the '60s in the same way as they do current affairs on the TV show - nothing too serious and, whatever you do, keep the jokes coming.
People love the formula.
The Dish has broken box-office records. As entertainment, such success cannot be faulted. But audience members, especially those under 35, should remember that Australia was never like that, not even in the country. If they have any doubts, they should just sneak a look at their parents' record collections. Robin Usher is arts correspondent of The Age.