Aussie rules! (Summer Heights High (DVD))

Member Name: ms_memory

Product:	Summer Heights High (DVD)
Date:	25/02/09 (148 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliantly acted, very funny dialogue, dark humour, appeals on several different levels

Disadvantages: Bad taste: not for those who are easily offended

** What is it? **


Summer Heights High is a mockumentary comedy that won several Logie awards in its native Australia in 2007. It was then broadcast in the US and UK in 2008. Set in a suburban Australian state secondary school, it follows three individuals over the course of a term: 16-year-old exchange student Ja'mie (pronounced Jer-may), 13-year-old troublemaker Jonah and prima donna Mr Gregson (aka 'Mr G'), a Drama teacher.

It's filmed like a real documentary, with a voice-over narration, characters talking directly to the camera and giving interviews (though we never hear the interviewer speak), and subtitles on-screen introducing new characters or telling us it's the first day of term etc. At the end of each episode the next one is previewed, accompanied by the programme's overly-dramatic theme tune.


** Characters **


Chris Lilley, who created and wrote the show, plays all three of the main characters:

Ja'mie is a spoilt brat of a private schoolgirl ("no offence but I seriously hate all fat people") who has been sent to Summer Heights High as a part of the 'It's All About Education' government-sponsored exchange programme. As a straight-A student, former model, talented sportswoman and Australian of the Year nominee, she's sure she's going to be the most popular girl in the school. She quickly finds a group of girlfriends, but secretly thinks they're 'skanks' because they attend a state school - cue a lot of fighting, shouting, crying and panic attacks. Luckily the school counsellor is drafted in and soon the girls are friends again and busy organising a 'sponsored fast' under false pretences.

Jonah is the type of pupil that makes teachers' lives hell. He not only fights, bullies and vandalises, but also pulls stupid stunts like crawling under the wheels of a teacher's car and pretending she's run him over. His excuse? "I was only punking you, Miss, don't you even watch TV?". He also sexually harasses his form tutor. The only member of staff he likes is the remedial English teacher, who has the patience of a saint. But will Jonah end up being expelled before he learns to read? Originally from Tonga, his worst nightmare would be if his dad sent him back...

The camp Mr G used to be on stage but claims he sacrificed it all to help children through the medium of drama - he believes "theatre changes lives" and dedicates every spare moment to producing ambitious musicals to get one over on the neighbouring school's drama department. His recent successes include 'IKEA The Musical' and 'Tsunamarama', which combined the story of a Tsunami with the songs of Bananarama. This year's spectacular is going to be based on the story of a Summer Heights High pupil who has - conveniently for Mr G - just died of a drugs overdose ("perfect for musical interpretation"). With arena seating in the gym, a flying dog, songs like "Naughty Girl" and teenage pole-dancers wearing 'slut outfits' made by their mums, it's set to be a spectacular show, provided it's not ruined by the headmistress, who "doesn't have a showbiz bone in her body" according to Mr G.


** Why I like it **


The acting is brilliant

Chris Lilley's portrayal of the three different characters is so realistic that you forget it's actually him and, in the case of Ja'mie and Jonah, think you're watching kids. Lilley has teenage body language down to a T - whether it's Ja'mie's hair-flicking, squealing and giggling or the way Jonah folds his arms under his armpits and scowls. When I watched a clip of Ja'mie on You Tube a few people didn't even seem to have realised it was a man in drag and had written comments like "that's the ugliest girl I've ever seen!". The scene where Jaime has a hysterical argument with her mother on the phone is absolute genius ("I won't even invite you to my wedding").

There is also some fantastically realistic acting from the other adults - especially Miss Wheatley, Jonah's permanently frazzled teacher who gets more irate with every episode, and Mr Parsons the Science teacher, whose creepy obsession with Mr G seems obvious to everyone except Mr G himself. Sometimes it's easy to forget that this isn't a real documentary, especially as most of the children aren't actors.


The parodies are spot-on

For a start, this programme satirises the reality TV genre as a whole. So many documentaries have been made in the past which showed people and orgainsations in the worst possible light (a couple of British examples would be Airline, about Easyjet, and the one about the Adelphi hotel in Liverpool with the awful manager) yet they still get shown and nobody seems to question the effect they'll have on the staff or the company. Summer Heights High showcases a badly-managed school run by largely incompetent and clueless staff and populated mainly by horrible kids. Like in many reality shows (and mockumentaries like The Office), most of the people featured are utterly unlikeable but somehow compelling. As a nod to reality TV, one episode features a cameo by 'Trevor from Big Brother 4'.

Mr G's musical pokes fun at the general genre of musicals as well as films like Fame! and the audition process of X-Factor and other similar programmes. Mr G believes that children need to learn to deal with rejection at an early age because "theatre isn't for hypersensitive types", so he makes them audition individually before he pulls them to pieces: "You have thighs like an elephant... The world's a tough place. Deal with it".


The social comment makes you think

The programme also shows up certain social mores and educational practices. For example, the teachers are taken in by Ja'mie's confidence and are in awe of her private school background so they pander to her even though she's actually a bully. They hold an ineffective group therapy session for her when she falls out with her friends and are taken in by her 'panic attack' which is obviously faked. When she pockets money that was supposed to be for an AIDS charity she escapes punishment.

The teachers at the school seem unable to exert any discipline - although some of them would like to, they're hindered by the welfare officer's programmes. The school's approach to dealing with Jonah's bad behaviour is patchy and inconsistent - one minute he's being offered anger management classes, the next he's being punished, then rewarded, then made to be a mentor, then humiliated (on 'Polynesian Culture Appreciation Day' he is shown performing a hip-hop track called 'Being a Poly, Oh My Golly' - how can the teachers not see that the other kids will laugh at him?). The teachers also glamourise his feud with another pupil by referring to "turf wars" as though they're two gangsters.

As for Mr G - he is a self-obsessed maniac and shouldn't be working anywhere near kids! He likes to "recreate the drama of the moment" during fire drills by occasionally pretending to a class of pupils that there's shooting spree or terrorist attack being carried out in the school. He also threatens to run over his pupils when they get in his way as he's leaving the car park.


** Extras **


This isn't what I usually buy a DVD for. The extras on this one comprise uncut footage of the three main characters talking to the camera - and proves that you can have too much of a good thing!


** Conclusion **


A brilliantly funny, well-written and fantastically well-acted Aussie comedy with serious undertones which shows how teaching is one of the hardest jobs there is. Definitely recommended if you like to laugh and cringe at the same time.

Cert 15
2 discs
Running time: Approx. 4 hours plus extras
Currently retailing for £9.98 on Amazon

Official website: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/summerheightshigh/#home

To see Chris Lilley as Ja'mie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L7XLwQcmTM

Summary: The Talented Mr Lilley