Egging them on

Australian cinema can be counted on to produce at least one film of real quality every year. Last year, many felt that film was Crackerjack, the surprise comedy hit directed by and starring Mick Molloy. Pretty much the same team behind Crackerjack now bring us Bad Eggs, but sadly the result is somewhat inferior to the earlier effort.

Although the reasons that Bad Eggs doesn't have quite the same impact as Crackerjack are difficult to pinpoint, it may be a case of trying too hard. Molloy's long-time collaborator Tony Martin gets the job as director from his own script; and he tries to cram too much into the mix. The film's basic premise is a story about police corruption; but of course it's a comedy, so there have to be plenty of jokes; plus there's a love interest to be developed from scratch, not to mention a slew of characters, a touch of political intrigue and a highly unusual car chase. This mixed bag contrasts with Crackerjack's simple story and easily identified characters.

It may be a sign of Martin's relative inexperience in feature films that he never really manages to make the individual elements coalesce into a cohesive whole. This makes Bad Eggs an inconsistent and at times frustrating experience. Don't get me wrong - it certainly has some fine moments (the smart opening sequence, and that car chase are two of them) - but they're fewer and farther between than was the case with Crackerjack.

Bad Eggs is set in the secretive Zero Tolerance Unit (or ZTU) of the Victorian Police, where Ben Kinnear (Molloy) and Mike Paddock (Bob Franklin) are probably its two most inept members. After a series of PR disasters involving a magistrate who suicided with some incriminating evidence in his car, the two are assigned to beat duty. But Julie Bale (Judith Lucy), a former ZTU officer turned journalist believes there's more to the affair than meets the eye; particularly when a crucial CD turns out to be missing. The only hope for the three is to join forces; despite some reluctance of Julie's part to become involved again with Ben, her former boyfriend.

Martin directs the film in a fairly straightforward style; but he has some fun with a particularly funny flashback chronicling Ben and Julie's past relationship. The script veers between the hilarious and the pedestrian. Some of the elements (the political angle for example) are telegraphed well in advance, making the resolution of the story far from a surprise.

But then, this isn't a film you come to expecting to have to sort out complicated plot points. It's a comedy, and in that context, plenty can be forgiven if the jokes work - and mostly, they do. A few fall flat, but in general, the comedy (especially the combination between Molloy and Franklin) succeeds in keeping things rolling along.

Molloy plays his trademark lovable, laconic larrakin to a tee. Franklin makes a reasonable fist of his role as Mike; although as with his role in The Craic, he's occasionally a little dry. Judith Lucy would need only to have replayed a tape of Crackerjack to prepare for her role as Julie, but she's nonetheless effective; while Bill Hunter also doesn't have much of a stretch for his part as the head of the ZTU.

Bad Eggs is a likeable little Aussie comedy. Although it's amiable enough, it doesn't quite "click" completely. Perhaps it's a case of raised expectations not being fulfilled, but I suspect those hoping for a repeat of Crackerjack will be a little disappointed.

David Edwards