The FJ Holden
6 /10 1 Votes
Music director Jimmy Manzie Duration Country Australia | 5.8/10 IMDb Genre Drama Screenplay Terry Larsen Writer Terry Larsen Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date 29 April 1977 (1977-04-29) Initial release April 29, 1977 (Australia) Cast Eva Dickinson (Anne), Paul Couzens (Kevin), (Wendy), Gary Waddell (Deadlegs), Carl Stever (Bob), Karlene Rogerson (Cheryl)Similar movies Dumb and Dumber To , Mississippi Grind , Beetlejuice , Straight Outta Compton , Dawn of the Dead , Young & Beautiful | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The FJ Holden is a 1977 Australian film directed by Michael Thornhill. The FJ Holden is a snapshot of the life of young teenage men in Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia in the 1970s and deals with the characters' difficulty in reconciling mateship with respect for a girlfriend.
Contents
Debi Enker in Australian Cinema comments: "The FJ Holden presents the suburbs as a cultural and spiritual desert. It is a place where regular bouts with the bottle are the only antidote for lives without hope or direction."
The film initially received a R classification from the Australian Film Board of Review, but after an appeal to the censors it was revised to a M classification for moderate sex scenes and moderate coarse language. However, all states except Victoria and New South Wales exercised their right to override the Commonwealth decision and retained the R classification.
Plot
Kevin (Paul Couzens) and his best mate Bob (Carl Stever) drive around Sydney trying to pick up girls in Kevin's FJ Holden. Kevin meets Anne (Eva Dickinson) at a party and she agrees to let him to drive her home. Bob joins the ride, and she has sex with both men. However, a relationship develops between Anne and Kevin and they go to restaurants, race cars, and get drunk. The romance falters, partly because Kevin lets Bob watch them having sex in her bedroom.
Drunk and upset, Kevin tries to talk to Bob, who is incapable of a serious conversation. Bob is secretly happy that he has his friend back, but neither is capable of saying what he feels.
Cast
Production
The film originated with a series of comic poems from Terry Larsen. The budget was raised from Greater Union and the Australian Film Commission. It was shot in November and December 1976 in western Sydney. Most of the young actors were amateurs.
Reception
The FJ Holden grossed $710,000 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $3,266,000 in 2009 dollars. This was despite the fact the film was rated "R" in several states. It sold to some overseas countries and eventually recovered its cost.
Home Media
The FJ Holden was released on DVD with a new print by Umbrella Entertainment in November 2005. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the theatrical trailers, Australian trailers and audio commentary with Mike Thornhill moderated by Peter Galvin.
References
The FJ Holden WikipediaThe FJ Holden IMDb The FJ Holden themoviedb.org