Australia (2008)

Because it clocks in at almost three hours long—and it’s a very long three hours, trust me—the film Australia has a lot of opportunities to shift its tone, much to its detriment, to be honest. What seems like it might be a comedy, almost cartoon-like in its plot and performances, at first, eventually becomes a World War II movie and a tragic examination of the mistreatment of the aboriginal people of Australia. At times, given the icy prudishness of Nicole Kidman’s Lady Ashley, it even borders on a sex comedy. She’s obviously got the hots for Hugh Jackman’s Drover (and, given his prominent shirtless scene, who wouldn’t be?), but decorum or some such nonsense keeps her from acting on it for far too long. The plot is a bit of a muddle, frankly. Lady Ashley has arrived in Australia from England, determined to get her husband to give up his failing cattle ranch. After her husband’s murder, she has to work with Jackman’s Drover to get the cattle to market in order to have enough money to keep her home, and the cattle drive takes up a significant portion of the film, allowing the filmmakers to showcase the beauty of Australia’s geography. Kidman’s aristocrat becomes protective of a child of white and aboriginal heritage, a so-called “half caste,” after his mother dies trying to protect him from being taken from her, and when we learn later that Drover had an aboriginal wife who died from being refused medical treatment and that Lady Ashley is unable to have children, it’s only a matter of time before the three of them form a family structure. The film grapples with some large issues such as who actually owns what and who really belongs to whom, but the film tends to treat them rather simplistically. References to the film The Wizard of Oz and the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” appear throughout the film, and the pun on the use of “Oz” is cute but a bit of a distraction at times. Australia is a lovely film in terms of its production design and cinematography, but its attempts to create an epic examination of Australian themes lead to a bloated, rather dull movie overall.

Oscar Nomination: Best Achievement in Costume Design