Welcome to Woop Woop (1997)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Stephan Elliott

Writers:

Douglas Kennedy (novel)
Michael Thomas (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The hills are alive...

Plot:

A con artist escapes a deal gone wrong in New York and winds up in the Aussie outback in a strange town...

Plot Keywords:

Con Artist | Shower Scene | Hairdresser | Funeral Pyre | Australian Outback

Cast

Johnathon Schaech	...	Teddy
Rod Taylor	...	Daddy-O
Susie Porter	...	Angie
Dee Smart	...	Krystal
Richard Moir	...	Reggie
Maggie Kirkpatrick	...	Ginger
Barry Humphries	...	Blind Wally
Mark Wilson	...	Duffy
Paul Mercurio	...	Midget
Stan Yarramunua	...	Young Lionel
Bob Oxenbould	...	Moose
Daniel Rigney	...	Small Kenny
David Hoey	...	Dirty Dean
Sarah Osmo	...	Laverne
Con Demetriou	...	Darren

Also Known As:

The Big Red (Australia) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality and language, and for some drug content.

Runtime:

Argentina:97 min | France:106 min (Cannes Film Festival) | UK:97 min

Country:

Australia | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

One of the few times in movies when an actor or actress makes their first appearance in the movie after their name is listed in the end credits. Shane Paxton as Sonny and Bindi Paxton as Cher don't appear in the movie until a scene after the credits are done rolling, which takes place 15 years later.

Quotes:

Reggie: Happy as a bastard on Father's Day.

Movie Connections:

References Razorback (1984)

Soundtrack:

I got you babe

One of a kind

Director Stephan Elliott had a big hit with "Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" back in 1994. This is his 1997 followup which was a huge bomb. I like it, but it's easy to see why it failed.

A con man (Jonathan Schaech) travels to Australia to kidnap some rare exotic birds (don't ask). He is unexpectedly sexually attacked by a VERY aggressive young woman, and she knocks him out, drugs him and takes him to her hometown, Woop Woop, and proclaims he's her husband. Woop Woop is in the middle of nowhere, has a population of 50 and is definetely a strange place--Rodgers + Hammerstein songs are blasting from speakers all day (!!!), they kill kangaroos and make them into dog food and no one is ever allowed to leave the town. Schaech wants out...but can he make it?

To say this movie is bizarre is an understatement--it's VERY weird! Everyone overacts to the extreme (especially Schaech) and wear very weird, colorful costumes (I mean that in a good way). The script goes rambling all over the place, most lines make no sense and then there's the non-stop R&H songs! Still, it is very funny (if a little sick at times) and you can't take your eyes away from it.

The acting is, as I said, over the top but great. Schaech gets right in the mood of things from the beginning--he's very lighthearted, grinning continuously and gives his all to his lines. He's also handsome and hunky and has a few nude scenes. Also Rod Taylor chews the scenery again, and again, and again, and AGAIN as Daddy-O--the leader of the town.

It does lag a little at the end and it's definetely not for all tastes but totally off-beat and fun--particularly the opening in NYC and the last scene with...well, you'll know! A must-see for R&H fans.