Overall Rating Awesome: 38.46% Worth A Look: 16.92% Average: 20% Pretty Bad: 12.31% Total Crap: 12.31% 4 reviews, 41 user ratings

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Wog Boy, The

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by Filmink Magazine (owes us money)

"Carefully judged absurdity."

To the makers of this film, and probably to most of its viewers, this is familiar territory. The whole "wog boy" phenomenon has been around in various versions and formats for some years. This first transferal to the big screen, however, has brought freshness, not staleness, and the many years developing the material have paid dividends.

Wog originator Nick Giannopoulos winningly plays the hero, Steve, who likes to hang out with fellow "dole bludger" and self-proclaimed babe magnet Frank. When doing a Saturday Night Fever routine at the local ethnic Melbourne disco these two are unbeatable local heroes. But when it comes to actually making something of their work lives, or pairing up with more than a one-night stand, they struggle.

The twisty comic plot really gets under way when Steve bashes his car into a politician's limo. The politician is a right wing harpy called Raelene Beagle-Thorpe (Geraldine Turner gives a wonderfully evil comic performance, playing her as a cross between Amanda Vanstone and Pauline Hanson). Initially, Raelene and her spin-doctors think they can handle the wog boy, but Steve's naïve shoot-from-the-hip style charms the TV audiences. Raelene is challenged to an open debate on the Derryn Hinch show with a marvelous comic outcome.

It is strange to see Hinch here gamely playing himself. In some ways, however, this is the one element in the film that seems dated. Threaded through all the Frontline-ish political satire is a love story as well, with both Steve and Frank wooing their respective girlfriends.

The film is faithful to its origins and no doubt Australians who have Southern European backgrounds will get all the jokes, and will relish the "squirm factor" even more.

However, like The Castle before it, this satirizes a section of Australian society with such carefully judged absurdity that it turns into love and coaxes us into loving them too. ---Julian Wood

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link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=3973&reviewer=14
originally posted: 02/22/00 16:11:59

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User Comments

10/19/09 auzzie chickie awesome! finally a movie that shows our true humour and for the rest of u harden up! 5 stars

4/30/09 Anikaaaa it is an amazing film i love it . its the best wog movie ever made! GREAT WORK... 5 stars

8/28/08 Tony What a pile of fucking shit! 1 stars

5/20/08 samier this movie is fuckin funny fuckin 4 stars

5/08/08 Rufus It was hilarious. Everyone who doesn't think so is an idiot. 5 stars

1/06/08 Cole Tiring & quite shallow even for a comedy 2 stars

7/19/07 Tatty Yeah, pretty good. Especially the 1st time you watch it 4 stars

1/16/07 N. Tesla Woefully shithouse 1 stars

9/04/06 Kano bloody awesome 5 stars

6/16/06 1232 really really really bad 1 stars

1/16/05 Stoneboy Awful. 1 stars

1/14/05 Nick G a tool If you think this is bad, wait til you see The Wannabes! 1 stars

10/19/04 alex funny but makes us wogs look like idiots 4 stars

8/04/04 sophie crappiest movie iv seen in ages bored the hell out of me 1 stars

7/25/04 Tony fullysik movie, check it out, its a good laugh....WOGS 4 LIFE , go the wogs 5 stars

6/22/04 Nik fully sik mate 5 stars

6/03/04 Elissa it was funny movie 5 stars

5/31/04 aaron itz woz fully sock maate! 5 stars

5/26/04 Dick Total Shit! 1 stars

9/12/03 Masta G It was Aiight.. 3 stars

9/05/03 Dyana Rifai it was a great movie 5 stars

8/15/03 tamara this movie was mad i dont care wat neone says its was the best wogs rule 5 stars

11/06/02 josipa im a wog when i first watched it . it waz made fkin. itz da killa movie 4 wogz mi friendz 5 stars

10/13/02 David Velic it waz fuken awsome mate 5 stars

9/13/02 chris christoforou kool movie 5 stars

9/13/02 chris kool movie 5 stars

9/08/02 Papadomanolakis Alexander Excellent 5 stars

9/06/02 Steve Not funny at all. 1 stars

3/27/02 tuncay69 Fuking Im a Turk Wog I LikE This Movie It Rules But Aint Beat a TUrkish comedain Film 4 stars

3/21/02 T. GOUPIS makes me feel proud to be greek and great to see ethnic people on the big screen 5 stars

3/18/02 Herman Funny as, mate! 5 stars

3/14/02 alex bakreski very good like a pure wog 5 stars

3/13/02 paul this is the best film i ever seen im a true wog as well and nothing beats that movie 5 stars

2/10/02 Alex Papadomanolakis Fucken good movie 5 stars

10/10/01 Wogboy KILLA!I met Nick Giannopoulos down Rundle street in Adelaide.hes a laugh 5 stars

8/18/01 Adis Raver WOGS RULE BEST WOG MOVIE EVER!! 5 stars

8/09/01 angela papoutsis i love the wogboy and acropolis now! 5 stars

8/03/01 connie best greek australian film production available!!!gotta c it re! 5 stars

3/19/00 Joel Harwood ONE OF THE FUNNIEST MOVIES I'VE SEEN IN THE PAST 5 YEARS 5 stars

3/17/00 jan mac thoroughly enjoyed it 4 stars

2/22/00 Booyah! Crap. This kind of thing wasn't even funny years ago. 2 stars

IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
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USA 02-Mar-2000 UK N/A Australia 17-Feb-2000 (M)

Directed by Aleksi Vellis Written by Nick Giannopoulos Cast Nick Giannopoulos Lucy Bell Vince Colosimo Geraldine Turner Abi Tucker

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