AS SOON as we saw the opening scene of a dolphin being savagely cut and cooked, I sensed it was going to be downhill from there in this movie.
A couple of friends and I decided to check out the movie Gary of the Pacific after the cinema showed a hilarious trailer the previous week. The trailer showed a light-hearted and good-natured film but upon viewing it, it just didn’t do it for me. Maybe we all have different tastes but if you’re one that don’t shy away from bad taste humour, maybe this movie is for you.
Gary of the Pacific stars kiwi funny man Josh Thomson as a loser real estate agent, called Gary Vasisi who becomes the chief of a sinking Pacific Island.
With a treasury and a tropical paradise to his name, Gary hopes to give his American girlfriend Chloe (Megan Stevenson) the wedding she wants and finally attain the success he’s yearned for. Even if it is at the expense of his people.
The movie is slow in the beginning, showing Gary’s father and his people farewelling him as he leaves for New Zealand to pursue an education. His people hope he would attain an education that would later mould him to become a better chief. He takes with him all they had saved for his education.
As it turns out, the chief’s son isn’t as street savvy. He drops out of school and ends up working in food joints.
Many years later at 35 years old, he continues to struggle with his failed real estate business. He keeps refusing to return home despite his father’s pleas. That is until his sister, played by newcomer Taofi Mose-Tuiloma, tells him bluntly that his father was dying.
What makes this movie unerving is Gary’s constant whining and self-indulgencies. The lame jokes and self-deprecating look at Pacific culture was even worse.
Thomson may neatly capture the title character’s self-destructive mix of arrogance, selfishness and fragility but it doesn’t do much justice to Pacific culture.
The storyline isn’t strong enough to support the jokes and in the next 20 minutes it showed Dave Fane — as the chief — display his comedy chops including Gary pandering about in a pair of Spanx. It’s not really a bad visual but after being repeated for the 10th or 20th time, I began to wonder whether this was all to it.
It has its funny moments but you kinda get the feeling the movie tends to drag on in scenes you’d rather just skip through.
The makers of the movie have got their hearts in the right place, laughs in the right places and funny characters willing to get you laughing. My view? Go see another movie. Give this one a skip.
