Joffa: The Movie

Joffa: The Movie is a 2010[1] independent Australian buddy movie starring Australian sports fan, Joffa Corfe. The film was financed by director and producer Chris Liontos,[2] along with actor Shane McRae, who plays Joffa’s friend in the movie.

Joffa: The Movie
Original release poster
Directed byChris Liontos
Produced byChris Liontos
Starring
Release date
  • 2 September 2010 (2010-09-02)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetA$200,000

Plot

Joffa Corfe and Shane McRae star as a couple of knockabout handymen with a passion for the Collingwood Football Club. The pair have a knack for attracting trouble which drives the local priest Father Bob McGuire to the point of despair.[3][4] The film portrays Joffa; an ordinary man. The fact he attracts the affection of thousands and the hatred of tens of thousands is just how it is for the man who guides the Collingwood Cheer Squad.

Joffa said that the ordinary people who inhabit his real world "give the movie its heart."[4] People such as Fr. Bob McGuire, Kevin Bartlett and 93-year-old Mavis, who used to attend dances with Ron Barassi's father.

One of the highlights for Australian audiences is hearing Good Old Collingwood Forever sung in Mandarin. Another is hearing the classic Australian food, the Chiko Roll, being explained to a Londoner.[4]

The Australian Council on Children and the Media said that the main messages from this movie are: "Working together as a team is what wins the game."[3] And "Mateship is one of the most important and meaningful things in life."[3]

Cast

The main cast includes:

Rating

The Australian Government Classification Board rated Joffa: The Movie as PG -- Parental Guidance Recommended[3]—for its mild coarse language.[3]

Production

Script

Producer-director Chris Liontos started out by wondering why nobody was making films about Aussie Rules football.[4] His inspiration was The Club (1980),[4] a classic Australian movie. He decided to explore the world of Aussie Rules "through the eyes of the most passionate supporter in the country."[4]

Filming

The overseas segments were filmed on the cheap, with the crew living in backpacker bunkrooms, eating baked beans and dodging crack addicts.[4]

The budget

The budget was less than A$200,000. "I took a risk on fully self-funding this, no grants at all", said Mr Liontos. "A lot of films these days do get a lot of (government) funding. Nobody goes and sees them."[4]

The risk appears to have paid off. The film is being released nationally on 2 September 2010. For such "an ultra-low budget movie to get a national cinema release - this has never happened (before)," Liontos said.[5]

Locations

The film is set partly in Australia -- Melbourne and Drouin, Victoria, and partly in the UK -- London and Glasgow.[4]

Celtic F.C.

Although best known as an active supporter of Australian Rules football, Joffa takes a passionate interest in the Scottish Premier League soccer club Celtic F.C.. So much so, that he included a pilgrimage to Celtic Park, Glasgow in the movie.[6]

Critical reception

The film has received a mixed reception to date. While Collingwood supporters provide uniformly positive reviews, non-Collingwood fans have been less than thrilled.[7] Greg King of FilmReviews.net.au said that "the only thing more excruciating than sitting through this film would be to endure watching Collingwood win another premiership."[8]

Professional reviewer Leigh Paatsch[7] said that "With his tatty jacket of gold, albino mullet hairdo and a face made for keeping birds off crops, the infamous general of the Collingwood cheer squad was never going to be your typical movie star." He added that: "Joffa is definitely a natural in front of the cameras. Just a shame that those behind the cameras of Joffa: The Movie are not."[7]

The Australian Council on Children and the Media said that Joffa: The Movie is a "light-hearted mockumentary targeting an adult audience, but which may appeal to those adolescents with an interest in football. The film has some funny moments, particularly those involving Father Bob."[3]

Donna Demaio, reporter for The Age, likened the movie to Kenny, another famous Australian mockumentary.[9]

DVD release

Joffa: The Movie was released nationally in Australia on 2 December 2010 by Madman Entertainment.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Joffa gets his own full-length movie". Archived from the original on 9 February 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  2. Nick's Bulletin Board - Joffa: The Movie...IN CINEMAS!
  3. "Joffa the Movie". The Australian Council on Children and the Media, 30 August 2010. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  4. "Joffa the Collingwood Super Fan to star in his very own movie". Terry Brown, Herald Sun, 9 February 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  5. "A finals cinema fling for crusty Pie Jeff 'Joffa' Corfe". Terry Brown, Herald Sun, 30 July 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  6. Celtic F.C. discuss Joffa: The Movie
  7. "Joffa hits big time in his first film". Terry Brown, Herald Sun, 5 June 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  8. "Joffa the Movie". Greg King, FilmReviews.net.au, 5 September 2010. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  9. Joffa: You bloody idiot
  10. Madman website - DVD release
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