Not Suitable
for Children is an adult romantic comedy in the vein of many Judd Apatow films,
specifically Knocked Up. Though there is potential for much more vulgar
material with the plot, instead it finds a way of being surprisingly sweet
instead. The cover clearly wants to cash in on the success of HBO’s “True
Blood” co-star Ryan Kwanten’s role in Not Suitable for Children, plastering his
face on the region 1 Blu-ray cover. In reality, the one stand-out element
within this Australian romantic comedy isn’t Kwanten, but his female co-star,
Sarah Snook.
The plot is a
bit ridiculous, but also a simple set-up which provides numerous opportunities
for the plot. Jonah (Kwanten) is accustomed to a bohemian-type style of living,
sharing a house with his best friends; a crass and oblivious guy named Gus
(Ryan Corr), and his sarcastic and practical female friend, Stevie (Snook).
These are the friends he turns to when Jonah discovers that he has testicular
cancer. After all of his options for having a child begin to disappear, Jonah
realizes that his only chance for children is to get somebody pregnant before
his scheduled surgery, which will leave him infertile.
Stevie begins
to help Jonah as a mediator to find someone willing to carry his child, whether
a lesbian couple or a lonely middle-aged woman, but we can see that she will
ultimately end up with out protagonist. The wonder of romantic comedies is
their ability to remain enjoyable despite having few to no surprises with the
direction of the plot. What makes them particularly enjoyable is the writing
and the performances, and this film is blessed with a charmingly real
performance from Sarah Snook. She is like an Australian Emma Stone, beautiful
while remaining grounded and real. I have no doubt that we will see more of her
shortly.
The Blu-ray
includes interviews with cast and crew members, as well as behind-the-scenes
footage from the production and a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Disc Features: 6/10
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