Mick Molloy reflects on ‘bizarre world’ of movie hit Crackerjack
Comedian Mick Molloy’s classic lawn bowls movie Crackerjack is set to be celebrated at a Victoria On Film event, so what does he think of the popular hit 20 years after co-writing it?
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Comedian Mick Molloy says his classic lawn bowls film Crackerjack — made 20 years ago — is still a powerful commentary on the way older people are treated in Australia.
Crackerjack, and other popular Australian films, will be celebrated in the fortnightly Victoria On Film series, launching on Saturday.
Molloy said he co-wrote the film after his eponymous Channel 9 show was axed in 1999.
“I was quite upset because I had a lot of people I had employed and I had nothing really to do,” he said.
Molloy and his brother Richard drew inspiration for their next move from a bowls club near their office.
“After the boom dropped at Channel 9, we were going, ‘What can we do?’ It dawned on us after a while we were sitting in it. We had a very clear dance card and an idea that maybe we could write a film about this bizarre little world.”
“I think (lawn bowling) is a particularly Australian pursuit. When we walked into a bowling club, you were stepping back into another age, where politeness mattered, where stories were told and passed on.”
Molloy said the film’s themes are still relevant today.
“It’s about community, it’s about not judging people, it’s about all hands on deck and pulling together and specifically about the way we treat older people in this country.
The film does make the point that you’ve got this great resource under your nose to learn and live from and help expand your own life and sometimes we just take it for granted.”
Today, Molly is a broadcaster on Triple M and Channel 7.
Shane Jacobson will interview Molloy and Lucy about Crackerjack on Saturday at 6.30pm at
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