REVIEW: The Breaker Upperers doesn’t quite live up to its potential as an odd NZ comedy

REVIEW: The Breaker Upperershas been touted as another Kiwi comedy hit that could follow in the footsteps of Hunt for the Wilderpeople. That’s not gonna happen, but it’s a nice try.

THE BREAKER UPPERERS (M)

Rating: Two and a half stars (2.5 out of 5)

Directors: Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek

Starring: Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek, James Rolleston, Celia Pacquola.

Can’t keep it together when it counts

There has been buzz suggesting The Breaker Upperers has a clear shot at becoming the first New Zealand comedy to score strongly in Australia since the magnificent Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

Though this uneven, yet endearing affair will find a loyal cohort of fans wherever it plays, it is hard to get away from the feeling this is more of a missed opportunity than a don’t-miss proposition.

L-R: Madeleine Sami (as Mel) and Jackie van Beek (as Jen) in a scene from NZ film The Breaker Upperers Picture: Madman

If the movie does not reach its full potential in most eyes, it is certainly not because it stars two complete unknowns in Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami (who also share directing and writing duties here).

In front of the cameras, this pair have a warped, yet winning chemistry that is both instantly accessible and consistently hard to resist.

Behind the cameras, however, Sami and van Beek gradually struggle to expand one great idea into one good movie.

It cannot be denied The Breaker Upperers gets off to such a flying start that you begin to expect it to keep soaring to greater heights.

Jen (played by van Beek) and Mel (Sami) are best friends who run a business ending relationships for partners who desperately want out of the whole damn thing.

L-R: James Rolleston (as Jordan) Madeleine Sami (as Mel) and Jackie van Beek (as Jen) in a scene from NZ film The Breaker Upperers Picture: Madman

While these two women don’t exactly run a slick operation, it is an effective one.

Jen (the more bitter and twisted of the duo) and Mel (sweet and straightforward) will stop at nothing - posing as mistresses, police officers, medical staff and so on - to get the job done. Then it is straight on to the next contracted extraction.

The opening act of The Breaker Upperers is as strong and funny as any comedy released this year, and it is all due to how cleverly the premise of a couple-cancelling service is established.

On paper, it may read as a cruel concept around which to frame a movie.

However, Sami and van Beek are careful to ensure that the famously deadpan, self-deprecating mindset so particular to the New Zealand sense of humour is always to the fore.

L-R: Madeleine Sami (as Mel) and Jackie van Beek (as Jen) in a scene from NZ film The Breaker Upperers Picture: Madman

Unfortunately, The Breaker Upperers gradually cools off noticeably in the creative department after making such a hot first impression.

Some solid laughs are still there in the middle and closing sections, but the wait for each to arrive becomes progressively longer (a worry for a movie that only runs about 70 minutes once you remove the credits).