The Castle 20th anniversary: The movie that went straight to the pool room

THE Castle might not be the greatest Australian film of all time. However, from its modest beginnings 20 years ago, The Castle has steadily risen in stature to become our favourite.

The Castle might not be the greatest Australian film of all time.

However, from its modest beginnings 20 years ago, The Castle has steadily risen in stature to become our favourite Australian film of all time.

A national treasure, no less.

Just how this simple, genial and unpretentious comedy instantly coasted into our affections — and has remained there ever since — still boggles the mind.

Just as The Castle had no precedent as the cultural touchstone it has undeniably become, it had no pedigree at the time of its release to indicate a likely box-office hit.

The movie was filmed for a pittance, even by 1997 standards.

A scene from 1997 film The Castle.

The script, jam-packed with quotable lines that have now become part of the nation’s vernacular, was dashed off inside a month.

The shooting of the entire picture was done and dusted inside two weeks.

If movies were cricket strokes, The Castle was nothing more than a shut-eyed hit-and-hope by the Working Dog team.

That its opening delivery on April 10, 1997 struck the sweet spot in the middle of the bat, and then cleared the box-office fence by a wide margin remains nothing short of a miracle.

No other Australian comedy since has been able to duplicate the same feat so decisively (though Kenny and Crackerjack went closer than most).

So why has The Castle stayed so near and dear to us all for such a long time?

A major factor just has to be its unusual structure as a comedy. While there are a multitude of great lines threaded throughout the picture, there is a barely a punchline to be found.

The Kerrigan family from the movie The Castle.

Next time you do watch The Castle, pay attention to how it stays away from doing ‘jokes’ in any shape or form. Instead, its vast reserves of warm and universal humour are mined from all the little quirks, tics, traits and sayings so unique to the suburban Australian way of life.

We all share a little something in common with the Kerrigans, no matter the size of our take-home pay, the car we drive, or the estimated value of our home.

Speaking of dwellings, the main plot line of The Castle — in which the Kerrigans take a stand to live where and how they want — is absolutely crucial to its enduring appeal.

Australians have traditionally carried a rebellious streak as part of their collective DNA, and we remain healthily suspicious of the motives of big business and bloated government alike.

Actors Sophie Lee and Anne Tenney in the movie.

So when obvious underdogs such as the Kerrigans triumph in the highest court in the land, it is a victory for us all. A fictional, wish-fulfilling victory is better than no victory at all.

Just as The Castle holds a mirror up to who we are, it also presents a nostalgic snapshot of who we wish we still were.

This is where the release date of April1 997 becomes telling. It was a simpler time — perhaps even a better time — to be an everyday Australian. A time that is now long gone.

Think about it. As a nation, the only advanced technology we’d truly mastered was the ATM. There were still more landline phones than mobile phones.

The internet seemed almost adorable in its dial-up modem infancy. Social media was talking to your neighbour over the back fence or (if you really liked them) the kitchen table.

Times may have changed. We may have changed. But for two decades now, this warm, inviting, rough-as-guts-with-a-heart-of-gold movie has remained the same.

Happy 20th birthday The Castle ... and thank you for so much serenity.

Actor Anne Tenney & actor Michael Caton.

COUNTING DOWN THE 20 GREATEST LINES FROM THE CASTLE

20. “Rissoles.”

The only occasion in motion picture history mention has ever been made of this iconic dinnertime dish.

19. “Suffer in yer jocks!”

When the result goes your way in the High Court, this is how you win with appropriate grace and dignity.

18. “How much did that cost? 70 bucks. Just paid for itself.”

There are few things better in this life than keeping your vehicle out of the clutches of a speed trap.

17. “Now that is a head of hair. Just beautiful.”

Darryl said this to Trace. But he would have been equally right to say it to any other Kerrigan.

16. “ They met at the greyhounds ... and it was love at first sight.”

If the dishlickers were around in Shakespeare’s day, this would have made the cut in Romeo & Juliet.

15. “Tell ‘em to get stuffed!”

Darryl issues Rule 101 for clients instructing their lawyers.

14. “There is only one show better than Hey Hey It’s Saturday. And that’s The Best of Hey Hey It’s Saturday.”

Jury remains out on whether this declaration still holds up. In 1997, however: pretty much the truth.

13. “He just loved Bonnie Doon. And he reckoned the faster you went the more you saw of it.”

There is a lot of places in Australia just like Bonnie Doon.

12. “Mum said it was funny how one day you’re not famous, and the next day you are. Famous. And then you’re not again.”

Mrs Kerrigan predicts the era of car-crash celebrity culture in which we now all live.

11. “That’s going straight to the pool room.”

Ask any Australian homemaker: while a good old mantelpiece can tell chapters from a life story, a good poolroom can tell you the lot.

10. “Dad reckons fishing is 10% brains and 95% muscle, the rest is just good luck.”

Do not attempt this advanced brand of mathematics on your own without adequate supervision.

9. “Dad, he reckons powerlines are a reminder of man’s ability to generate electricity.”

Darryl reckoned a lot of things, didn’t he? Wasn’t often wrong, though.

8. “If there’s anything Dad loved more than serenity, it was a big two-stroke engine on full throttle.”

Can’t argue with that. Go on. Just try.

7. “Why would you wanna go out to a restaurant when this keeps comin’ out night after night?”

Proof positive there is only one thing better than a home-cooked meal. And that’s an Australian home-cooked meal.

6. “It was like being kicked in the guts with the back end of a bus.”

Australians have long recognised that if you are going to mix your metaphors, you give it both barrels.

5. “In summing up. It’s the constitution. It’s Mabo, It’s Justice. It’s Law. It’s ... the vibe.”

Forget Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men and “You can’t handle the truth!” : Dennis Denuto owns the greatest words ever spoken in a movie courtroom.

4. “Eh Steve, could you move the Camira? I need to get the Torana out so I can get to the Commodore.”

The definitive demystification of the complexities of Australian driveway traffic management.

3. “How’s the serenity? So much serenity.”

The true meaning of life outside the big smoke wistfully whittled down to six perfect words.

2. “Tell him he’s dreamin’.”

The quintessential Australian put-down: polite, but pulling no punches whatsoever.

1. “It’s not a house. It’s a home. A man’s home is his castle.”

The Castle in a nutshell: getting to the heart of what it means to love the roof over your family’s heads.