The premise got me in, and then having started to watch it and read these reviews, I stuck with it and except for the the final seconds of the last scene and effectiveness of the credits in identifying the actors (should be obligatory for animated movies!!) I have to agree with the panning of this movie.Hostile to some and so predictable. As Rossini may have once said of Wagner -wonderful moments, dreadful half hours - and I think there may have been three moments.And yes, this too is my first review - similarly moved as another reviewer. That said, at $285 000, how poor is the standard hourly rate for acting?

This is the first review on any film I have ever written online. And the reason is that this is the worst Aussie film I have EVER seen in my entire life. Where do I even start with this? Firstly, I had to force myself to watch all the way through, as it was so truly awful that I kept going just to see if the stereotypes and frankly racist, anti-English theme continued throughout - well I can report that it does.In short, the evil English bosses sacked the hard-working Aussies without giving notice, didn't drink beer (never met a Brit who didn't drink before). cheated at cricket, were racist to the Indian character, and dreamed of "body line", which was presented as English cricket's finest hour.Not only was every aspect of this film dreadful, but it was frankly offensive. My mum is English and the people associated with this farce should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.Even if you are an insular, pommie-bashing Aussie who likes cricket, do yourself a favour and do something useful with 90 minutes - like boiling 30 eggs...instead of watching this mindless drivel.

People have been ranting and raving about all these excellent comedies coming out of Hollywood, but they are often unaware of these low-budget films that can put them to shame. This is one of them.Dougie Waters (yes, a pun on the great Doug Walters)loves a game of backyard cricket with his friends Spock, Merv, Bin, Taka, Norm and his daughter Kerri. However, when Edward Lords, a pompous, uptight English administrator moves in and fires Norm, Dougie and co. start to resent him. Tensions reach a head when Dougie accidentally kills Edward's prize-winning cat, Dexter. A backyard cricket match of epic proportions is arranged, with the winner keeping the cat's ashes.Andrew S. Gilbert of "Round the Twist" fame heads the fairly unknown but excellent cast as Dougie, and he captures the "larrikin Aussie" character perfectly.Felix Williamson plays the moustache-twirling Edward Lords, the villain of the story. It'd be easy to turn Lords into the all-evil character, but Williamson manages to give the impression that Lords is under a lot of pressure.Damian Callinan, another of the outstanding actors in the film, plays Spock. It's fitting that he provides most of the one-liners in the film (when speaking to the English players: "Better not touch those beers, boys. they'd be too cold for ya") seeing that he is a comedian. You can see that Callinan relishes the role, and never misses a beat with his jokes.The film has also provided the chance for young actors to get on screen as well. This young cast is headed by Maddison Smith-Catlin, and she does a fine job of playing the young Australian version of the girl-next-door. Something tells me that we may see her in a big Hollywood comedy in 10 years' time.All in all, this is a well-acted, smartly written, wonderfully directed Aussie cricket comedy that outperforms many big Hollywood ones on a $285,000 budget. I really hope they make this into a franchise, but that's probably just wishful thinking.Overall, 10/10

It was an excellent movie. Short summery a 'whinging pommie' and a 'dinkum Aussie' sort the differences in backyard cricket. The movie itself was a good small budget comedy that unlike others really delivers not only a good laugh but conveys a message about how a person who you don't like can become a friend. The whole setting is a typical Aussie setup none other than backyard cricket. They have nicknames based on popular cricketers such as Dougie waters 'Dougie Walters' and 'pidge 'pigeon aka Glenn McGrath' the whole movie is basically dedicated to the Aussie bloke who loves playing or have played backyard cricket with mates. A must see for a comedy fan!!!Overall 10/10 A good laugh and a great small budget film!