In 1975 in Australia, a large beach full of cheerful people, and the smells of wine. You find something strange going on there, a 14-year-old Jeff looking for his feet in a changing world. Jeff is a shy person who deals with girls with his beards.
An established cast, a talented technical crew who've clearly done alot of work and a decent budget have formed together to create a potential comedy classic that's completely dismantled over the flaw of being fundamentally incomprehensible.
As he did so winningly in "Priscilla" and 1997's unfairly overlooked outback comedy "Welcome to Woop Woop," Elliott celebrates Australian identity with genuine love while simultaneously roasting it over the coals of no-holds-barred satire and parody.
Unlike most Australian comedy films, which can barely sustain one viewing, Surfing Safari definitely holds up to a second helping, if for no other reason than to relish the period detail embedded into each frame, right down to the exploding pyjamas.
Prawn heads in hubcaps, spin-the-vase and a rotting beached whale are some of the ingredients of Steph Elliott's semi-autobiographical film: a rowdy, crude and playful parody that takes an affectionate look at life in 70s Australia.
There's a hell of a lot of stuff, everywhere, all the time, and the sheer energy of it all is contagious, propulsive, and fun ... the colourful direction, performances and design make for an engaging and relentlessly entertaining ninety-six minutes.
Elliott whizzes from montage to sight gag to flashbacks and flash-forwards, skittering sideways for frequent discursions about the family pets, or a disastrous incident with a beach umbrella.
