It's a comedic story of a different kind. It tells of a new comeback for former footballer Troy Carrington, a former professional footballer. Troy returns to his country after a sudden end to his sporting career and convinces the local chaotic team boss Roster for more wins and challenges. The return of Troy seems to be a new beginning of his life in his homeland.
Just as Australia's current coalition government nominated Scott Morrison as their leader; a man who has a boat-shaped sculpture in his office that proclaims "I stopped these"; a movie embracing humanity like "The Merger" is right on time.
I left The Merger in a reverie, charmed by this latest great Australian comedy about identity, which deserves to go straight to the pool room alongside The Castle and, more recently, Ali's Wedding.
There's no question the film, directed with careful attention not to offend by Mark Grentell, has its heart in the right place as the film bounces around the idea of accepting people of other lands into the community. If only the film was funnier.
Australian comedies are always a dubious lot and this is no different, with few laughs, endless dinkum Ockerisms, a calculatedly crowd-pleasing edge and well-meaning messages that are virtually tackled to the ground and beaten senseless.