THE DISH --------
While the U.S. moon landing was a worldwide event, most people are probably unaware of Australia's role. In a sheep field in Parkes sits the largest radio telescope station in the Southern Hemisphere, a prime location to track communications with Apollo 11 and relay television pictures back to Earth. Three Australians and one American NASA technician will beat amazing odds to fulfill their task in "The Dish."
Although names have been changed by screenwriters Rob Sitch (director, "The Castle") and Tom Gleisner (also producer), "The Dish" is based on actual events of 1969. Recent widower Cliff Buxton (Sam Neill), a professorial, cardigan wearing, pipe-smoking type, leads the crew at Parkes' radio telescope. Glenn (Tom Long) is a literal, nerdy mathmetician attempting to work up the courage to ask local lass Janine out. Mitch (Kevin Harrington) is Glenn's tormentor and the most perturbed by the presence of American Al Burnett (Patrick Warburton, TV's "Seinfeld"). Burnett's been sent in to coordinate the effort and checks and rechecks everyone's work to ensure a smooth operation. There's also a new member of the team, Rudi (Tayler Kane), Janine's rather simple brother who's been hired as a security guard.
Meanwhile Parkes' mayor, Bob McIntyre (Roy Billing) and his wife May (Genevieve Mooy) are busy preparing for the arrival of such exotic visitors as the American Ambassador (John McMartin) and the Prime Minister (Billie Brown) while the exuberant teenage Army volunteer next door attempts to court their disdainful daughter Marie.
Things don't go smoothly. The local High School band plays the theme to "Hawaii Five-O" in place of the U.S. national anthem at the Mayor's reception. Then Parkes loses power and prideful Mitch must face up to the fact that his neglect to clear fuel pump lines has cost the telescope its backup generator. Cliff lies to NASA to buy time while the team frantically recalculates the equations needed to relocate Apollo 11 - even Al breaks character and lies to NASA. After this challenge is overcome, the team find that due to a problem in California, their station will be the primary television broadcast dish for the moon landing itself, while winds gust to levels more than twice what the dish has been engineered to sustain.
The ensemble cast breath humor and life into this story. Neill's Buxton makes us empathize with the bittersweet nature of his success in the shadow of his wife's death. His serenity has a calming effect on the other, more tightly strung crew members. Wharburton shows range with his serious workaholic who allows the Australians to bring out a sense of fun ('I think we ate a whole sheep,' he tells Glenn and Mitch after returning from Sunday dinner at the mayor's). Tayler Kane provides most of the laughs as the self-important but imbecilic Rudi announces his presence in various 'sectors' of the station and believes he's talking to Neil Armstrong over his walkie talkie. Roy Billing is a delight as the mayor who retains his hominess while bidding for political recognition. McMartin plays the Ambassador as a stereotypical good-natured American.
Sitch keeps every element of his film perfectly calibrated. Cinematographer Wood is able to capture a shot to relay the laughs, romance or majesty required by the action. Editor Jill Bilcock artfully arranges those images, particularly in a fabulous montage which shows the mechanical workings of the dish played out against the late 60's instrumental "Classical Gas."
"The Dish" finds a place where gentle charm and humor live side by side with the awe and grandeur of man's accomplishment.
B+
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