SIRENS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
SIRENS is a witty, fanciful, and wonderfully upbeat comedy with a dramatic side as well. It is the story of a painter (Sam Neil) who paints nudes that enrage the church because some are deemed blasphemous. A young enlighten Anglican priest (Hugh Grant) is asked by the Bishop of Sydney (Vincent Ball) to get see if he can get the artist to send just the non-blasphemous nudes to an upcoming big exhibit.
The important characters, however, are the 3 nude models (Elle Macpherson, Portia de Rossi, and Kate Fischer), the painter's wife and, most of all, the priest's wife (Tara Fitzgerald). The women, I believe, are all relatively newcomers to the screen. The show starts off appearing to be about the painter, but ends up being about the priest's wife breaking out of her shell and coming alive. All of the performances were delightful. The nude models were played like pixies. When they smile, joy leaps through your heart.
Many great scenes in the show. The pixies swinging in the glimmering moonlight was magical. There was a drunk who said an unprintable 2 word phrase again and again that was very funny. The scene in church where the priest's wife realized how much she wanted to be young and free was full of great images.
The cinematography (Geoff Burton) was superb. The night scenes with the exaggerated back lighting of the moon were lovely. The direction (John Duigan) was perfect. Duigan directed them so that it seemed as if these actors and actresses had been working together forever.
SIRENS runs a well edited (Humphrey Dixon) fast and lighthearted 1:33. It is rated R. If a lot of female and male full frontal nudity is a problem for you, then skip SIRENS since it is best described as a very nude ENCHANTED APRIL; otherwise, I recommend this show to you and give it ***. It is a fine show for teenagers unless they are sensitive to nudity.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: March 14, 1994
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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