Plot
Lewis Riley (Ben Mendelsohn), lacking direction, has difficulty holding down a job. He applies for a job as a director/drama teacher at a mental hospital, where he is expected to produce a variety show aimed at the inmates’ abilities. During auditions, manic-depressive Roy (Barry Otto), overwhelms the pushover Lewis, selecting six cast members Roy chooses: Ruth (Pamela Rabe), a suicidal woman whose rendition of “I’m So Excited” is dejected; Cherry (Jacki Weaver), a woman prone to false claims of sexual harassment who lusts after Lewis; Julie (Toni Collette), a recovering drug addict, the only one who can actually sing; Doug (David Wenham), a cat-burning pyromaniac; Henry (Paul Chubb), who is completely submissive to Roy; and Zac (Colin Hay), an accordion player who aspires to play Fight of the Valkyries wearing a horned Viking helmet.
Roy bullies Lewis into directing a production of the Mozart opera Così fan tutte , despite its being elaborate, in Italian, and requiring operatic voices. Errol (Colin Friels), a male nurse, suggests to Lewis the way to do it—have the “actors” act out the storyline in translation, set to a background recording of the opera. Lewis grows resourceful in “herding cats”, dealing with the idiosyncrasies of each patient, while developing a genuine attachment for each. Doug burns down the theater, leading to Lewis getting fired. Nevertheless, the patients plead with Lewis to carry on with the project secretly. Lewis agrees to do so, without pay, also taking on acting in Doug’s role, since Doug is now in a locked ward. The patients work together to clean up and transform an old laundry on the hospital premises into a suitable theater and rehearse furtively at night. They must also pretend to rehearse for a variety show during the day under the supervision of an administrator.
The theme of Così fan tutte--two friends make a bet as to whether each of their beloveds will stay faithful to them if they approach them in disguise as a test--is explored in Lewis’s personal life. Lewis’s relationship with his law student girlfriend Lucy (Rachel Griffiths), already under pressure, is strained by a friend, Nick (Aden Young). Nick proposes a $50 bet that Lucy will not remain faithful to Lewis. Although Lewis rejects the bet, Nick proceeds behind his back.
Lewis’s own fidelity is tested when he is attracted to Julie; they kiss, but Lewis immediately draws a boundary. Doug escapes from the locked ward and comes looking for Lewis at home. When Doug alarms Lucy in the bathtub, Nick is the only one there to protect her. Lewis arrives in time to note Lucy’s scantily-clad state and Nick by her side. After calming everyone down, Nick takes Doug back to the hospital. Doug cunningly convinces the hospital attendant that Lewis is the escaped inmate; Lewis is sedated and locked in the ward instead. The next morning, Errol, who has been looking the other way on the Cosi production, finds Doug and has Lewis released.
On the night of the play, Lucy initially chooses to attend a Legal Aid ball, with Nick as substitute escort, rather than attend the play. A bitter Lewis hands Lucy a $50 bill and tells her to give it to Nick.
At the last moment, Roy has stage fright and will not get out of bed. Lewis pushes Roy, reminding him of his passion for the production. Instead of a variety show, the audience—including dignitaries—is surprised by an imaginative and charming production of Così fan tutte. When Henry freezes, Julie performs a show-stopping rendition of Stand By Me. At mid-production, Lucy goes backstage to let Lewis know she has decided his production is important. Nick has explained to her the meaning behind the $50. Lewis accepts her assurance that she has not cheated on him. When Nick turns up, Lewis ends their friendship. Julie informs Lewis that she is being discharged from the hospital, and Lewis offers his continuing friendship. The cast gathers around Lewis to express their appreciation for his commitment to them. Lewis commits to come back next year for another production.
At the end of the credits, Zac appears, wearing a horned Viking helmet, playing Flight of the Valkyries.
Critical reception
In 1996, Cosi was the 3rd most popular Australian film at the Australian Box Office. As at 2010, Cosi ranked 71 on the list of Top 100 Australian feature films of all time as compiled by Screen Australia. [3]
David Stratton, writing in Variety , described Cosi as "fast, funny and cleverly acted". [4] He also said it was "warm, generous, sentimental and expert entertainment." [4] The curator at Australian Screen Online said it "has a likeable humour, appealing characters and a compassionate heart. It's not really about mental illness so much as a tribute to the healing power of performance, and the theatre in general." [5]
Not all reviews were positive. James Berardinelli described Cosi as "a half-baked amalgamation of A Midwinter's Tale and Shine , and doesn't excel as either a comedy or a drama." [6] Cinephilia described Cosi as "a concatenation of caricatures in a predictable story of plucky determination and treacly redemption." [7]
