Spank!

Spank!
Directed by	Ernie Clark
Written by	David Lightfoot David Farrell.
Produced by	David Lightfoot
Starring	Robert Mammone
Edited by	Edward McQueen-Mason;
Production companies	UltraFilms Australian Film Finance Corporation South Australian Film Corp
Distributed by	Palace Films
Release date	10 June 1999 (1999-06-10)(Adelaide) [1]
Running time	89 mins
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	$1.4 million [2]
Box office	A$62,374 (Australia) [3]

Spank! is a 1999 Australian comedy film directed by Ernie Clark and starring Robert Mammone. It was filmed in Adelaide. Rolf de Heer was an executive producer.

Premise

Paulie returns to Adelaide after three years in an Italian monastery and reconnects with his friends Nick and Vinny. He goes to work at Vinny's parents cafe. Paulie and his friends decide to set up their own cafe.

Cast

• Robert Mammone as Paulie
• Vince Poletto as Rocky
• Victoria Dixon-Whittle as Jo
• Mario Gamma as Nick
• Lucia Mastrantone as Tina
• Checc Musolino as Vinny
• Marco P. Venturini as Ang
• Charlotte Rees as Kylie
• Nic Hurcombe as Bruce
• Maris J. Caune aS Fat Remmy
• Rosalba Clemente as Nick's Ma

Production

The movie was originally titled Little Big Men but it was decided to change it out of fear the film might be mistaken with Little Big Man. A competition for a new title was held in cafes of Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney resulting in Spank! Filming began in January 1998. ^[4]

Reception

David Stratton in Variety called it a "good-natured comedy about a bunch of Italo-Australians involved in the colorful cafe society in Adelaide" which "suffers from a thinly constructed screenplay and frequently strident handling." ^[1]

The Age called it "shrill and awkwardly paced" but praised the "understated" performance from Robert Mammone. ^[5]

SBS Movies wrote the film "boasts characters that are just too unbelievable, even if you grant the film is a farce. The story is ridiculous and it`s resolved way too perfunctorily but it has an energy and some terrific performances." ^[6]

The film enjoyed an 11 week run in Adelaide cinemas. After sales to video and overseas cable the movie reportedly recouped its budget. ^[2]

References

1. David Stratton, "Spank!", Variety, 20 June 1999 accessed 16 November 2012
2. "A slap in the face for Spank". The Age - Appplause. 29 August 1999. p. 2.
3. "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office", Film Victoria accessed 13 November 2012
4. "Hitting the spot". The Age - Applause. 11 January 1998. p. 2.
5. "Livewire". The Age Green Guide. 5 September 1999. p. 26.
6. "Spank Review". SBS. 1 January 2009.

External links

• Spank! at IMDb
• Spank at Screen Australia
• Spank! at BFI
• Spank! at Letterbox DVD
• Spank! at Urban Cinefile