That's Not Me (film)

Last updated
That's Not Me
Tnm-poster-final-JAN2017-sb.jpg
Directed by Gregory Erdstein
Screenplay byGregory Erdstein
Alice Foulcher
Produced byGregory Erdstein
Alice Foulcher
Anna Kojevnikov
Sally Storey
StarringAlice Foulcher
Isabel Lucas
Richard Davies
CinematographyShelley Farthing-Dawe
Edited byAriel Shaw
Music byNicholas Pollock
Running time
85 mins
CountryAustralia
Box officeAU $44,000

That's Not Me is an Australian independent comedy film directed by Gregory Erdstein. It was filmed between 2015 and 2016 in Melbourne, Australia, and Los Angeles, US. [1] [2] The screenplay was written by Gregory Erdstein and lead actress Alice Foulcher. [3] [4] That's Not Me had its World Premiere in February 2017 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival [5] and its Australian Premiere in June 2017 at the Sydney Film Festival. [6] It was released theatrically at selected cinemas across Australia in September 2017. [7] In 2020 That's Not Me was nominated for the AACTA Byron Kennedy Award, as one of the top 12 indie feature films of the past decade. [8]

Contents

Synopsis

Polly always dreamed of being a successful actress. The problem is she keeps refusing to take on roles that she finds repugnant. Her identical twin sister Amy will take any role offered to her and because of her work ethics she becomes famous. Because of her sister's fame Polly keeps being mistaken for her.

Envious of her sister's success Polly starts to impersonate her in order to get all the freebies that come along when you're famous.

Polly decides to throw her job in and head for Hollywood for Pilot Season castings. Disappointed that she turned up at the wrong time of year she spends some time catching up with her actress friend Zoe. Zoe gives Polly a good dose of reality in that all that glitters is not gold.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

That's Not Me has been met with positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 90% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10. [9]

Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian gave the film four stars, writing "An outstanding performance from emerging actor Alice Foulcher takes this lean and plucky film about stymied ambition to another level. A young and spunky cast and crew have installed in this smart and sassy dramedy a highly disciplined, tonally cohesive style. It is refreshing to see that kind of storytelling discipline particularly from a first-time film-maker." [10]

Junkee Media called the film "an emotionally resonant and comedic quarter life crisis… It’s a simple set-up delivered endlessly in comedy, but managed so well in That's Not Me that you remember how rare it is that balance is achieved in Australian films." [11] The Sydney Arts Guide praised the film and performances, writing: "There’s not a dud note in That's Not Me thanks to a solid foundation in a script by Alice Foulcher and Gregory Erdstein, and anchored by a winning lead performance by Foulcher and helmed with an assured hand by Erdstein. The support casting is impeccable…Isabel Lucas is ferociously good". [12] Jake Watt of Switch called the film "a marvel of indie ingenuity, with dollops of charm and confident direction." [13] Karl Quinn writing for The Age said the film is "bursting with comedy, humanity and interesting ideas", [14] the Huffington Post called it "a stunning exploration of identity, the industry and the thirst for fame…the perfect blend of comedy and tragedy”, [15] whilst Concrete Playground praised it as "earnest, astute, insightful and thoroughly amusing. This is a movie that is both universal and unmistakably Australian – and that’s just one of many delicate balancing acts that That’s Not Me achieves". [16]

Louise of Urban Cinefile writes that "Foulcher is a knockout. She is unselfconscious and instantly likeable. Sibling rivalry, celebrity and chasing dreams have never been so much fun in this energetic, uplifting character-driven comedy that soars as surely as the trajectory of its irresistible star”. [17] Time Out gave the film four stars, with critic Nick Dent writing "Alice Foulcher deserves to be a lock for Best Actress [for the 2017 AACTA awards]. [18] [She] conveys low self-esteem with the comedic flair of a Kristin Wiig." [19] Andy Howell of Ain't It Cool writes “[Alice Foulcher] shoulders all the drama and gives one of the best twin performances I’ve ever seen... Having nuanced drama embedded in a comedy is a tightrope walk, but she’s got the skills to land it.” [20] Leigh Paatsch of the Herald Sun gave the film a positive review, noting "a wonderful performance by Foulcher in a deceptively demanding role". [21] Film Alert 101 suggests that Foulcher "may well be the comic talent of her age", [22] and radio station 2ser 107.3 describes her as "absolutely superb throughout". [23]

The film was also flagged by the Santa Barbara Independent as a Must-See Pick of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, [24] and sold out a number of sessions at the festival. [25]

Accolades

At the 2017 Sydney Film Festival That's Not Me came fourth at the Foxtel Movies Audience Awards [26] and ninth in the Top 10 Audience Awards at the 2017 Melbourne International Film Festival. [27] Alice Foulcher received a Best Actress nomination at the 2018 Australian Film Critics Association awards< for her performance in the film. That's Not Me won the award for Best Film Under $200k at the inaugural 2018 Ozflix Independent Film Awards. [28] The film was ranked #5 of The Guardian's Top 10 Australian Films of 2017. [29] In 2020 That's Not Me was nominated for the AACTA Byron Kennedy Award, as one of the top 12 indie feature films of the past decade. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cate Blanchett</span> Australian actor and producer (born 1969)

Catherine Elise Blanchett is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for her versatility across independent films, blockbusters, and theatre. She has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Davis</span> Australian film, television and stage actress

Judith Davis is an Australian actress in film, television, and on stage. With a career spanning over 40 years, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequent collaborator director Woody Allen described her as "one of the most exciting actresses in the world". She is the most awarded recipient for the AACTA Award with nine accolades and has received numerous accolades, including three Emmy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, and two nominations for Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toni Collette</span> Australian actress and producer

Toni Collette is an Australian actress and producer. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and five AACTA Awards, with nominations for an Academy Award and a Tony Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Campion</span> New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer

Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films The Piano (1993) and The Power of the Dog (2021), for which she has received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Campion was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) in the 2016 New Year Honours, for services to film.

Esther Davis is an Australian actress and singer, best known for her roles as Phryne Fisher in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and its film adaptation, Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears, and as Amelia Vanek in The Babadook. Other major works include a recurring role as Lady Crane in season six of the television series Game of Thrones, Sister Iphigenia in Lambs of God, and the role of Ellen Kelly in Justin Kurzel's True History of the Kelly Gang.

Debra Lawrance is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role on Home and Away, as Pippa Ross, which she played from 1990 to 1998 and in a number of subsequent return appearances, the most recent being in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitty Flanagan</span> Australian comedian

Kitty Flanagan is an Australian comedian, writer and actress who works in Australia and the United Kingdom. She has also performed in France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Japan and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal Just For Laughs festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claudia Karvan</span> Australian actress (born 1972)

Claudia Karvan is an Australian actress and producer. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film Molly (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in High Tide (1987). She portrayed a teacher in The Heartbreak Kid (1993) – the film was spun off into a TV series, Heartbreak High (1994–1999), with her character taken over by Sarah Lambert. Karvan's roles in television series include The Secret Life of Us (2001–2005), Love My Way (2004–2007), Newton's Law (2017) and Halifax: Retribution (2020). She won Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama at the AFI Awards for her appearance in G.P. (1996). She won two similar AFI Awards for her role in Love My Way and in 2014 for her work in The Time of Our Lives (2013–2014). As a co-producer and co-writer on Love My Way, she won three further AFI Awards for Best Drama Series in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Karvan was inducted into the Australian Film Walk of Fame in 2007 in acknowledgment of her contributions to the Australian film and television industry. From 2010 to 2011, she starred in the drama series Spirited, which she co-created and was executive producer. She appeared as Judy Vickers in Puberty Blues. Karvan has co-produced House of Hancock and Doctor Doctor (2016–2021). In 2021 she co-created, co-produced and starred in the TV drama series, Bump.

Helen Morse is an English-born Australian actress who has appeared in films, on television and on stage. She won the AFI (AACTA) Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1976 film Caddie, and starred in the 1981 miniseries A Town Like Alice. Her other film appearances include Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Agatha (1979), Far East (1982) and The Eye of the Storm (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacki Weaver</span> Australian actress

Jacqueline Ruth Weaver is an Australian theatre, film, and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as Stork (1971), Alvin Purple (1973), and Petersen (1974). She later starred in Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Caddie (1976), Squizzy Taylor (1982), and a number of television films, miniseries, and Australian productions of plays such as Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Debicki</span> Australian actress (born 1990)

Elizabeth Debicki is an Australian actress. After studying drama at the Victorian College of the Arts, she made her film debut with a brief role in the Australian comedy A Few Best Men (2011). Her role in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby (2013) won her the AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. She played Ayesha in the Marvel films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). She gained critical attention for her performance in Steve McQueen's heist thriller Widows (2018). The following year, she received the Cannes Film Festival's Trophée Chopard. She then co-starred in Christopher Nolan's science fiction thriller Tenet (2020).

Alice Ansara is an Australian actress and dramaturg who works in film, television and theatre.

Lily Sullivan is an Australian actress. She played Coral in the 2012 film Mental, and Miranda in the 2018 television series Picnic at Hanging Rock. She plays leading roles in two 2023 feature films, Australian sci-fi thriller Monolith, and American horror film Evil Dead Rise.

Tilda Cobham-Hervey is an Australian actress. She made her film debut in 52 Tuesdays, a critically-acclaimed independent film directed by Sophie Hyde, and has also appeared on stage. She appeared in the 2018 film Hotel Mumbai, and starred as feminist icon Helen Reddy in the 2019 biopic I Am Woman. In 2023 she starred in the Amazon Prime TV series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angourie Rice</span> Australian actress (born 2001)

Angourie Rice is an Australian actress. She began her career as a child actress, coming to attention for her roles in These Final Hours (2013) and The Nice Guys (2016). She is known for her portrayal of Betty Brant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Her television credits include the Black Mirror episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" (2019), the HBO miniseries Mare of Easttown (2021) and the Apple TV+ miniseries The Last Thing He Told Me (2023).

<i>Joe Cinques Consolation</i> (film) 2016 film

Joe Cinque's Consolation is a 2016 Australian drama film directed by Sotiris Dounoukos based on the book of the same name by Helen Garner. It concerns the increasingly fraught relationship between an engineer, Joe, and his narcissistic law student girlfriend Anu in Canberra in the mid 1990s. As Anu's mental state deteriorates, she conjures up a macabre plan to put an end to her suffering. The film was given a national cinema release in October 2016 and has received a generally positive response from critics.

Alice Foulcher is an Australian writer and actress, best known for the Australian indie drama-comedy That's Not Me (2017). She is also known for her roles in Paris Syndrome and A Bit Rich.

Gregory Erdstein is an Australian film director and writer, best known for the indie comedy That's Not Me.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Darling</span> Australian filmmaker

Ian David Darling is a documentary film director and producer.

Julia Savage is an Australian actress who starred in the feature film Blaze. For her performance in this film she received the 2023 International Art Film Fest Blue Angel Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 12th AACTA Awards - this award's youngest-ever nominee. Her performance was noted by the Sydney Morning Herald for its 'remarkable power and subtlety'.

References

  1. "Inside Film: Indie Comedy That's Not Me Wraps Filming".
  2. "Alice Foulcher: In The City Of Lights With Paris Syndrome" . Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  3. "Interview: Gregory Erdstein and Alice Foulcher on their new Australian comedy That's Not Me". Cinema Australia. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  4. "Six Young Aussies Who Are Doing Awesome Stuff In Film". 8 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  5. Murthi, Vikram. "That's Not Me Clip: A Twin Uses Sister's Celebrity For Personal Gain | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  6. Maddox, Garry (5 April 2017). "Sydney Film Festival announces Casey Affleck, Whitney Houston and werewolf films". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  7. "That's Not Me | Movies | Palace Cinemas | Share our passion". Palace Cinemas. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Twelve features in line for AACTA's Byron Kennedy Award".
  9. "That's Not Me". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 24 December 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  10. Buckmaster, Luke (6 September 2017). "That's Not Me review – smart, low-budget dramedy putting creators on path to stardom". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  11. "Sydney Film Festival Review: 'That's Not Me'". Junkee. 24 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  12. "THAT'S NOT ME Review - Sydney Arts Guide". Sydney Arts Guide. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  13. Watt, Jake. "SWITCH. | Film review: That's Not Me - a marvel of indie ingenuity". SWITCH. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  14. Quinn, Karl (31 August 2017). "That's Not Me: The winning comedy film made by Aussie couple for just $60,000". The Age. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  15. Whitehead, Mat (5 September 2017). "What Is It Like To Try And Be More Famous Than Someone With Your Exact Face". Huffington Post. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  16. "That's Not Me". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  17. "Urban Cinefile THAT'S NOT ME". www.urbancinefile.com.au. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  18. "35 Australian movies are eligible for the AACTA Awards this year". Time Out Sydney. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  19. "That's Not Me". Time Out Sydney. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  20. Copernicus. "Copernicus is a fan of THAT'S NOT ME at SBIFF". Aint It Cool News. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  21. "That's Not Me makes a little go a long way" . Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  22. "Film Alert 101: Sydney Film Festival (12) - New Australian Films - We Don't Need a Map, That's Not Me, Ali's Wedding, Ellipsis". Film Alert 101. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  23. "SFF 2017: Review - That's Not Me - 2ser". 2ser. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  24. "SBIFF 2017: Films to Find". www.independent.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  25. "Melbourne made film a hit" . Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  26. Gray, Richard (21 June 2017). "SFF 2017: 'Ali's Wedding' and 'Roller Dreams' take Audience Awards". The Reel Bits. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  27. "Aussie films win the hearts of MIFF audiences". IF Magazine. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  28. Quinn, Karl (15 April 2018). "Is it time to make low-budget Australian movies cheaper at the cinema?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  29. Buckmaster, Luke (20 December 2017). "From Mountain's majesty to Lion's roar: the best Australian films of 2017". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2018.