Review of Night We Called It A Day, The

Introduction

Rod Blue (Joel Edgerton) is a wannabe music promotor whose current successes in the Australian music industry include putting on tours for Black Sabbath, The Doobie Brothers and The Aztecs. Blue hears that Ol` Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, may be interested in touring Australia during 1974, and does his utmost to sell the idea that he can put on a successful tour. The only thing that could stop him is his lack of financial acumen and his bank manager`s seeming reluctance to give him more credit.

After flying to LA and also hiring the girl he grew up with (and who has been in love with him since she was four…), Blue pulls it off and bags Sinatra. Of course, it`s not all plain sailing as seen when Sinatra steps off the Lear jet to be mugged by fans and press alike. A particularly annoying journalist, Hilary Hunter (Portia De Rossi), finds herself dumped unceremoniously dumped on the ground and apparently spat on. With pictures of this appearing in the press, Sinatra takes the opportunity mid-concert to have a go at journalists by comparing them to `2 dollar hookers`.

Big mistake. The Australian Journalists` Association comes out in support of their abused member, calling on other Unions to come out in support. Bob Hawke, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (and future Prime Minister), quickly becomes involved and virtually all the Unions down tools. Sinatra and his entourage are left stranded in their hotel room with no food, no water, no lifts and most damaging of all - no room service. His plane is left unfuelled and he is promised by Hawke that he will not be able to leave Australia `unless you walk on water`.

So, amidst all this uproar, Blue is left looking at the remains of what looked to be a sure-fire success and peering into the abyss of financial ruin. On the plus side, his relationship with Sinatra and his current squeeze (and future wife) Barbara Marx (Melanie Griffith) is pretty good - even if he can`t get Sinatra to apologise at all - and he seems to finally realise how he feels about Audrey (Rose Byrne), although this is obviously precipitated by a Lady Di-like view of Audrey in a white nightgown lit by the morning sun.

Video

70`s Australia is, presumably, faithfully recreated with the bad fashion, bad makeup and bad hair all in there somewhere.

Audio

Nice but ultimately unsatisfying 5.1 mix that is only any good when the music starts and Tom Burlinson starts his Sinatra impression, which is very good btw (speaking as a non-fan of the Chairman of the Board).

No subtitles, which is criminal in my view.

Features

Not a thing, not even a documentary on the actual events. Wasted opportunity.

Conclusion

In 1974, Frank Sinatra embarked on a tour of Australia that would be mired in controversy and have a nation in uproar. Whilst the film does take artistic licence with the facts surrounding this `incident`, it probably does make it a bit more interesting than it actually was. Not that this entirely saves the film, only the quality of the actors does that.

Edgerton, Hopper, Rossi, Griffith and Byrne all contribute to save this film from being absolutely dire. They are all superb, and help to make this film simply pedestrian when it could have been so much worse. David Field is could have been very funny as Bob Hawke, but he wasn`t given enough screen time or lines to make his role truly effective. I suspect the director also just fancied having a pop at the future Australian Prime Minister.

This film seems to be marketed as a docu-drama, but ultimately turns out to be a rom-com of sorts. The Sinatra stuff is merely a convenient backdrop to get the Edgerton and Byrne characters together after the predictable scrapes along the way. Anyone who has ever watched a film or switched on a TV will know how this is going to end.

This is made-for-TV fare, make no mistake.