A trio of clueless high school grads head to the annual end of school party (schoolies) with an elder brother 'toolie', seizing the opportunity to offload a bag of weed upon which they've stumbled which will raise them enough money to replace a priceless heirloom.
A raving drug detective-sergeant and his overly-intense partner, an innocent cordial-drinking, God-abiding nubile, and a rather innocuous looking suburban drug lord and her over-zealous muscle make up the vast array of oddball characters into whose orbit our intrepid quartet are drawn with their misguided dope-dealing antics. And despite the title reference, whilst there's lit spliffs abound, I didn't detect an actual pipe implement anywhere in sight.
Ultra-low budget homage of the Australian east coast end of school rite of passage intersperses footage of actual schoolies and local landmarks in a postcard bender of sorts that is easy to follow, but potentially too budget constrained to attract a wider audience. Overall it's an honest attempt to give the traditional end-of-school/stoner movie a uniquely Oz-styled flavour, but needed something special to elevate it beyond rank amateur status.
Not sure if everyone in front of the camera is a professional actor, film student or merely enthusiastic amateur, but the result seems like it would be much the same within the confined production, with performances that at times lack nuances like 'listening' gestures and more fluid movement. The exclusive use of exteriors and associated light/shade challenges (and innovative attempts at back-lighting), lack of musical cues (a pub-rock soundtrack substitutes) and some erratic hand-held camera movement are often distracting, and notwithstanding the technical limitations, the characters are likeable and there's generally enough plot material and whacky set-ups (including a dark turn involving a pair of pliers and a shootout) to keep up the momentum. Allowing for the scale, it's just passable if you're in the right mood for some brainless antics.
Plot summary
A story of two wannabe Schoolies on the Gold Coast during a state-wide crackdown on drugs. The boys stumble upon a stash of "weed", and through the misguidance of an older brother trying to replace his earlier Schoolies experience, they get caught up in the war on drugs waged by the authorities. Selling drugs to earn enough money to replace a broken heirloom they are oblivious to the battle around them. As they are pursued by an overzealous Police Chief and a violent underworld, they aim to be kings and make this the best Schoolies ever.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
April 19, 2017 at 02:59 AM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Downunder bender goes up in smoke
Okay
It has its few moments of laughter, but that's it. The cast is mediocre and nothing really original or standing-out when it comes to story and the movie has no atmosphere whatsoever. The supposed "psychedelic" scenes are heavily underwhelming. It tries hard to be a stoner movie, but I wouldn't recommend it to any stoners.