THE KINGS OF MYKONOS:
May 14th 2010 18:59
Vince Colissimo as Frank, Nick Giannopoulos as Steve
Of all the performance arts, comedy, in all its variations, must rate as the hardest to succeed at. Unlike other performance arts, where critics may debate and dispute various aspects, according to their own perceptions, preferences and prejudices, comedy has but one solid arbiter, the audience laughter.
There are many forms of comedy; seemingly the easiest, yet most difficult to deliver, would be the basic visual form, which also involves slapstick, physical styles that are not reliant upon words; some of the classic masters in slapstick are of yesteryear; Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, to name a few. Then there were the masters of all worlds comedic, the Marx Brothers.
What all these greats of yesteryear had in common was earnestness, they didn’t telegraph the audience to laugh. We laughed because they were the playthings of fate, the canvass upon which bad luck paints a rich and risible portrait of their often petty and desperate attempts to escape their lot in life. The trials and tribulations they endure, to escape their unrewarding existence, then becomes the magic carpet upon which we gladly clamber, because we want them to succeed.
It has been observed that, for a comic to be a success, the audience must like him, and it is this axiom that just might ‘save the souvlaki’ for Giannopoulos’s latest work, “The Kings of Mykonos”.
“The Kings of Mykonos” is the sequel to the financially successful, (Australian box office record braking), hit “The Wog Boy”. Once again Giannopoulos and Chris Anastassiades unite as co-writers, but with a different director this time, multi AFI award winning Peter Andrikidis. Nick Giannopoulos reprises his role of Steve Karamitsis and co-stars with Vince Colosimo, who reprises his role as Frank.
Also in the cast is the brilliant Alex Dimitriades, who plays Mihali, the smugly rich local on Mykonos, who is too used to getting his own way. In recognition of this film’s international setting and probably a smart marketing move as well, the gorgeous Zeta Makrypoulia, (a very famous and popular entertainer in Greece) plays Zoe, a sultry siren club singer on Mykonos.
Zeta Makrypoulia as Zoe
I should also mention Costas Kilias reappears as Tony the Yugoslav, a two bit crook with appends the F word to each end of his sentences, and a cameo by Kevin Sorbo as Pierluigi, another shifty number holidaying on the idyllic isle. One other I must mention is Dimitris Starovas, who plays the slightly hen pecked Tzimis, who runs Uncle Panos’s cafe and is Steve and Frank’s guide and counsel. Tzimis does get to deliver a rare moment of humour, when he asks the lads to explain why they call themselves “wogs”, it isn’t laugh out loud, but his reaction is endearing. I liked Starovas’s performance; I’d like to see more of his work. Lastly, is Cosima Coppola, who plays Miss Italy, and Frank is so smitten by her, he agrees to a bet, whoever beds Miss Italy, is crowned ‘King of Mykonos’.
The basic scenario is this; unbeknown to Steve, a relative on Mykonos has died, (Uncle Panos), making Steve the sole heir. Steve stands to inherit a beach, restaurant etc, all amounting to several million dollars. All he has to do is prove he is related to the dead uncle, but there are a few bumps in the road to wealth, of course, and a shocking surprise for Steve.
At the opening scene of the film, we see a funeral on a beach, on Mykonos, officiated by a Greek Orthodox priest and attended by a small gathering of mourners, who do not appear to be wracked with remorse. Then a dapper young man’s mobile rings (Alex Dimitriades as Mihali), he quickly deals with it, they resume the service, then immediately another call, Mihali checks his phone again, but no, it turns out the priest has the same ring tone...
Costas Kilias, as Tony the Yugoslav
The opening sequence of a comedy usually sets the tone for the rest of the film, and it did, total and unrelenting silence from the audience. Actually, that isn’t totally fair, I did have a chuckle when the goat made its first appearance, and gave Nick a sideways look. Animals can be funny without trying, and admittedly, the audience was not representative of a general audience, they were all film critics.
However, when we first find Steve, he is in Melbourne, living life to the full, his way, driving while singing to his beloved, his car. Steve is on his way to pick up his pal Frank, who is in trouble with his girl again. Cops play a role in their lives, and it appears Steve is not blessed with the luck of the Irish, or even the Greek’s golden fleece, in fact, he is more likely to be fleeced, than not. The elements of a good comedy finally appear to be in place.
However, some cardinal sins were committed in this work, the use of creaky old gags, visual and verbal; at times I felt some re-editing may have saved the moment, as I could see the comedic potential, however, for me it was not a first class comedic experience. For instance, on arrival on Mykonos, Steve and Frank are greeted by Uncle Panos’s long horned goat, which causes Frank to jump into the back of the tiny three wheeler van exclaiming, “It’s a pit-bull!” We had been previously instructed that Frank was scared of dogs, by his reaction to a tiny dog in Melbourne, but the goat reaction was ridiculous!
If it had been established that Frank was a congenital idiot, one might be lulled into accepting the reaction. However, this sequence was just another example of humour gone juvenile; it is pantomime stuff that only a very young audience would find amusing. I found it embarrassing. But, if you have a large enough following who love you, then that group will probably laugh. There is a cultural aspect that plays into Giannopoulos’s pocket; the Greeks, Italians too, are a naturally polite and generous people.
Kevin Sorbo as Pierluigi
I think that fact is important when one looks at this film. It is going to appeal to those cultural groups in particular, especially in Australia where, outside of the wonderful SBS TV, they are starved of seeing their culture being enjoyed and celebrated on commercial television and on the big screen. This is remiss of the film making community, stupid really, as market returns would suggest that films that are tailored to those markets make a profit, however, that does not exclude the need to be inventive in the creative process.
Giannopoulos did see the advantage, and over the last two decades has created many successful stage shows; the ground breaking stage show “Wogs Out of Work”, which remains, to this day, one of our highest grossing (Australian) live shows. This was followed up by “Wogs Out of Work”, then “The Wog Boys”, “Wog-A-Rama” and “Wog Story” stage shows and the TV show, “Acropolis Now” which ran for three years, and yes, on a commercial station, from 1989-1992.
Many may have felt Giannopoulos had milked the lily dry (or dead) with the numerous takes on all things ‘wog’ but, just as the amazing Liberace retorted to his own negative critics, I’m sure Giannopoulos would say, “I laughed all the way to the bank!" We may debate the nature of comedy and what makes it work, as I attempted at the beginning of this review, but, at the end of the day, producers, investors and screen owners want to see bums on seats and dollars rolling into tills.
Since the advent of Giannopoulos’s successful stage and TV shows, the all encompassing ‘wog’ moniker has been taken to the bosom of all Australians of southern European descent, they have seized the taunt that made their childhoods in Australia so terrible, and diminished its power by sending up the entire cultural setting, our alfresco beach salad culture, we collectively call Australia.
I have noticed, on various online sites, how Aussies of southern European descent are excitedly looking forward to the film’s release, and how many Anglo-Saxon descendants disliked the first film, so, maybe it will be divided again, down cultural background lines?
One of many tiny Chapels on Mykonos
The Kings of Mykonos will, without doubt, be embraced by Greek Australian audiences, as they are a generous people who will reward any attempt to entertain, as long as it is genuine. I have no doubt Nick Giannopoulos was genuinely attempting to create a new comedy smash hit. He had a broad palette to draw from; a cross-over cultural experience, the second generation Australian with proud and loved cultural inheritance, meeting the forebears in their homeland. So what happened?
What went wrong? I was amazed actually, as I would have thought Giannopoulos would have trodden new ground, leaving the course and simple humour of The Wog Boy behind. I also wondered whether Giannopoulos had made the mistake of surrounding himself with yes-men, who smiled, laughed and nodded agreement, no matter how poor the comic value of the scene?
However, a little over half way through the film, I began to see another avenue Giannopoulos was creating, that of a more reflective man at odds with his world, where known certainties had disappeared and now he had to re-invent himself, and I expected he would capitalise on this with a tremendous comedic denouement at the end, but it was not forthcoming, well, there was one, I just didn’t find it amusing, it comes across as lazy writing, relying on old, well trodden paths of humour that have long lost their novelty and punch.
In the definite plus area, the film is shot well, and takes full advantage of the stunningly beautiful Mykonos, it begs you to sell up and move there. The gorgeous white-washed hand crafted buildings, the incredible azure sea, the relaxed natural charm of the locals, what a life!
In short, if you are not a huge fan of Giannopoulos’s previous work, you won’t find much to laugh with here, but, if you like his work, or, if you just want a laid back time that might bring a few smiles to your dial, then maybe the magic of Mykonos will work for you?
Kings of Mykonos opens Australia wide on May 20th, 2010.
IMAGE CREDITS, PERMISSIONS AND COPYRIGHTS:
All images are production photos, ownership presumed that of production company and/or publisher/distributor; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; used here for illustration of film for critical review, low res copies, not meant for reproduction.
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Mountain Fog
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
tanx, and yes, the cult of personality is entwined with cultural identity, which means Giannopoulos can just about do anything and it will get a big audience.
I just wish he would work with different writers to get a new take on his characters.
anyhoo, you might like seeing the babes in swimsuits at least!
cheers
fog
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
Methinks the boys read the reviews....
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Never was a fan of that TV show, Acropolis Now or something, but at least it had a freshness. Wog boy just recycled the same jokes as the show and so I imagine this just recycles the gags from the original....no interest.
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
tanx for the comp,
and you would be wise to miss this, as you are a connoisseur of cinema, not a sultan of filmic sullage!
It is weird though, it is as if they were frozen after WB1 and de-thawed a year ago.... no lessons learnt over the years, but, it is a winner (yet again) at the box office....
dear oh dear...
cheers
fog
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
I assume he was making more of the same jokes again. an actually fascinating read for a probably not so fascinating film.
Great writing Fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
there should be a law that prevents film makers from making misrepresentation of their product, to wit, "a comedy".
and tanx for the comp!
cheers
fog