''Came a Hot Friday'' is a 1985 New Zealand

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

, based on the 1964 novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Directed and co-written by Ian Mune, it became one of the most successful local films released in New Zealand in the 1980s. The film's cast included famed New Zealand comedian Billy T. James.

Plot

In rural New Zealand in 1949, Wes Pennington (

Peter Bland Peter Bland (born 12 May 1934 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire) is a British-New Zealand poet and actor. Life He emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 20 and graduated from the Victoria University of Wellington. He worked as a radio producer f ...

) and his partner Cyril (Philip Gordon) are out to run a horse-racing scam for as long as they can. They are inveterate gamblers who have joined forces to trick local bookies, by taking advantage of delayed broadcasts of horse races. After arriving in small town Tainuia Junction, Wes and Cyril get involved in a bootlegging ring, arson and murder. Among a group of local eccentrics, they also meet the Tainuia Kid (Billy T. James), a Maori who believes himself to be a Mexican bandito. He becomes a kind of protector for the duo. Morrieson's novels featured some sexuality and violence, but the film downplayed these aspects of the source novel and concentrated more on the comical elements. Some argued that the film followed the spirit of the Ealing comedies. One writer argued that the book makes "good-natured, nostalgic fun of small town 1940s New Zealand where Friday night’s excitement is a pie and chips at the boozer" with "larger than life parodic characters".

Cast

as Wes Pennington * Phillip Gordon as Cyril Kidman * Michael Lawrence as Don Jackson * Billy T. James as The Tainuia Kid * Marshall Napier as Sel Bishop * Don Selwyn as Norm Cray * Marise Wipani as Esmerelda * Erna Larsen as Dinah * Philip Holder as Dick * Tricia Phillips as Claire * Bruce Allpress as Don's Dad * Michael Morrissey as Morrie *

Roy Billing Roy Harwood Billing (born 1947) is a New Zealand television actor, now based on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. He was brought up in Ruawai, Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. Billing spent almost three decades living and working in Austral ...

as Darkie Benson * Hemi Rapata as Kohi * Bridget Armstrong as Aunt Agg * Prince Tui Teka as Saxophonist

Home media

The film was released on DVD on 6 July 2011.

Awards

New Zealand Film and TV Awards

External links

*
''Came a Hot Friday'' at Rotten Tomatoes website

''Came A Hot Friday'' at NZonScreen (with video extracts)

References

1985 films 1980s New Zealand films New Zealand comedy films Films set in New Zealand 1980s English-language films 1985 comedy films Films set in the 1940s Films based on New Zealand novels Films directed by Ian Mune English-language comedy films {{1980s-comedy-film-stub