''Charlie & Boots'' is a 2009

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n film starring

Paul Hogan Paul Hogan (born 8 October 1939) is an Australian actor and comedian. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance as ...

and

Shane Jacobson Shane Jacobson (born 18 March 1970) is an Australian actor, entertainer, director, writer, and comedian, best known as the " Dunny Man" for his performances as the eponymous character Kenny Smyth, a plumber working for a portable toilet rental ...

. It had the best opening weekend for any Australian film in 2009 when it was released on

Father's Day Father's Day is a day set aside for honoring one's father, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "Father's Day" complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Mother's Day and, in som ...

(1 September 2009). The film features many small towns in country Australia. It also has a cameo by

Reg Evans Reginald Evans (27 March 1928 – 7 February 2009) was a British-born actor active in Australian radio, theatre, television and cinema from the 1960s, after having started his career in his native England. Early life Evans started drama while ...

, who died in the

2009 Victorian bushfires The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of Bushfires in Australia, bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. Saturday, 7 February 2009 was one of Australia's all-time wor ...

before the film was released, and the film is dedicated to the victims of the fires.

Plot

Shane Jacobson plays Boots who takes his father (Paul Hogan) on a trip to fish on the northernmost tip of Australia because of something his father told him when he was a kid. Although he probably wasn't serious and can't remember it Boots decides to carry it out. They travel on a

road trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance Travel, journey traveled by a car or a motorcycle. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by the automobile took place in German Em ...

from Victoria to the

Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...

in a

Holden Kingswood The Holden Kingswood is a full-size car that was developed and manufactured in Australia by Holden, from the beginning of the #HK, HK series in 1968 through to the conclusion of the #WB, WB series in 1985. Prior to 1968, the full-size Holden ra ...

, passing through towns like Tamworth. The film starts with the death of Gracie, Boots' mother and Charlie's wife. After Gracie's death, Boots goes to visit Charlie on the family farm, finding him locked away in the house in the dark, curtains drawn. Boots looks at a calendar on the wall with a picture of Cape York and remembers his father promising to take him fishing off the northernmost tip of Australia. As the trip starts out, Boots and Charlie seem tense, but as the days pass they begin to rekindle their father-son relationship. Their journey involves visiting different towns, hang-outs in different restaurants, and visiting famous attractions. On their way, they start to reconcile and express their emotions about the recent death of Gracie, Charlie's wife and Boots's mother, and the drama unfolding around the death of Ben, Boots' son, by drowning. They even help a young 16-year-old girl named Jess by allowing her to escape her boyfriend Tristan and aid her in her dream to go to the famous country city of Tamworth. The trio manage to arrive in the town, and Jess plays one of her songs in the famous large hall, after passing a manager. They push a car they thought was owned by a Tristan out of a car park at night and end up damaging it. They fly in a small aircraft with a pilot (Roy Billing). From the craft, they see the Great Barrier Reef. The pilot continuously hits the altitude meter, making Boots feel nervous. They are dropped off by the pilot and they both wave goodbye as it leaves. In the end, Charlie and Boots both make it to their destination, Cape York, the northernmost tip of Australia. They take their fishing rods and quote a few sentences they traveled with on their journey. As the credits roll, we learn that Jess has been discovered by a music industry manager and has made a single about an obnoxious boyfriend. At the end of the credits, we see a brief clip of Charlie and Boots traveling over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They look up from their car in awe, causing Boots to marvel at how big the bridge is. Charlie quips "Yeah... imagine having to paint (it)" – a dig at Hogan's pre-fame occupation as a worker on it.

Cast

as Charlie McFarland *

Alan Powell Alan Powell may refer to: * Alan Powell (actor) (born 1985), American actor and singer * Alan Powell (drummer), British musician * Alan Powell (entrepreneur) (born 1967), American businessman * Alan Powell (historian) (1936–2020), Australian hist ...

as Rodeo Clown * Morgan Griffin as Jess *

as Boots McFarland *

Deborah Kennedy :''This is an article about the actress. For the American eco artist and author, see Deborah Kennedy (artist)''. Deborah Kennedy is an Australian character actress recognised for several television and film roles, especially for her appearance ...

as Miles Waitress *

as Mac *

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 Roly * Alec Wilson as Rodeo Worker 1 *

Val Lehman Valerie Kathleen Lehman (née Willis; born 15 March 1943) is an Australian actress and director, best known locally and internationally for her role as the antagonist "Top Dog" and self-styled Queen Bea Smith in the Australian TV series ''Pr ...

as Edna (Bowling Lady Driver) (billed as Valerie Lehman) * Lisa N Edwards as Graeme's Wife * Di Smith as Strawberry Lady (as Diane Smith) *

Anne Phelan Anne Mary Phelan (2 August 1948 – 27 October 2019) was an Australian actress of stage and screen who appeared in many theatre, television and film productions as well as radio and voice-over. Her television soap opera roles she was likely b ...

as Female Truckie * Bec Asha as Gunbar Waitress (billed as Rebecca Asha) * Danny Baldwin as Bucking Horse Rider * Beverley Dunn as Val * Andy Pappas as Shearer 2 * Michael Morley as Young Cowboy Rodeo * Sam Elia as Motorbike Cop * Scott Harrison as Graeme * Stewart Faichney as Truck Driver * Anthony Hammer as Tristan * Richard Payten as Toilet Guy * Eloise Grace as Masseuse * Charlotte Victoria as Granddaughter * Deb Fryers as Massage Girl 1 * Patrick O'Meara as Rodeo Worker 2 * Fiona MacGregor as Toowoomba Waitress 1 * Patricia Wood as Bowling Lady * Tanya Cinelli as Toowoomba Waitress 2 * Baxter James Thomson as Ben * John Nutting as himself * Anthony Sargeant as Country Band * Robert McGluggage as Funeral Guest * Joe Faulkner as Cowboy * Ann Hurst as Bowling Lady * John Leonard as Radio DJ * Christopher Gaudion as Bull Rider * Rob Mills as Rodeo Announcer * Catherine Thomson as Therese * Barbara MacMillan as Marge * Korey Greehaigh as Troublemakers * Adam Knowles as Rodeo Clown * Bernie Hoefnagels as Motel Owner * Steve Lack as Traveller * Shelley Minson as Country Band * Brodie Greenhalgh as Troublemakers * Laline Engman as Massage Girl 2 * Cory Ford as Bull Rider * Dallas Powell as Bucking Horse Rider * Christopher Bruce as Grandson * T.J. Alcaniz as Not Mexican Waiter * Mary Fanello as Vendor Lady * Matt Scullion as Country Band Singer * Susan McGrath as Neighbour * Peggy Thompson as Grace * Brett Tomlin as Country Band * Marisa Jones as Jogger * Raheel Abid as Petrol Station Attendant * Anne Herd as Line Dancer * Shelley Moser as Leilani * Dallas Olsen as Shearer 1 * Troy Furley as Holden Museum Guide * Lesley Hurst as Bowling Lady * Ross Stockham as Bull Rider * Helen Hoefnagels as Breakfast Lady * Heidi Williams as Woman with Tray * Lawrie Minson as Country Band * Brett Lobsey as Country Band * Jean Hyde as Line Dancer

Music

* ''Jack'', single by songwriter Lianna Rose

Production

Filming took place in

Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative cen ...

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

, Tamworth,

Tenterfield Tenterfield is a regional town in New South Wales, Australia, situated at the junction of the New England and Bruxner highways, along the Northern Tablelands, within the New England, New South Wales, New England region. At the , Tenterfield ha ...

Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York ...

and the

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews with 58% positive rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

from 12 reviews as of July 2019. It was called a "likeable family comedy" by

Sandra Hall Sandra L. Hall (born September 5, 1951) is an American blues and soul blues singer and songwriter. She has been billed as Atlanta's "Empress of the Blues" Hall is an Honorary Member of the Atlanta Blues Society. To date she has released five ...

of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' and "a superbly relaxed and good-natured film" by Evan Williams of ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...

''.Hoges is king of the road The Australian 5 September 2009
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charlie and Boots 2000s road movies 2009 films Australian road movies Films set in Australia Films scored by Dale Cornelius 2000s English-language films Screen Australia films Transmission Films films