Comedy

Dawn French announces long awaited return to Australia with new show “Dawn French is a Huge Tw*t”

September 22, 2023

The Queen of British comedy, Dawn French, has announced her return to the Australian stage with her one-woman stand-up show, “Dawn French is a Huge Twat”, playing across the country in April and May of 2024. Few people are as firmly ensconced in the British comedy firmament as Dawn French. As one half of the […]

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Film Review: Red, White & Royal Blue is a must watch comedic romance about two powerful men

August 11, 2023

Two powerful families unite through their son’s misunderstanding. A tale of enemies to lovers. Red, White & Royal Blue, based off the book by Casey McQuiston, is a romantic comedy directed by Matthew Lopez, produced by Amazon Studios and Berlanti-Schecter Films. The central characters are sons from two powerful families in the western world; Alex […]

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Series Review: Heartstopper Season 2 continues to represent minority groups on television

August 4, 2023

Heartstopper Season 2 continues to explore the importance of representation. Not only in the LGBTQIA+ community, but through families, relationships, friendships, and abilities. The heartfelt romantic tv drama series aired on Netflix on the 3rd of August, produced by See-Saw Productions, written by Alice Oseman, and directed by Euros Lyn.  Based on Oseman’s webcomic and […]

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Review: Reuben Kaye proves that love and acceptance always triumph over fear and hate

July 6, 2023

Enmore Road was buzzing. Not just because it was a crisp Saturday night in mid-winter, but because Reuben Kaye was back and his presence at the glorious Enmore Theatre was highly anticipated by the public and police alike. Many words have been written about Kaye’s appearance on The Project in April, but it was the […]

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Film Review: No Hard Feelings; Jennifer Lawrence runs unashamedly free in this raunchy, heartfelt comedy

June 21, 2023

Whilst Jennifer Lawrence has lightly flexed her comedic muscle over the years – her Golden Globe-winning turn in 2013’s American Hustle probably the closest she’s come to being the comedienne she so clearly is – No Hard Feelings finally allows the supremely charismatic and comedically capable performer to embrace the genre with all the shamelessness […]

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Film Review: The Machine; Bert Kreischer fans are likely to enthusiastically gel with exaggerated comedy actioner

May 26, 2023

Bert Kreischer is not a personality I’m familiar with.  And having no idea as to who he was in a professional capacity meant The Machine – a star vehicle centred around his most famous  stand-up story – was a film I entered with zero expectations. Perhaps that was what ultimately got me over the line […]

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Interview: Andrew Hansen is cheap but incredibly funny

May 17, 2023

Andrew Hansen is a well-known comedian starring in Australian satirical shows such as The Chaser, CNNNN and The Hampster Wheel. Recently he’s been on the road with his one-man comedy show entitled Andrew Hansen – is Cheap. We caught up with him to chat about the show and some of the inspiration behind his comedy. […]

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Interview: Comedian Sammy J chats Barry Humphries and the 20 characters in his Good Hustle Tour

May 11, 2023

As Comedian Sammy J hits the road with his new show Good Hustle, John Goodridge catches up with him to find out about he some 20 characters that will feature in the show, reflect on how he keeps his seemingly hectic schedule together – and they talk about the passing of Barry Humphries. Hey Sammy, […]

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Film Review: Eldritch, USA is a weird and wonderful genre piece that wears its make-shift mentality with a gleefulness

May 10, 2023

Eldritch, USA wears its miniscule budget and make-shift mentality with a gleeful pride over the course of its 108 minutes.  Its limitations are obvious, but there’s a certain scrappy charm to it all that you can’t help but be a little taken by its ambition and camp B-movie mindset; there’s a certain Little Shop of […]

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Film Review: Book Club: The Next Chapter turns pages as it lifts up the power and beauty of female friendship

May 8, 2023

Only a few weeks after Jane Fonda navigated pedestrian, older-skewered comedy in 80 For Brady, the legendary actress is working with similar, though admittedly better material in Book Club: The Next Chapter, an unnecessary, but serviceable laugher that reunites Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen for another round of mostly safe, occasionally suggestive […]

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Sydney Comedy Festival Gala Review: International comedy is back and it’s frenetic

April 27, 2023

The Sydney Comedy Festival has finally rolled around and it’s time for four weeks of comedy to take over a multitude of venues in the city, but first, the fabulous Sydney Opera House gets to host one of the opening week galas that showcase a selection of artists to be found on the programme. A […]

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Michael Shafar is definitely well worth the chemo

March 17, 2023

Michael Shafar is a testicular cancer survivor, hence the chemo joke. It was what his oncologist told him after he had seen the show; “You were well worth the chemo, Michael.” Which is a pretty good recommendation. On a Tuesday night after a long weekend, the house is full. Even if the stage is an […]

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Jennifer Lawrence will “date” you hard in hilarious No Hard Feelings trailer

March 10, 2023

Skinny dipping, throat punches and pepper spray.  What won’t Jennifer Lawrence endure to date an “unfuckable” 19-year-old? No Hard Feelings proves it all. The red-band trailer for the new Gene Stupnitsky-directed coming-of-age sex comedy has been released, with Lawrence embracing her natural comedic sensibilities as Maddie, an “Uber driver without a car” who’s close to […]

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Adelaide Fringe Review: The Marvellous Elephant Man: The Musical is an absolute riot

February 28, 2023

As the crowd filled the smokey Wonderland Spiegeltent in the Wonderland Festival Hub, the excitement in the air was palpable. And it was no surprise, considering that The Marvellous Elephant Man: The Musical had been described as The Book Of Mormon meets Beauty and the Beast. Just how on Earth were they going to pull […]

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Film Review: M3GAN; A.I. horror-lite comedy is a self-aware slice of glorious lunacy

January 12, 2023

Right from the opening of M3GAN it’s obvious what type of film Gerard Johnstone‘s A.I. horror-lite is going to be: one that doesn’t take itself remotely seriously, has its wink poised at the audience, and knows you can’t think it’s ridiculous any more than the creators already do. If its trailer didn’t already clue you […]

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Film Review: The Menu is an eat-the-rich black comedy that’s prepared and plated to near-perfection

November 18, 2022

A satire surrounding the wealthy, faux celebrities, foodies and their misplaced importance, or chefs with a God complex seems far too easy to execute for a mock artist.  For director Mark Mylod (What’s Your Number, TV’s Succession) and screenwriters Seth Reiss (TV’s Late Night with Seth Meyers) and Will Tracy (TV’s Succession) it’s low-hanging fruit […]

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It’s Magic Mike’s Last Dance for Channing Tatum in threequel’s first-look trailer

November 17, 2022

The gang isn’t all here, but the ultimate front-man is in Magic Mike’s Last Dance, the third installment in the Magic Mike franchise from Channing Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh. Just in time for Valentine’s Day next year, “Magic” Mike Lane (Tatum) takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal […]

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Comedian Michael Shafar brings new stand up special to Adelaide & Melbourne

November 2, 2022

Comedian and cancer survivor, Michael Shafar, is back with a fresh new comedy show. Shafar is a regular on television shows The Project and Studio 10 as well as having a huge following on YouTube. We’ve also captured him at the Adelaide Fringe, where his stand-up comedy shows were well-received. Shafar’s comedy is not for the […]

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Interview: Annie Mumolo on Confess, Fletch, choreographing comedy and if she’d ever write her own classic remake

September 18, 2022

If you’re one of the many that have laughed on repeated viewings of Bridesmaids (and hopefully the underrated Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) then it’s because of Annie Mumolo.  A writer and actress who has long been a reliable staple in the comedy genre, she’s once again making her presence undeniably known […]

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Film Review: How to Please a Woman aims for surprising realness over obvious raunch

May 19, 2022

Though its title may suggest it’s a comedy of somewhat raunchy proportions, Renée Webster‘s assured debut feature film How to Please a Woman is a far more accessible, rather delightful dramedy that furthers the female view in a male-dominated industry. Filmed in Western Australia (and looking particularly stunning in the process), Webster’s film centres around […]

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Cameron James

Sydney Comedy Festival Review: Cameron James – Electric Dreams

May 15, 2022

  Nostalgia. It can happen to anyone, any time. The song that’s playing, that film you saw, the piece of memorabilia you found in your parent’s cupboard. They can spark memories of a time and place that you may have thought you’d forgotten. It’s those feelings of going back, remembering and sometimes cringing that Cameron […]

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Greg Larsen

Sydney Comedy Festival: Greg Larsen – We All Have Bloody Thoughts

May 15, 2022

There could not be a more suitable title for a comedy show. We All Have Bloody Thoughts is exactly what you’d expect from a comedian that is known for quite shouty diatribes, especially from his appearances on the now defunct ‘Tonightly’ show, various other stand-up appearances or his opinion articles which dance on the line between […]

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Film Review: Downton Abbey: A New Era is a jaunty, dramatic continuation sure to please long-time fans

April 27, 2022

2019’s Downton Abbey, a filmic continuation of the long-running upstairs/downstairs television series that very much played to its strengths of catering to its devoted fans, was a product that very much felt like it had little interest in truly introducing a new dynamic. For Downton Abbey: A New Era, its bi-line is particularly apt, with […]

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Film Review: Everything Everywhere All At Once is everything that makes cinema as magical as it truly is

April 12, 2022

The idea of a multiverse isn’t a new faction within the science-fiction film realm, but because the comic book movie has become more and more prominent in the last decade – and last year’s biggest film took the idea and ran with it to the most epic of proportions – no doubt something like Everything […]

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Adelaide Fringe review: Daniel Muggleton is white and wrong (but mostly white)

March 10, 2022

Daniel Muggleton is an Australian stand-up comedian wearing a tracksuit. His trademark comedy is poking holes at bogans, racism, and almost anything else he can think of. He has a regular podcast and is a comedy club regular. On this chilly Tuesday night in the open-air Piglet Theatre at Gluttony, he wasn’t fazed by the […]

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Film Review: Asking For It is a grindhouse-inspired revenge thriller that’s sure to generate uncomfortable conversations

March 4, 2022

When detailing delicate subject matter – in this case, sexual assault and the most toxic of masculinity – some films have the insight and intelligence to do so with a certain nuance.  Asking For It is not one of those films!  No, this is as subtle as a sledgehammer, ripping through its surfaces with a […]

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Brendan Clare

Adelaide Fringe Interview: Brendan Clare demystifies the stigma around autism

March 1, 2022

Introducing Brendan Clare: actor, husband, father, IT nerd. Diagnosed with autism in his 40s, he faces his fears to tell his story with humour and heart. Brendan will look back on moments that were bewildering and disturbing, but now seem profound and illuminating. The AU Review sat down with him before his first Adelaide Fringe […]

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Liars and Clowns serve up comedy allsorts

March 1, 2022

The Producer’s Hotel has had a chequered life but is currently undergoing renovation and is starting to regain some of her former glory. The main room has larger events but upstairs is where the comedy lives. It is in one of the upstairs former bedrooms that Liars and Clowns, A Late Night Comedy Show is […]

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Surviving Matt Hale’s Hypnotic Chaos

February 24, 2022

Matt Hale is a self-confessed comedy hypnotist, with self-help motivational and corporate entertainment packages a major part of his life. It makes sense then that a show called Absolute Chaos would be on the Fringe list. Hale’s introduction to the show is measured, thorough and complete. He explains the process and jokingly warns that even […]

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Sarah Gaul

Adelaide Fringe Review: Sarah Gaul wants to be a WIFE. Or does she?

February 21, 2022

Sarah Gaul is a 31-year-old woman who’s been to more weddings in the last six months than she cares to admit. Always the bridesmaid but never the bride? Sarah takes the audience on a journey into her world, her take on relationships and what makes her tick. First things first, Sarah is an eco-warrior. She […]

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