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- 2013
- PG-13
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 43 m
- 2013
- PG-13
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 43 m
Summary In 1968, four young, talented Australian Aboriginal girls learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group The Sapphires entertain the US troops in Vietnam.
Directed By: Wayne Blair
Written By: Keith Thompson, Tony Briggs
- 2013
- PG-13
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 43 m
- 2013
- PG-13
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 43 m
The Sapphires
67
7.5
Where to Watch
Summary In 1968, four young, talented Australian Aboriginal girls learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group The Sapphires entertain the US troops in Vietnam.
Directed By: Wayne Blair
Written By: Keith Thompson, Tony Briggs
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
67
73% Positive
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
23% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
67
73% Positive
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
23% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
A feel-good movie in the most positive meaning of that term, thanks to the Motown music and O'Dowd's cheeky charm.
An exuberant celebration of Aboriginality that fizzes with humor and heart; its soulfulness goes beyond the embrace of a jukebox full of Motown, Stax and Atlantic Records hits.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 27 User Ratings
7.5
78% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
19% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
4% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 27 User Ratings
7.5
78% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
19% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
4% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
A feel-good, let-loose and sing-a-long type of film. The wonderful cast made the whole movie come together much better than anyone would have thought! It was insightful, touching and heart-warming. One of my favourite performances by O'Dowd; and Mauboy steals the show with her beautiful, beautiful voice.
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This is the definition of a crowd pleaser. A success story with interesting and likable people, good music, fine performances largely by unknowns, and sure handed, unobtrusive direction. I'm not big on girl group singers or feel good movies, which usually depress me. I loved this one.
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A potent combination of rousing music, appealing performances and an uplifting story renders this film-festival favorite nearly impossible to resist.
Soul music’s alleged redemptive powers are fully at work in this jumbled, sketchily written but vastly appealing true-life musical comedy.
The movie has the indulgent fondness of a gift from a son to his talented mum and aunties. But it also feels the funk, and that’s what counts.
The Sapphires may be your stock triumph-over-adversity show-biz story – but then, how is it that we never get tired of seeing that story?
Wayne Blair isn't interested in historical complexity or subtext, just the seamless flow of Hollywood-style storytelling that lazily connects one musical number to the next.
This is a musical comedy drama film, which is part biographical and it covers themes including Aboriginal Australians upbringing, equality, auditioning/auditions, the military and of course fame.
I was impressed with the singing which is heavily showcased from early on in the film - it is quite jolly and easy to hum along with. Early on, its mostly country music, although it evolves in to soul based music, which is a genre I'm particularly keen on, so I enjoyed that. The tone of the film is relatively lighthearted at first, although its also quite early on that the viewers are aware of how dimly the Aboriginal people people were regarded at the time. I quite enjoyed it as the plot interested me. I thought the character Dave, who becomes the groups manager, was particularly interesting - he is rather quirky and a little eccentric perhaps but his love of music and his belief in the girls is quite believable and fun, if that makes any sense(?). Ok so I can't claim it is an entirely original plot line I suppose, in as much as there are some cheesy aspects within the plot but I very much enjoyed it regardless. Its one of those stories that may make you daydream about what if it happened to you - what are the chances of the same set of circumstances happening to yourself or someone you know?.
I felt this film was well cast, with the group consisting of sisters Cynthia, played by Miranda Tapsell, Gail, played by Deborah Mailman, Julie, played by Jessica Mauboy and Kay, played by Shari Sebbens. They all seem quite assertive and sometimes bolshie, thankfully able to stand up for themselves but sadly used to the discrimination they regularly encounter due to their origins. Their performances are quite animated, with them all seeming pretty passionate about music and trying to make a name for themselves. Meanwhile, Chris O'Dowd (well known for playing Roy in sitcom The IT Crowd) plays Dave. I really liked his character, although I couldn't help but wonder how many Irish guys (his Irish accent is very present) there would be likely to be in such a remote/rural area of Australia at the time? I could be wrong about that though, I don't really know a great deal about the topic I suppose. I suppose it can be said that the fact Dave didn't entirely (ethnicity wise) fit in with the other locals, made him and the girls get on better perhaps, with them all being misfits of a sort.
I found it to be quite a watchable film - it definitely helps if your a fan of soul, R&B or country style music, due to the music/singing featured of course. There are sober elements of the plot, which highlight the sad way people such as the sisters were treated and it also gives a (if but brief and not explicit, thankfully) glimpse of the devastation of war - more specifically, the Vietnam war. Regardless, the dialogue, overall, is fairly jovial - the girls are clearly depicted as sisters who both love and hate each other in seemingly equal measure at times.
Content wise and this film contains little likely to overly offend or upset people, other than the themes/references to war and racial inequality. However, there is no explicit language present, although there are some milder, scatalogical type terms used, a few moderate racial slurs and various instances of name calling between the sisters and others. Its all fairly tame. There are scenes depicting war, as mentioned, so there is an element of violence depicted, although nothing especially disturbing - there's little in the way of extreme bloody violence 'in the field' but injured soldiers recouping and the like are shown. There are some sex references, most quite mild and one or two scenes which could possibly frighten young viewers but most people should be ok with it. Its been given a PG rating to reflect this.
It definitely becomes more sobre and relatively moving towards the end but this, I thought, was done in quite a good way - it isn't unnecessarily sensationalist. It definitely shifts from light hearted and optimistic to thoughtful and sobre but the emotional scenes are pretty short lived and topics aren't overly dwelled on, I reckon, so don't let that put you off.
Yes I'd recommend this, as I enjoyed the story, I thought the cast did well and I found it a fun and easy watch, while highlighting some important moral points.
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This is a real good comedy/drama that works on both fronts it has real strong comedic spots, but it does a real good job of recognizing that challenges the young ladies have to go through along with all the tragedy that comes with the Vietnam war. A-
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As late as the 60s, Australian Aboriginals were scorned by many of the white inhabitants. This based-on-fact film is about 4 young women who form the eponymous group (along with manager Chris O'Dowd) and go to Vietnam to entertain the troops. It's a mostly feel-good story about their mostly fun adventure, but the toll of racial discrimination always hovers. The script is sometimes clunky, but the performances are plucky. I'm a big fan of 60's soul and this soundtrack is packed with classics. It's slight-but-sweet.
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Awards
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards
• 12 Wins & 14 Nominations
Australian Film Critics Association Awards
• 3 Wins & 10 Nominations
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards
• 2 Wins & 9 Nominations
