Film Facts:

Cast -

Director -- Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton

Producer -- Hal McElroy

Production Company -- Hal McElroy, Southern Star Entertainment Ltd, Australian Film Finance Corporation Ltd

Scriptwriter -- David Stevens (Based on his play of the same name)

Cinematographer -- Geoff Burton

 

Cast:  Jack Thompson, Russell Crowe, John Polson, Deborah Kennedy, Rebekah Elmaloglou

Shooting Schedule - October 13 through November 18, 1993

Location - Sydney, Australia

Awards:

1994 Montreal World Film Festival. Best Screenplay
1994 AFI Awards, Best Screenplay - David Steven
1994 Film Critics' Circle of Australia, Best Actor - Jack Thompson
1994 Film Critics' Circle of Australia, Best Supporting Actor

1995 Cleveland International Film Festival - Best Film

Russell's Weight:

Plot Summary:

 

A widowed father, Harry, has to deal with two complex issues: while he is searching for "Miss Right," his son, Jeff, a plumber who is in his 20s and gay, is searching for "Mr. Right."  Harry's affection and support for Jeff are so strong that they sabotage Jeff's chances with Greg, whom he fancies.  Romantic relationships bloom and wane, while the strong love between father and son becomes the most important thing in both their lives.

Russell Crowe worked with Jack Thompson once before, when Russell was a 6 year-old extra on the series 'Spyforce.' 

Both lead actors 'break the fourth wall' several times during the film, speaking directly to the camera/audience.

 

David Stevens co-wrote the Australian war drama Breaker Morant, which starred Jack Thompson.

 

Originally this film was to receive American backing following the success of the Off-Broadway version of David Steven's play in New York. Hal McElroy (producer) approached American production companies, but was disappointed, as the companies would only support the production if amendments were made to the script. These amendments were to include American locations and characters. McElroy refused to make such changes to the script and brought the production back to Sydney. The large gay community in Sydney influenced this decision. Shooting of the film began in Sydney in October of 1993 with help from the Australian Film Finance Corporation. The filming in Sydney was not without its problems as a beer company contracted to provide beer during production pulled out after discovering that the film concerned themes of homosexuality.

 

Carolynne Cunningham, First Assistant Director of The Sum of Us, was also the First Assistant Director on the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Favorite Scenes:

Harry and Jeff share a home-cooked meal and numerous complaints about one another, before Jeff goes out on the town.

 

Harry joins Jeff and his date, Greg, in a drink or two on the couch, the night Jeff brings Greg home --

Harry: Why don't you get the young fella another whiskey, Jeff?
Greg: No, no really, I'm a two pot screamer.
Jeff: I'm a bit like that myself, two and I'm anybody's. 
Greg: Three and I'm everybody's.
Harry: Four and I'm nobody's.

Comments by Russell:

I played a, uh, a gay, football-playing plumber. [laughter] And I had to kiss an actor called John Polson. Whenever people ask me, you know, "so Russell, what's been your favorite screen kiss to date?" I always say that, just 'cause it freaks people out, you know. And um, you know, I mean, this… he came, he came up to me, right? And he goes, "Russell, uh… look, uh… you know we got the kissing scene coming up, mate… and uh, I've, I've, I've, I've never… never kiss… I've never kissed a bloke, mate and uh, I was wondering if we should, do you reckon we should get together and rehearse?" And I said, "Johnny, Johnny… mate, sit down, have a seat. Now, I'm about to go and work with Sharon Stone after we finish this movie, John." He goes, "Yeah, yeah." And I said, "I got a kissing scene with Sharon." "Yeah, Yeah." "How do you reckon she's going to react if I ask her for some rehearsal time?" And he said, "But I'm only saying it because I've never kissed a bloke!" And I said, "well, mate, I've never kissed a bloke either! But I'll tell you what, alright? You lean in far enough, I'll lean in far enough… I'm sure we'll remember what to do at the time. (Inside the Actors Studio)

From Interview magazine, Sept 1997, interviewd by Kim Basinger --

KB: I want to ask you about a movie that I thought you were fabulous in. It was called The Sum of Us [1994], and in it you played the gay son. Some [straight] actors might balk at playing a gay character. What are your thoughts on that?

RC:There are many questions I would ask a character - for instance, "Do you believe in the death penalty?" - before I ever got round to "What's your sexuality?" I think other factors are more important in terms of human relationships and the way society operates than what someone's sexuality is. Sexual orientation is not something that people necessarily choose; it's just who they are.

KB:You and Jack Thompson, who played your father, worked very well together in that film.

RC: Jack was the star of the TV show I did when I was six years old. Then, twenty-three years later, I got to play his son. It was one of those great cosmic circles that tiffs industry affords you every now and then. In many respects, Jack was my father in terms of screen performance.

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"It says, OK, now look, he plays football, he's a plumber, he's a nice bloke, he loves his dad, he's a very loyal son; he's got all these aspects - he's just got a difference in sexuality. Now do you want to condemn him, do you want to vilify him or do you want to understand that in the world there is a whole range of things going on and the banging of podiums and all the screaming and yelling should be done towards things that are much more important than sexuality." 

"I think The Sum of Us may have a central character at that particular point but it does go into other aspects of gay life and gay lifestyles. I don't think that anybody ever intended that this was the absolute bible for how to live a gay lifestyle, this is just one particular guy

... "The way I see Jeff's "normality" is being that you don't really know (that he's gay), and all the traditional things of masculinity are having a new light shined on them. That's what I think it's about.
  

I don't think it's about, you know, there are nice gay people and bad gay people."

Comments about Russell:

"Russell is a wonderful actor to work with. He is totally devoted to his craft and has a wonderful depth to the character he brings to the screen. He is also a wonderful friend for the rest of my life". Live Webchat May 21, 2000. (Thanks to Cynthia!) (MaxCrowe)

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"I admire his success, and that's not such a silly thing to say either. I admire his success, because his success implies that an actor of that quality; of that heart; of that focus; of that sort of uncompromising search for quality, is vindicated, and seriously vindicated. And that you can be a really good actor, and a successful movie star, and you know that's ... I admire that enormously. I admire him as an actor, because he's astute, he's studied; and he's instinctive at the same time, and that produces a very fine performance, and makes him a delight to work with. Acting is, of course, totally interactive, and it depends on the quality of the other person on the other side of the net, to extend the the tennis metaphor, you know. And if the person on the other side of the net is really good, and your kind of good yourself, you will see some fantastic tennis. I think some of the scenes in the Sum of Us between Russell and I, are some of the best acting in my 30 year career, without a doubt."

"Everything is rehearsed, except the nuance of the performance. We knew what we were going to do, in terms of action, and stuff like that. There's a little room for variation, and of course, you do provide variation take after take to give variety. But that stuff - the stuff of action is totally rehearsed. What's not there is the look you have when you come through the door and say something, you know. That's ... where the other actor goes, "Oh, we are going to play it like that". And Russell is great at that, and I enjoy doing that too. So the two of us are playing off each other a lot." -- Jack Thompson per: Rachel Gibson, The Age,  29 Sep 1994

Reviews:

The Sum of Us is delightful, by turns droll and serious. Yet even during its most dramatic moments, it retains a lighthearted tone that keeps things from becoming too grim. There's always a joke right around the corner, and none of the humor seems ill-suited to the situation. Writer David Stevens has a near-perfect sense of his characters, and they're the sort of people it's a pleasure to get to know. Strong, unaffected performances by leads Jack Thompson (who bears a resemblance to the American sit-com actor Jerry Van Dyke) and Russell Crowe (Proof, The Quick and the Dead) emphasize our sense of Harry and Jeff as normal, everyday people.

There is no "fourth wall" in The Sum of Us. The characters frequently turn to the camera -- sometimes right in the middle of a conversation with each other -- and address a sentence or two to the audience. The words are spoken with such easy familiarity that this particular device is almost always more effective than gimmicky.

The Sum of Us isn't exactly cutting-edge, but it takes a few chances (or what might be perceived as chances by an American viewing audience). Jeff's homosexuality is a complete non- issue. There's nothing political or tragic in his situation. In fact, he and the other characters frequently joke about it. Also, no compromises are made to give the conclusion an extra lift, proving it's possible to have a happy ending without undermining the story's intelligence. It's production elements like this that make The Sum of Us such a worthwhile examination of what love is like for those whose lives don't follow traditional movie scripts.1995 James Berardinelli

 The film doesn't spell it out, but you get the impression that Jeff -- a loner, a tad melancholic and definitely a misfit in the gay world -- is probably less comfortable with his lifestyle than his dad is.

Staying short of smothering his tale with Harry's aggressive cheerfulness, Stevens introduces the character of Joyce (Deborah Kennedy), a middle-aged divorcee who meets Harry through a dating service, gets serious and then pulls back when she learns about Jeff.

We also hear the roar of homophobia when Greg's dad, a rigid martinet, happens to catch a glimpse of his son on the evening news, cavorting at Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras. Disgusted, he promptly banishes Greg from his home.

Ultimately, "The Sum of Us" isn't a testing ground for straight attitudes toward homosexuality, but a testament to parental love. Harry's love is unconditional, simple and pure, and when it becomes necessary, it follows that Jeff should respond in kind, with loving devotion.

It's also a film about the need for companionship -- an impulse that transcends every kind of human division, sexual or otherwise. There's a nice moment, early in the film, when Jeff sits in the kitchen and tells a story to the camera that makes clear his feelings about love.

It's an anecdote about an older woman he observed on a train: Roaring drunk and pathetic, the woman had staggered, Jeff remembers, and muttered something about "the agonizing pain."

"I knew what she meant," he says, "the lack of someone to talk to, to have fun with, cuddle up to."

Thompson brings skill, humor and conviction to "The Sum of Us," as does Crowe, who at 28 looks primed for stardom. My only quibble is with the film is its use of asides -- a stage convention in which the actor addresses the audience (or in this case, the camera) to comment on the plot or another character.

That's a gimmick that may have worked on stage, where flights of imagination tend to work. On film, however, where the audience is acclimated to a literal reality, it shows the strain of cleverness.

--Edward Guthmann, SFChronicle March 17, 1995

Particularly in its early scenes, "The Sum of Us" is extraordinarily funny. The film builds on theatrical direct-address conventions to the point of comic absurdity. Harry has no qualms about turning to the camera in the middle of a family argument and sharing a joke with the audience. He's a true flirt, and as tough-talking as he is, his sense of gaiety is stronger than his son's. Jeff stammers and whines. Harry bitches with a skill for camp comebacks that should have been encoded on Jeff's DNA.

When Jeff brings gardener Greg home from the bar, it's Harry who turns on the charm. He shares a sofa with the pair, shows Greg his homegrown tomatoes and even pulls out a few porno magazines in case the pair can't get started.

The transition from farce to tragedy and back again is seamless, especially for two first-time film directors, Kevin Dowling (the American who oversaw the play) and Geoff Burton (a veteran Aussie cinematographer).

The entire cast is strong, but Thompson's Harry is unforgettable. After decades of playing he-men ( "Breaker Morant," "The Man From Snowy River," "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" ), Thompson gives the performance of a lifetime playing a hard-nosed softy whose unconditional love is returned only by his gay son. You can't help but love him - and this film.

-- Barry Walters, March 17, 1995, SFExaminer.

Harry and Jeff are so crazy about each other that they don't want to break up the warm and cozy relationship. When Jeff brings home handsome gardener Greg (John Polson), Harry repeatedly interrupts his son's attempts to seduce him. After escorting Greg up to Jeff's room, Harry offers him some boy-toy magazines for inspiration. He then allows just enough time to pass before popping in to ask Greg what he'd like for breakfast.

Harry's passive-aggressive games belie his claim that he wants his son to experience the kind of love that he had for Jeff's mom. True, he's an intriguing, atypical character, but what's the deal? Why is he so obsessed with Jeff's sexual orientation? Why is he always yakking about blokes' "hairy bums"? Flashbacks indicate that his preoccupation springs from his own mother's longtime lesbian relationship.

The same relationship haunts Jeff, who first recognized love when he woke in his gran's room to find her sleeping in the embrace of her lover of 40 years. "It was the most natural thing." It's what he wants from Mr. Right: "Someone to laugh with, to get drunk with, to cuddle up to." Of course, he's got exactly that with his dad.

The Mitchells' lifestyle becomes complicated when Harry starts seeing a comely widow, Joyce (Deborah Kennedy). Alas, he hasn't told her about Jeff, an omission that undermines his claim that he is not ashamed of his son's homosexuality. The lie makes a villain of Joyce and leads to a tragic turn of events that only a consummate actor like Thompson could play for both buckets of tears and belly laughs.

Thompson, best known to international audiences for his work in "Breaker Morant," is a vintage Australian matinee idol. He and the boyish Crowe, who made his American debut in "The Quick and the Dead," are irresistible as the adorably dysfunctional, bear-hugging Mitchells. The supporting cast isn't especially convincing, but Polson's Greg looks fine in those little khaki shorts those Aussie blokes fancy. -- Rita Kempley, March 31, 1995, Washington Post

David Stevens's play, a hit at home and off-Broadway, became a sort of pilgrimage rite for many gays and lesbians who dragged along (eventually grateful) parents; now you can rent the tape, hand it over to the folks, and let the sensitization process take its own course. This is the rare stage work that actually improves in screen translation, maintaining intimacy while "opening up" to lovely effect. Harry (Jack Thompson) and Jeff Mitchell (Russell Crowe) are a not-so-unusual dad/son couple on the surface: working-class, sharing a house in the wake of a wife's death, sparring amiably over household chores. The big dif is that Junior is a young gay man, and Pop doesn't mind one bit. If anything, he's too supportive, embarrassing Jeff's dates with the back-slapping eagerness of a potential father-in-law. One such incident cools the ardor of a handsome young gardener (John Polson) whose own closet home life has ill-prepared him for such openness; on the flip side, middle-aged Harry's courtship of a lonely widow (Deborah Kennedy) crashes against her own homophobia. Full of humor and feeling, this sweet-tempered comedy--which really earns its late turn toward hankie-soaking drama toward the end--sketches a depth of family understanding most gay men and women can only fantasize about. That it comes off as utterly believable pays tribute to the superb cast, canny writing, and astute direction. The lack of overt preachiness makes this possibly the best gay-positive propagandic tool mainstream cinema has yet offered. A must. --Dennis Harvey PopcornQ movies, planetout.com

Web Related Links:

The IMDb page for The Sum of Us

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111309/

A critical review and bibliography by Matthew Potter

http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/film/dbase/2001/sum.html

Crowechicky -- extensive credits

http://crowechicky.com/index.html?home.html&1