Audiences nationwide received some hopeful news this week when it was announced that the months-long strike held by members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFRA) had finally reached a deal with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the brass at Hollywood’s major studios. While a deal was finally reached, it was not unanimous and still has to be approved by all of SAG-AFTRA’s members. That means that should things continue on a positive track, it will not be until at least January before audiences even begin to see new episodes of their favorite television and streaming shows and even new movies (if at all). To that end, there is still plenty of time for audiences to have to wait for any signs of real progress. In the meantime, there are still some options out there, not the least of which being Umbrella Entertainment and Screen Australia’s sports underdog story, The Merger. Originally having made its debut in its home nation of Australia in 2018, IndiePix Films imported the movie to American audiences Sept. 12 on Blu-ray. The movie is anything but new, as its story shows, but it still has plenty of comedy, heart and well-placed commentary. This will be addressed shortly. Also of note in the movie’s success is the work of its cast, which will be addressed a little later. The bonus content that accompanies the movie in tis new domestic Blu-ray release rounds out its most important elements and will also be discussed later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the movie’s presentation. All things considered they make the movie a presentation that while not original, is still a work that any American viewer will find engaging and entertaining.
Umbrella Entertainment and Screen Australia’s 2018 sports underdog story, The Merger, is a fun little offering for anyone who enjoys a good sports underdog story. The movie breaks little if any new ground at all within the realm of sports movies but is still enjoyable because it takes the standard underdog story and expands it with a secondary story that is an allegory about immigration and multiculturalism, this time in Australia. The allegory comes as the movie’s underdog team, the Bodgy Creek Roosters, is composed of players from around the world who have immigrated to Australia as refugees. Star player Sayyid (Fayssal Bazzi – Peter Rabbit, Stateless, Shantaram) is a Syrian refugee who is dealing with his own stresses in trying to get his family out of that country to escape the rule of Bashar el-Assad and his government forces. Suresh (Sahil Saluja – The Colour of Darkness, Jack Irish, Sparsh) is from India. Tou Pou (Harry Tseng – Winter, Glitch, Discontenti) is Asian and Didier (played by newcomer Francis Kamara) is from one of Africa’s many nations. He notes in the nation in the characters’ initial interactions that he was a scientist in his home nation but fled because military forces in his home nation pursued him and his family. He was a biochemist in that nation before fleeing as a refugee to Australia. As this band of misfits and their Australian teammates come together, they face opposition from a certain number of people already living in the town of Bodgy Creek (which was presented here by the town of Wagga Wagga). Seeing the sense of nationalism among the town’s residents and even from Bull Barlow (John Howard – Mad Max: Fury Road, All Saints, The Club), who is very closely connected with the Roosters serves as a stark reminder that the issues of racism, nationalism, and immigration are not limited to just America. Anyone who listens to the BBC will hear that these matters face nations the world over. That end, taking on this topic in a familiar fashion that combines equal parts comedy and drama makes the story (which yes, ends with the Roosters coming out on top) well worth watching at least once.
Keeping that in mind, in watching this story, audiences can so easily see elements of movies, such as Major League (1989), the original Bad News Bears (1976), and to a lesser degree, The Mighty Ducks (1992). As a matter of fact, next week, Imaginarium Productions and Piki Films will release a very similar style sports underdog story in writer/director Taika Waititi’s new story, Next Goal Wins. That movie is virtually the same underdog story as The Merger minus the allegorical element and with soccer as the backdrop instead of Australian Football.
Knowing that the story at the heart of this movie actually breaks at least a tiny bit of ground in its presentation, it is just one of the positives of this presentation. The work of the movie’s cast builds on the foundation formed by the movie’s story, and young star Rafferty Grierson (Home and Away, In Limbo, Children of the Corn) surprisingly leads the way as Neil Barlow. Neil follows The Roosters’ own underdog coach Troy Carrington (Damian Callinan – Backyard Ashes, Skithouse, Spicks and Specks) as he goes from one of his town’s most reviled figures to championship-winning coach. The support that Neil offers Troy along his personal journey from zero to hero and the emotional connection that he makes with Troy along the way is certain to touch any viewer’s heart.
On another note, the chemistry between Bazzi and fellow cast mate Angus McLaren (Hotel Mumbai, Silversun, Packed to the Rafters), who plays the role of Carpet Burn, works just as well. That is evidenced as Carpet Burn’s own racist tendencies keep showing through even as he tries to make himself accept Sayyid as his teammate. Those tendencies that he displays happen with so many people in the real world so it makes his behavior all the more believable. The way in which McLaren shows Carpet Burn’s subtle changes against his ingrained biases makes audiences want to just hope he will change over time. That is a testament to his work. In the same breath, watching Fazzi bring out Sayyid’s strength and his vulnerability — as it is revealed the Assad regime’s forces killed his brother – makes for its own wonderful balance. It would have been so easy for Bazzi to go over the top in this powerful sequence, but he handles the moment with expertise.
Callinan and Howard create their own engagement and entertainment through their respective performances, too. Howard is to be applauded as he gradually develops Bull from the close-minded, almost xenophobe that is displayed early in the story to the more open-minded figure in the story’s finale. He makes his performance fully believable as Bull grows and changes. Believe it or not that is important because other actors (male and female alike) have taken on similar character types in other movies and television shows and completely hammed it up along the way. Howard, on the other hand, handled the change expertly. Callinan, as he faces Howard’s “Bull,” is just as believable as he becomes more confident in his role as the team’s head coach. His change from the reluctant leader of the band of misfits to the more confident captain (of sorts) is familiar territory and Callinan handles the progression well in his own right. It is just one more of so many performances that adds to the movie’s engagement and entertainment value. When all of the performances noted here are considered along with the work of the rest of the cast, the overall presentation therein makes for all the more appeal.
The story and acting presented in The Merger are key in their own right to the overall engagement and entertainment of this Aussie import. They are just part of what makes the movie worth watching. The bonus content that accompanies the movie in its recent home domestic release rounds out its most important elements. More specifically, the movie’s “Making of” featurette is the most important of the two bonuses. Through this extra, viewers learn that this movie was based off of a one-man show developed by Callinan. Callinan discusses how he portrayed many of the characters displayed in the movie by himself, save for one or two who were added in the script that he wrote for the movie. Audiences also learn from cinematographer Tony Luu, that the movie touches a personal nerve with him because he and his own family were themselves refugees. His story will touch audiences just as much as the movie’s story. Producer Anne Robinson also adds her own comments to the mix, adding to the engagement and entertainment through her own insight. All things considered, the “Making of” featurette that accompanies this movie adds enough insight behind the scenes to enhance the viewing experience even more. Keeping that in mind, this bonus pairs with the movie’s story and the cast’s work to make the movie all the more worth watching, even being already five years old in its domestic release.
Five years have passed in the time since The Merger made its theatrical debut in its home nation of Australia and its domestic release this past September. Even with that in mind, the movie still proves itself a presentation that will appeal to any fan of the sports underdog genre. That is proven in part through its familiar story, which is easily comparable to the likes of much more well-known American underdog sports flicks, such as Major League, The Bad News Bears, and even The Mighty Ducks. A bunch of misfits come together to go from zeros to local/national heroes. At the same time, the story also addresses the issues of racism, immigration and nationalism, proving these matters are not limited to just America. The cast’s overall work does its own share to make the movie worth watching, too, as is pointed out here. The bonus “Making of” featurette completes the presentation thanks to the background and additional insight that it brings to the movie. Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of The Merger. All things considered they make The Merger a familiar sports underdog tale that is sure to score its own points with American audiences. Yes, that horrible pun was intended.
The Merger is available now on Blu-ray. More information on this and other titles from Indiepix Films is available at:
Website: https://indiepixfilms.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indiepixfilms
