Better Late Then Never

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The characters are believable and likable the story is heartwarming and well told. As usual Rachel Griffith is just wonderful in her performance as the cold, emotionally distraught mother, Tanya. Rachel seems to be able to say so much about her character using just her eyes.Ben Mendelssohn is sweet and sexy as the neighbor Robert and Alana De Roma is just perfect as the little song tress, Amy. These three actors really hold the plot together along with the diverse Kerry Armstrong as neighbour, Sarah.Some of the flash backs in this film seem quiet out of place. The shots of the deceased rock star Will, seem almost obsolete in their repetitiveness. Some of the more quirky and unbelievable scenes also seem to be quite out of place in this drama plot. There's nothing wrong with using comedy in a drama, but it's important not to border on the absurd.However, Amy is worth watching if only for the characters and to show, as cheesy as it might sound, that peoples kindness can help you get through just about anything.

Although I liked 'Amy' a lot, and will give it high marks, I disagree with the statement by other reviewers that the movie differs a lot from the standard American fare. Sure, the scenery is great, the people talk different accents, and the cops are almost British in their politeness. Yet, from a plot point of view this movie is as canonical as it can be. For starters there is the not so subtle emotional plot line of a mother and her daughter who have not completed mourning their loved one. There is a considerable amount of bad guys and good guys, whose roles sometimes flip. Halfway through the film there is an extended chase and search sequence. Then there are the characters with a serious deficiency, like the guitar player who is a dropout, which turns out to be a great asset in the plot. I mean, this is Disney! And last but not least there is the happy ending.

Little girl Amy witnesses the death of her pop star father and withdraws from life. The only means of communicating to her is through song. What a wonderful idea but poorly executed. The script needed to go through further drafts to eliminate the repetitiveness and the unbalanced genre!

I liked this movie but I was a bit confused as to what sort of movie it was - I would say it was a pot pourri of type. Was it a drama with quirky little pieces of dark comedy and surrealism thrown in for good measure? One wonders whether the director or producers could not make their minds up as to what type of movie it would be. Perhaps everyone got their way. It might have made more at the box office if it had been a children's story - which it probably is, if you take out the swearwords, and family violence etc. In my opinion, this great cast of actors might have been a little bit let down by the script, which could have built better stories of victory over adversity with each character, and also added a little more surrealism.This movie certainly showed some dramatic snapshots of some of the lives and situations of people living in Australia. The coppers singing whilst searching for Amy was fantastic. Mendelsohn's 'lyrics of life' were also deep and meaningful.Alana De Roma's performance as a singer and actor were excellent. Golly, has she got a future!I would rate this movie as a 6.5 out of 10; well worth watching.[Was it a touch of irony that one time Melbourne rock legend Bobby Bright played the busker on the street? Why wasn't he singing "Hitch Hiker"?]