Praise (1998) User Reviews

At Home with Gordo & Cynnie

[Rogue-32 · 7/10 · 31 October 2002]

Noticed this on cable last night and wasn't sure I was going to watch the entire film; there was another movie starting in about half an hour that I was thinking of switching to...but by the time the reminder for that film came on my screen, I knew I was in for the duration.

Praise lures you in with the shockingly gnarly realism of its sex-crazed female protagonist Cynthia, portrayed with beyond-fearless, jaw-dropping commitment by Sacha Horler. Cynthia is RAW, literally, and she lives for only one thing: physical pleasure. She's an animal, basically, an primal being totally devoid of any domestication, a wildebeast in perpetual heat, and our 'hero' Gordon is both repulsed and attracted (as we are) by Cynthia's blatancy - she's everything he's not, and eventually he submits to her warped energy, her whirlwind of over-indulgence (and of course her sexuality), and for a short while his life has meaning.

You realize going in that this film will not turn into yer basic "and-they-lived-happily-ever-after" number, so we're not surprised when -=- MINOR SPOILER -=- Gordo finally has had enough; this damsel of the deranged has literally drained him dry and he has to cut her loose. The most poignant part of the movie, for me, takes place at the end, when, quite simply, Cynthia isn't there anymore, and we feel her absence just as profoundly as Gordon does.

Recommend reading McGahan's novel, it's much better.

[jonzot · 8/10 · 8 September 2007]

Loved the book, I've read it many times, but the movie did leave out much of the plot. The book was more sexually charged, less depressing with greater depth. Had some great dark comedic moments though probably greatly exaggerated from McGahan's own experiences.

I lived in Brisbane during the early 90's with my girlfriend at a boarding house in inner city Windsor. A few old alcoholics lived in the rooms above. We were poor uni students so the book takes me back to that time. I can relate to those wasted days of drugs, alcohol, sex and strange nights out in The Valley.

I'd say a lot of Andrew McGahan's novel would be autobiographical as he went to The University of Queensland though dropped out before finishing his Arts Degree. He probably worked at one of the local bottle shops like the RE, Regatta or the Cri, had a sex crazy girlfriend and drank a lot of alcohol and experimented with drugs as you do.

This is a coming of age story that I believe many could relate to from their youth. You must read the novel, it's great.

A Real Couple

[mcgee4468 · 8/10 · 20 July 2000]

Like the previous reviewer I read about "Praise's" appearance in our local art theatre (may have been the same showing) and came down to check it out. Like great writing, great film-making successfully journals the trials of everyday human conditions, rather than stringing together cinematic cliches. "Praise" accomplishes this as we immediately believe there are no actors, only we the audience feeling rather voyueristic and nodding with every move Gordon & Cynthia make as if we would have done the same. Unlike many directors, John Curran leaves much to his audience's judgement. I knew I'd watched the great telling of a great story, but also had a sincere appreciation for Curran's respect of our integrity as viewers. I'm left wondering why it took two years for "Praise" to reach Hollywood. Did someone in Australia put it in a bottle and throw it in the ocean toward the United States, drifting toward North America while we were plagued with "Gone in 60 Seconds" and "Mission Impossible 2"? Thank you!

Tender is the grungey night

[Philby-3 · 3 May 1999]

The term "loser" to an Australian ear has a nasty harsh American stridency to it which seems to absolve the person uttering it from any sympathy for the "loser" in question. Now Gordon and Cynthia are definitely "losers" but at the end of this film we see beauty in an otherwise fairly pathetic pair. Gordon, in his mid-twenties, a country boy who's drifted to the city, works in a bottle store and lives in a once grand but now squalid rooming house occupied by various broken-down old men. He meets Cynthia, a barmaid, at work and for no particular reason they both quit. She moves in with him when her military parents are transferred. Gordon's chief recreation is drinking, and hers is sex, and after a while Gordon is dreading going to bed. Yet something happens between them and affection grows, even though we can see it's hopeless. There is beauty even in a doomed relationship between two misfits.

Quite why their lives have become so aimless is not really explored; both seem to have untraumatic backgrounds and neither is really cut off from their families. Gordon's lost love Rachel appears towards the end but he's lost interest in her, too. Gordon is at home amongst the deros, prematurely old, out of steam, life over before it really got started.

It sounds depressing and it is, but the relationship is tender and warm - a less melodramatic version of "Leaving Las Vegas." The story is set in Brisbane, though apparently not filmed there, and the humid stifling summer atmosphere is well evoked. It doesn't really explain the lack of motivation though.

Frank Look at Co-Dependency and Nude Body with Rashes

[noralee · 7/10 · 12 December 2005]

"Praise" is definitely not a promotion for Brisbane, as it's a very contemporary "Days of Wine and Roses" where booze is only part of the couple's addictions and power plays in a weird but very compelling very, very, very frank co-dependency relationship.

Be prepared for a lot of nudity of a body covered in eczema rashes.

The script is by the author of the book it's based on, so I guess he meant for the ending to just trail off where about the only thing the main character achieves is a hair cut. And boy did I keep wanting to tell him to clean up that room!

The only other people in the audience were a noisy couple in front of me who came to see it for its Scrabble sub-text and when bored otherwise kept stretching their arms up right in front of my face.

(originally written 7/6/2000)

Praise for "Praise"

[=G= · 7/10 · 20 November 2001]

"Praise" is a slice-of-misery Aussie flick which looks into the waxing and waning of a relationship between a sexually obsessed woman and her taciturn and less experienced boyfriend while both languish in a life of self indulgence, sex, indolence, sex, drugs, sex and more sex. "Praise" is one of those films which slip between the cracks of public consciousness for want of broad market appeal and entertainment value while garnering critical and industry acclaim for its ability to faithfully portray difficult human issues. A good flick for adult cinema devotees who are as interested in execution as in content.

Sex and angst in Australia

[malo-6 · 10/10 · 17 July 2000]

Hesitantly I went to this movie after reading an interesting review on a local freebie. As I expected we were about 10 people watching this film at peak time (Friday night) in a major art-films theater. It didn't matter because this is perhaps one of the best films I have seen this year. This a fully realized piece with extraordinary performances, excellent photography, superb set design/atmosphere, music, certainly the work of a great director. The story of two people who get together in a dead end relationship becomes fascinating the longer one watches them walk the road towards its logical conclusion. I personally didn't care about their "motivations" or their "backgrounds" as I have ceased to expect any logic from life. I took each second the way it came, each surprising turn, each new wrinkle in an apparently plotless movie. The ending is absolutely perfect as anyone will interpret it the way he/she wants. For me it brought up the power of memories/dreams/fantasies that don't let go, where pale and boring reality can't compete, even if one is aware that a fantasy is a fantasy. This film is much better than anything that has come out of Sundance and could have had a good shot at Cannes.

A must see if you like Bergman films: I was a thoroughly depressed individual when I walked out, and very happy to be one.

Two hours of tedium

[peter-ramshaw-1 · 6/10 · 22 January 2007]

Yep, that's what the cinema public want, right? Two hours of watching two deadbeats with personal hygiene problem screwing and attempting to. Smoking, drugs, eczema, seedy rooms and sweaty unkempt people.

Well, it's called realism they tell us. And it is. Trouble is, people don't want to watch realism like this. They could save the $15 and just go and watch some of their deadbeat mates anytime. I'll admit that, as a non-smoker, the constant (yes, CONSTANT, there is almost no moment in the whole film where the cast isn't smoking) puffing away put me off at the start. Still, the producers must have realised that the smoking rate in Aus is down to about 20 per cent and gone with that motif anyway.

I can't fault the acting of the two main characters other than to suggest Sasha Horler does overdo it a bit in a few parts. I just don't know how really emotionally involved one can get with a fat, unattractive, eczema-covered, chain-smoking drug-addicted nymphomaniac barmaid. Oh, did I mention she has genital warts as well? I think you get the general idea. Apparently we are supposed to feel overwhelmed with pity for her plight but, since most of it is self-inflicted that's a big ask. It must be because even the lead actor gets sick of being with her.

The boy in the piece, Peter Fenton, is pretty good. But neither are helped by the pedantic pacing of the screenplay which is almost entirely dialogue driven in long-winded post-coital chats - mostly about routine sexual acts that I suspect the writer thinks are shocking (poor bugger's lead a sheltered life if seems).

Look, there ARE some interesting moments in this but if you have a choice of having a tooth pulled of sitting through this, take the chair and the orange light every time. Of course, if you're a chain-smoking alcoholic nymphomaniac druggie with warts and terrible skin, then this might well be the movie you've been waiting for.

My idea of a perfect story

[bastard_wisher · 10/10 · 24 March 2006]

Storywise, this film is perfect. Seriously, this is more or less the exact story i wish movies told. I don't know why there aren't more movies like it, really. Not only is it by far my favorite "twentysomething mopey slacker" movie (the only good one, really), but it ranks up there in the tragic love story department as well. Unfortunately, in terms of actual "filmmaking" the story isn't really done justice, although it's not so bad that it really weakens the film significantly. The cinematography and so on is competent but never really inspired. Pretty bland (some nice lighting though at parts). And the pace and tone are somewhat uneven, particularly towards the beginning. The film starts pretty choppy, narratively speaking, and at first it goes way too fast. Eventually it settles into a good groove though and towards the later part of the film the pace has adjusted itself comfortably. It also focuses tone-wise as the film progresses. At first the tone is a little haphazard and there are some attempts at cuteness and quirkiness that don't go over so well. The soul of the film is clearly a drama and not a comedy, and the director seemed to realize this part of the way through. But it's safe to say that overall the moments of greatness far outweigh the few awkward, misdirected moments. And in any case, i like the story enough that it can carry almost anything.

Unusual, and frank about sex

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 21 September 2017]

"Praise" is an unusual Australian movie that seems to have slipped through the cracks. Even today, almost twenty years later, it still seems unusually candid about sex.

The film is almost plot less. Gordon is a listless, aimless young man who quits his job and starts a relationship with a nymphomaniac eczema sufferer in a seedy boarding house. He and his girlfriend both drink heavily and chain smoke cigarettes. He also tries heroin for the first time with some of her friends.

At first the movie really put me off. You don't get much of interest from the characters, and it feels like one of those irritating movies where anything can happen, and the effect is annoyance rather than liberation. In the end, though, I actually came to care about these characters and their relationship.

The movie features lots of sex, though this is not exploited for eroticism. We learn intimate, disarming details about the characters. The main character has a small penis. His girlfriend has a long clitoris. Tex Perkins is in it.

WAKE UP!!

[Uluru-3 · 4/10 · 30 May 1999]

What a bore this film was , why is it that when Australians make films about grotty dirty people with no zest for life and basically are dull , people stand and praise these films. Wake up these sort of films are not original and not even good story telling , Australia has made a many better films then this one, lets hope this vanishes into that wilderness of forgotten dull Aussie films.

Australians have feelings too.

[paulcreeden · 9/10 · 11 July 2001]

"Praise" broadens my appreciation of Australian film and Australians. It is a fascinating departure from the well explored Australian themes of brusque humor and drinking gags. Australians have feelings too. Who knew? The realism of the film is gritty and smells genuine. The story's core is profoundly basic and human. The camera work is wonderful. Fenton and Horler have faces and bodies that are treated like landscapes, initially jarring for their distinctive and atypical attributes and eventually becoming familiar elements of the story itself. Brilliant realism. The supporting cast contributes wonderfully. It is a diverse collection of characters, some outstanding and others quite gray. I will have to see this film again. I know it will bring another enhanced experience. For now, however, it has left me full and still digesting.

A splendidly atmospheric filmic version of the best selling book by Andrew Mcgahan.

[helenka · 24 April 1999]

Praise the movie is a splendidly laid back version of Andrew McGahan's award winning best seller. The movie traces the odd love story between Gordon, the asthmatic heavy drinking under-achiever, and Cynthia, his energetic and demanding lover.

Cynthia, to Gordon's panic, expects sex 'every morning and every night' - "exhausting" is the way Gordon describes her. Set against the seedy boarding house where Gordon lives, the film explores the world of the socially displaced, and the under-motivated. It also looks at the way which relationships can implode despite the best intentions of its players.

McGahan's book Praise was the first of the 'grunge'fiction which swept through Australia (and other parts of the world) in the early 1990s. Despite the somewhat depressing story, the characters are depicted both in print and film with love, honesty and clarity. The performances of the actors in the film help the audience to like them both, and regard them with affection.

This film is a wonderful insight into a life that for many people is baffling - and for that reason alone should be regarded as an important Australian film.

Classic Aussie Drug Flick

[sydneyswesternsuburbs · 10/10 · 9 July 2011]

Director John Curran has created a gem in Praise.

Starring Peter Fenton who was a musician in the band Crow.

Also starring Sacha Horler who was also in the classic flick, Blackrock 1997.

Also starring Marta Dusseldorp.

Also starring Joel Edgerton who has also been in other classic flicks, Acolytes 2008, Whisper 2007, Smokin' Aces 2006, The Thing 2011 and King Arthur 2004.

I enjoyed the sex, drinking and drug scenes.

If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic drug flicks, The Acid House 1998, The Basketball Diaries 1995, Broken Vessels 1998, Bullet 1996, Cookers 2001, Deep Cover 1992, Dogs in Space 1986, Drugstore Cowboy 1989, Enter the Void 2009, Go 1999, God's Lonely Man 1996, Gridlock'd 1997, Human Traffic 1999, Leaving Las Vegas 1995, London 2005, Naked Lunch 1991, New Jack City 1991, Nil by Mouth 1997, The Panic in Needle Park 1971, Psych-Out 1968, Pusher 1996, With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II 2004, I'm the Angel of Death: Pusher 3 2005, Requiem for a Dream 2000, Rush 1991, The Salton Sea 2002, Sid and Nancy 1986, Spun 2002, Trainspotting 1996, Christiane F. 1981, Filth 2013, Urge 2016, White Girl 2016, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans 2009, Cook County 2009, Thumper 2017, Beautiful Boy 2018, Back Fork 2019, I Melt with You 2011 and Trash 1970.

Praise, an addictive feature

[videorama-759-859391 · 8/10 · 22 January 2014]

Praise is just another art house Aussie gem, that addicted me, like the ciggies, sex, and alcohol addicts our two leads. Sex dependant Horler makes an explosively impressive debut, as the ezema suffering girl, her condition caused, by chain smoking, and the untrained Fenton is really good as her new love. We strap in and brave ourselves through this rocky, straining relationship, Fenton, copping flack from his friends, over his new sex dependant love. Horler will make you laugh and cry, and we have see an envy streak, snap when an old love, an artsy and slightly pretty sort, reappears in his life. You also don't want to stand Horler, if sex is on the menu, one scene having her smash an ashtray over Fenton's head, when turning down her offer. Other funny scenes, one in the initial part of the relationship, have Horler telling the boyfriend to scoot, so she can have a private moment. There are two other funny sex, scenes, Horler relishing being eaten out, the other involving Fenton doing it way too fast, where Horler sweetly cautions him, of it's dangers. Lynette makes a nice guest appearance as Horler's doctor. Praise can be seen as a anti smoking movie which it is, one vaguely implied frame, among other inferred bits, with cigarette smoke sternly expelled out of Fenton's mouth. It can also b e seen as true blue, fine Aussie filmmaking. Films like these make me proud top be a dinky die Aussie, as I really admire these indie films, which I hope will never die.

It's Been a Year!

[abundance · 22 February 2000]

I don't know who reads these things, but if anybody with any power or clout or interest could please note that this is a great film. Without a doubt much better than THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT or GO! or any other film you can name from last year's SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL.

I was one of the lucky audience members that was exposed to Curan's unique vision. Beauty was found in the most disgusting places.

It's been a year since I've seen this film. A number of my friends have had to read the book (which is available in the US) instead of watching miss Sacha Horler's performance --which apparently won her an award in Australia. Great job!

Please bring this film to America. I don't care if I need to order my own copy... this is not to be missed and, sadly, this entire country has missed out on it.

Thank you for your kind attention.

hate to say it, but not as good as the book

[eggbert-2 · 27 April 1999]

I'm just not too sure about this film. I loved the book, but somehow the film is just missing something. I think that you are not treated to as much of Gordon's inner thoughts and motivations, and so he comes off as less of a sympathetic character than in the novel. I concede, though, that it would have been quite difficult to achieve some sort of balance in the portrayal of the main protagonists, especially considering that Cynthia is such a dominant, aggressive (albeit sexually) personality.

Despite my misgivings though, the performances are fantastic, especially Sacha Horler as Cynthia.

Probably a common gripe from anyone living in Brisbane is that although the film is set here, it is so obviously not filmed here. I've heard all the stories about budget constraints and what not, but it still irks me (and many others) that a cult brisbane novel was filmed in sydney, no matter how universal its themes.

Twenty-first century Smurfoid Man does LAST TANGO IN PARIS

[nunculus · 23 July 2000]

Great, thrilling, scarily intimate. In its first half hour, this astonishing Australian feature gets so close to its characters you feel the director is touching your skin. Gordon (Peter Fenton) is a type well known to people in that age between Bill Clinton and the Backstreet Boys: smart, alert, passive, asexual, easily emotionally manipulated. Cynthia (Sacha Horler) is a big girl with a big appetite for beer and the male organ; she needs sex desperately, helplessly, in the way a love-starved puppy races in circles in need of a touch. The movie records the birth pangs, first steps, clunky adolescence, and quick death of a relationship. Like Wong Kar-wai's HAPPY TOGETHER, most of it takes place in a crappy flophouse apartment. That's it--that's the movie. And every detail in it, from the stigmata-like blood flow of Cynthia's eczemous skin, to the fellatio in a milky bathtub, to the reaction of a horny couple to a violent row, is flawless.

The director, John S. Cullen, is all about getting it right, and so he does--to the point where you can find yourself mouthing aloud the dialogue seconds before it happens. This isn't because the movie is cliched; quite the opposite. It's because the movie gets things about falling in and out of love that no one--nobody, not even those who have made the Big Famous Movies About Sex--has hit. PRAISE seems to have had no luck in the theatres; perhaps it will live on in its IFC afterlife. All praise to Strand Releasing, the best distributors of foreign and independent movies in America. If you want to see a non-studio movie on a subject other than a cute boy and his grandpa, or a wily chef who woos all the ladies, you have Strand to thank for your satisfaction.

An unknown gem of a film.

[mathewpeters-34087 · 22 October 2018]

The basic story of Praise, from first-time director John Curran, is fairly simple: a laid-back, chain-smoking asthmatic named Gordon (Peter Fenton) becomes involved with Cynthia (Sacha Horler), a nymphomaniac afflicted with severe eczema. From the start, their co-dependent relationship is not healthy, but, as the gulf between their sexual needs widens, they begin to grate on one another. It is clear from the beginning that the better developed and more interesting of the two protagonists is Cynthia. So, when the concluding scenes focus not on her, but on the considerably less engaging Gordon, the resulting anticlimax causes the otherwise-searing movie to end on a discordant note. Despite the off-key finale, Praise is still a powerful and occasionally disturbing experience. Most movies, especially mainstream ones, like to tap-dance around sexual themes for fear of offending a puritanical audience. Praise attacks these issues head-on by illustrating the kinds of sexual trade-offs that have to be endured for a relationship to work. In this case, it's the woman who has the sexually voracious appetite and the man who is passive, but the patterns would be similar if the circumstances were reversed. Praise is as honest emotionally at it is when dealing with sexual issues - it doesn't lather on the melodrama to make its point. It is compelling precisely because it stays focused on the characters and their dysfunctional, psychologically complex relationship.