Posted: 12/06/1999

Holy Smoke!

(1999)

by Wayne Case

When a young Australian girl travels to India and joins a cult, her parents hire a cult-buster to track her down and bring her home.

Holy Smoke! is a new film from Jane Campion (Sweetie, Portrait Of A Lady, and The Piano) out of Australia. It is/was in one NYC theatre and one LA theatre for the week of 12/3 - 9/99 to qualify for 1999 Oscar consideration, and will go into general release in mid-January. I predict no nominations for it, but it is a worthy and entertaining effort that is much more accessible than the other films from Ms. Campion. Kate Winslet (Titanic) and Harvey Keitel (The Piano) star and give “take-no-prisoner” performances that are perfect for the material.

Actually, the entire cast is excellent with special bows to Julie Hamilton as “mum.” My favorite films from Australia (Muriel’s Wedding, The Adventures Of Priscilla, and Strictly Ballroom) came to mind as I watched Holy Smoke! since the tone and look are similar. While this is not a film for the multiplexes and the masses, specialized audiences should be delighted.

The story concerns Ruth (Winslet), an Australian girl who goes to India and joins a cult, much to the distress of her Australian family. The family hires American, Keitel, to come to Australia and deprogram Ruth. The results are hilarious, sexy, and touching. My one reservation concerns a certain lack of focus and some ambiguity near the conclusion.

The original score by Angelo Badalamenti and the cinematography by Dion Beebe deserve special praise.

In closing, to all those that have found fault with Kate Winslet’s weight (Joan Rivers comes to mind.), there is ample opportunity here to discover that Ms. Winslet is in great shape!

Wayne Case works in the film industry in Hollywood, and still can’t help himself—he loves the movies!

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