Review by jamesmoule

Ben Valentine is an Aussie Rules legend who finds himself before the beak in a small country town called Rushworth in Victoria, Australia. Like most country towns in Australia, the population is football mad. The fortunes of the local team are crucial to the status and self confidence of the district. Unfortunately, all the glories of Rushworth's team are in the past and they are on the brink of being merged with a local town, their most hated rivals. As a resident of a small country village, this all rings true to me. Ben is offered a sentence in gaol or community service as the coach of the local footy team. The team has to win three of its next four games to avoid oblivion. The ending is predictable but there are some nice twists. The cast is excellent. There are a couple of mildly interesting sub-plots. The growth of the pie business that mirrors the rise of the footy team is a classic. There are some very funny lines, possibly more obvious to country people. A knowledge of Aussie Rules football would be a little help but the film is likely to appeal more to people who follow the game.