Drag queen "Tick" (Hugo Weaving) gets the offer of a gig in Alice Springs and suggests to fellow artiste "Bernadette" (Terence Stamp) that they both go. How to get there? Well that's where their headstrong young pal "Felicia" (Guy Pearce) comes in. He has no compunction in using a bit of emotional blackmail to extort cash from his mother. Next thing, the three have an old (soon to be pink) bus and are winging their way from Sydney at the start of their 1700 mile trip north. Like any trip in a confined space, tempers flare and these three, already near the top of the histrionics chart, provide us with some entertainingly profane language that make you smile and wince at the same time. As they travel, they tentatively explore more of each other's foibles and personalities as well as a terrain which isn't always the most hospitable. En route, they encounter "Bob" (Bill Hunter) who might just offer an hint of romance for the trans "Bernadette" who is suffering from a bit of ennui with life in general. Their eventual arrival tops a journey of discovery for all of them, but especially "Tick" who's in for quite a surprise! A great soundtrack and some earthy and witty writing help out enormously here, but it's essentially the three men whose ridiculously exaggerated characterisations and temper tantrums of an existence that make this a journey you'd love to watch but are very glad you're not actually on. There were a few popular films made that challenged the global stereotype of Australian machismo and bull-headedness but by taking this into the outback, this offers everyone a chance to contrast the open-mindedness of some with the opposite in others - all whilst keeping sight of the fact that this is a comedy, and a satirical and delightfully sarcastic one at that.
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