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| Poster from here |
While Chris O'Dowd has been rightly praised for his "sleazebag with a heart of gold" portrayal as the manager of the titular band, it is the four main women who drive the film and keep the audience engaged. It follows three sisters and their cousin (Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell) as they form a soul group and fly to Vietnam and perform for the US soldiers there.
Racial tensions mixed with family drama underpin the whole story, particularly the rift between Gail (Mailman) and cousin Kay (Sebbens) who was taken by the government as a child because her light skin meant she could pass for white. Gail feels a mixture of guilt for not being able to take care of her family and anger that Kay would so easily adopt another culture and deny their heritage. The story is as much about reconciling with each other as it is about their own growth as individuals.
Alongside this are some tender romantic subplots and and a grisly look at conditions during the war though there is an over riding message of hope across the whole film.
It's a must watch, not least for Mailman's performance as Gail which almost steals the show and her witty banter with O'Dowd who also gets it some funny digs at Country and Western music.
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