Flirting (1992)

The second part of a projected trilogy by Australian director John Duigan (the preceding film was The Year My Voice Broke), Flirting is a wonderful tale of misfit adolescents who find their independence through a forbidden, interracial relationship. Noah Taylor returns to Duigan's ongoing story as Danny, a gangly stutterer with a wry wit, few friends, and a big crush on Thandiwe (Thandie Newton), a Ugandan student whose father is in some political danger back home. Danny goes to a boys academy and Thandiwe boards at a girls school nearby. The two meet secretly and deepen their doomed affair, exploring adulthood for the first time on their own terms. Duigan is a director who can occasionally be seduced by the surface of things, but Flirting is richly layered in tones both light and ominous, youthful performances that easily alternate between childhood buoyancy and grown-up passion, and a hard-won wisdom about the mysteries of loss. An added bonus is a terrific supporting performance by Nicole Kidman. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com essential video

Aussie 'Coming of Age' Classic Showcases Future Stars...

"Flirting", John Duigan's sly yet tender 1991 'Coming of Age' comedy is still, a decade and a half after it's release, one of the better teen comedies ever made, and is even more enjoyable today, as a showcase for future stars Nicole Kidman, Thandie Newton, Naomi Watts, and Noah Taylor.

While the elements of the story are familiar (boys and girls boarding schools, separated by a lake...raging hormones...a geeky hero 'proving' himself, romantically), don't be too quick to lump "Flirting" in with "Porky's" or the "American Pie" films. Despite brief graphic nudity, and some coarse humor, the film has a depth that it's American counterparts never achieve, and characters that defy stereotyping. Danny 'Bird' Embling (Taylor) is caned, early in the film, and soon falls for black African girl, Thandiwe Adjewa (Newton), with the 1960s setting providing elements of racism and political upheaval in Africa to the story's mix. The 'virgin queen' of the girl's school (Kidman) isn't as 'full of herself' as an American film might have portrayed her; the imperious facade she presents to the world masks a shy, sensitive teen who hides her sexual curiosity and vulnerability.

With intelligence and respect, Duigan never 'dumbs down' the leads (would a reference to Camus ever appear in an American teen comedy?), and makes the first sexual experience between Embling and Adjewa both naive and sexy, without being overtly graphic. This tastefulness extends to the motel climax of the children's affair; Duigan eschews the quick laughs of "American Pie II", focusing, instead, on the very real embarrassment all parties would face, if discovered 'in the act'.

Another 'plus' for the film is the attention paid to the day-to-day activities of the boarding schools; rugby, debates, a school dance, a dramatic production, even the repetitive menu of the school lunch, 'grounds' the film in a reality that makes the characters' reactions even funnier.

"Flirting" is a joy! January 29, 2008

completely worth watching, but not great.

I really liked this movie, but it was.....there was just something missing. Thandie Newton was great and I like her acting style. Nicole Kidman was really awesome. May 21, 2007

It must be ...

I'm not sure why many reviewers are calling this a coming of age film. They are already very much of age, perhaps even into mid-life before reaching university. Although hers much more than his, their maturity shows in their adult mannerisms and how they don't get defensive in dealing with others. Danny is even aware of his woundedness when he declares, in reference to being scapegoated and how this helps others to feel better about themselves, "No one realized what a great community service I was playing by being the school deck." There's also a moving scene between the fathers after the school play when, in a very empathic way, one says to the other, "I'm not surprised (you don't talk about it). It must be very hard for anyone to understand how tough it was."
Movie gold from Down Under. A real find. February 28, 2007

Superb coming-of-age film

Despite the cover art on the DVD case, this excellent film doesn't star Nicole Kidman, although she does give a fine supporting performance -- no, the story belongs to Noah Taylor & Thandie Newton, as the two misfits at two boarding schools in the mid-1960s. And it's a lovely, very funny, poignant story of two similar souls finding one another, and experiencing the joys of first love together. Unlike too many American "teen films," it approaches sex with wonder, bemusement, a touch of uncertainty & and an equal touch of bliss. Loneliness is the undercurrent here, avoided by most of the students who have learned to fit in, but clearly affecting the more sensitive among them. And here's where Nicole Kidman's performance is so good: as an icy upperclass student, she reveals her own insecurities & very human longings in a touching scene of empathy with Thandie Newton, late in the film. In short, a tender & touching love story with two very real teenagers -- highly recommended! March 6, 2006

Reviews do not do justice

I rated this movie 5 stars, but like Alp d'Huez in the Tour de France, this is "beyond category". This feels and sounds like real life. Don't think cinema ever gets any closer to matching a really good book than this movie manages. I don't know if any of this is autobiographical, but it sure feels like it. Actors only give performances this incredible when the script they are working with is extra special, and this script qualifies on all levels. Can't say enough about the performances of the leads, Noah Taylor and Thandie Newton, the movie hinges on the emotional connection they make and it all works like magic. This is a DVD to own, not rent. You will want to see this over and over again, just like a great book. January 12, 2005

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