If you appreciate the 1997 Australian comedy-drama The Castle then I all but guarantee you, you will be smitten with The Merger.
Set in a struggling town called Bodgy Creek, the local football club is not only about to lose their asbestos ridden clubrooms but might also have to merge with another team to stay afloat.
A meeting, which is called to decide on the future of the club, becomes heated when club president Bull Barlow (John Howard) asks for a vote on who will be the next coach.
Bull’s daughter-in-law Angie (Kate Mulvany) puts forward the suggestion that former football star Troy Carrington (Damian Callinan) may be the best fit for the role, a suggestion that is met with much disgust from the gallery.
Carrington lives much of a hermit-like existence on the other side of town after his green thinking forced the closure of the timber mill, the town’s main source of jobs and income.
Teaming up with Angie and her young son Neil (Rafferty Grierson) a friendship begins to bloom and slowly but shortly, together with the team’s growing success, Carrington becomes Bodgy Creek’s saviour.
Add to that a bunch of refugees who have settled in the area, along with a barrow full of Aussie slang and plenty of beer and you have got yourself a classic film sure to be a hit with audiences of all ages.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Rated: M
Distributor: Umbrella Entertainment
Release date: September 6
