This show serves as a reminder as to why so many bright young Aussie talent go to Hollywood instead of trying to crack the local market. As Rose Byrne once said in an interview, the Aussie film and television is a closed school where only a select group of people get consistent work. It's a shame that a lot of actors in this closed school lack talent and versatility.
The worst offense in Les Norton is casting the white, freckled and so-obviously-Anglo David Wenham as a Maltese gangster boss. My mum has had a hard-on for him since Sea Change and even she lamented that Wenham is not a character actor after watching this show. And worse, there are plenty of Australian actors with Italian, Greek and/or Maltese heritage who would have played the role of Price Galese way better than Wenham.
Second offense is Rebel Wilson as a hard-nosed brothel madam. There's a reason why she's popular in Hollywood--her laid-back personality and directness makes her charming. Unfortunately, this is nothing special to an Australian audience. So instead of being enthralled by her charm we are instead able to see her for the ordinary actress she truly is.
Third offense is the Page-Lochard as the bouncer. It's like the casting director noted that his character in the book series was Aboriginal, and so decided to cast the first Aboriginal person they could swing a stick at. In so doing, they cast a skinny, young, short dude as a bouncer. Seriously? They couldn't find a muscular Aboriginal actor?
Fourth offense is Justin Rosniak as stand-over man. He plays the part alright but again, he's short and skinny- what kind of gangster would employ him as a stand-over man?
Alexander Bertrand as the title character is less disappointing. He plays the role well and has the correct physique. Because he's ginger in the book, they've dyed Bertrand's orange. The effect is that he looks like a brunette dude wearing a clown wig. At that point, either do away with his character being ginger completely or, ya know, cast an actual ginger actor. Again, this is Australia, where most people have Scots-Irish in them. Could they not have found a ginger actor.
After 15 years of using IMDB, it was this show that finally compelled me to get an account, just so I could write this review. The reason I feel this strongly is because Les Norton had so much potential. It was a roaringly funny book series. It could have translated so well on-screen if only the decision-makers could have pulled their heads out of their arses and made suitable casting choices.
And it's not something easier said than done. It's not as if there is a dearth of actors and physical types in Australia. It's obvious that many of the cast members got their respective roles because they were already well-known locally-not because of their talent or suitability.
If not for this fact, Les Norton could have been the most successful Aussie TV shows in years. Unfortunately, it became one of those shows that viewers gave maybe 2 or 3 episodes before deciding 'Meh' and never watching it again.
The worst offense in Les Norton is casting the white, freckled and so-obviously-Anglo David Wenham as a Maltese gangster boss. My mum has had a hard-on for him since Sea Change and even she lamented that Wenham is not a character actor after watching this show. And worse, there are plenty of Australian actors with Italian, Greek and/or Maltese heritage who would have played the role of Price Galese way better than Wenham.
Second offense is Rebel Wilson as a hard-nosed brothel madam. There's a reason why she's popular in Hollywood--her laid-back personality and directness makes her charming. Unfortunately, this is nothing special to an Australian audience. So instead of being enthralled by her charm we are instead able to see her for the ordinary actress she truly is.
Third offense is the Page-Lochard as the bouncer. It's like the casting director noted that his character in the book series was Aboriginal, and so decided to cast the first Aboriginal person they could swing a stick at. In so doing, they cast a skinny, young, short dude as a bouncer. Seriously? They couldn't find a muscular Aboriginal actor?
Fourth offense is Justin Rosniak as stand-over man. He plays the part alright but again, he's short and skinny- what kind of gangster would employ him as a stand-over man?
Alexander Bertrand as the title character is less disappointing. He plays the role well and has the correct physique. Because he's ginger in the book, they've dyed Bertrand's orange. The effect is that he looks like a brunette dude wearing a clown wig. At that point, either do away with his character being ginger completely or, ya know, cast an actual ginger actor. Again, this is Australia, where most people have Scots-Irish in them. Could they not have found a ginger actor.
After 15 years of using IMDB, it was this show that finally compelled me to get an account, just so I could write this review. The reason I feel this strongly is because Les Norton had so much potential. It was a roaringly funny book series. It could have translated so well on-screen if only the decision-makers could have pulled their heads out of their arses and made suitable casting choices.
And it's not something easier said than done. It's not as if there is a dearth of actors and physical types in Australia. It's obvious that many of the cast members got their respective roles because they were already well-known locally-not because of their talent or suitability.
If not for this fact, Les Norton could have been the most successful Aussie TV shows in years. Unfortunately, it became one of those shows that viewers gave maybe 2 or 3 episodes before deciding 'Meh' and never watching it again.