User Reviews

If you're not Australian you may find this movie a little strange, but extremely funny. It is great Australian humour set on a socially inept man, Malcolm (Colin Friels), and his love of trams. To make some extra cash Malcolm has some live in tenants who to say the least are very different to him.

As a Melburnian it was a pleasure to watch the trams, an icon of the city throughout this movie, and the familiar city scapes. This however was not the reason "Malcolm" was so good.

The acting in this film is spot on and the script and writing is wonderfully imaginative and original. If you like Australian comedy's rent it. If you've never seen an Australian comedy give it a go, if for nothing else but the superb soundtrack.

A friend lent me this video about 10 years ago and since that day ive always loved this film. Its not a big budget or all star cast yet it manages to bring warmth and humour that could have been so over done (ie Forrest Gump). Its a simple tale of a simple man with a love for trams. I wont spoil the plot but as above writers have put the car chase after the bank job is THE best ever. To top this off is a fantastic piece of music by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. A hugely original, inventive and above all else Funny film. Buy, rent or borrow and you will have a smile on your face and a happy disposition at the end.

Like an Aussie Frank Spencer, but much less manic and brilliantly inventive, naive and slow Malcolm is an only son of an overprotective mother, who has died.

Malcolm loses his job and it's suggested that he lets out a room in his mother's house that he's inherited. Helpful neighbours make out a list of questions that he may have for any prospective lodgers and before long, Frank, fresh out of prison (this being unknown, of course, to Malcolm) and soon Frank's girlfriend, Judith move in.

They're still practising "crims" and surprisingly, find Malcolm all too eager to assist them in their thieving. Malcolm, of course, doesn't see all this as anything more than fun and an excellent outlet for his technical inventions, that include remotely controlled litter bins, that act as innocuous roving cameras that move around an intended target building and relay video footage back. Malcolm also has friends now, probably for the first time in a very long while.

The rather whimsical inventions, now, look pretty dated and whilst they're impressively inventive - a getaway car that splits in half, as it's actually two motorbikes joined together, but looks like a car...this is all rather Disney-ish, except this features adults only and I reckon will appeal to an older generation more, who might appreciate their comedy more visual and innocent than the rather more crude and broad comedy cinema of today.

It's generally a likable little film and whilst one (in theory) might find Malcolm's character irritating, initially at least, one doesn't for long and at least, unlike the Farrelly brother films of excess, 'dumb' doesn't mean overplayed moronically stupid. Malcolm is a character that we might know and it is this element that warms us and carries both us and the film through its many frankly absurd plot-lines.

Twenty-six years ago, when this film was released, I'm sure its comedy and success with the public would have been high. Now, though, it seems to have a very small but devoted following that is otherwise consigned into the realms of the unknown import, that is expensive to buy, even if you can track it down. I watched it as part of the 12 DVD boxset 'Australian Cinema Collection', which is Region 0 (region-free).

I love this film,if not for the sheer inventiveness.The locations are great as are the characters,i.e the key role of Malcolm,played with sheer professionalism by Colin Freils.The funniest moments I think,revolve around Malcolm`s gadgets.Malcolm himself is possibly autistic,as I can`t remember if it`s said in the film,but as we know,autistic people make up for their lack of social skills admirably and in Malcolm`s case,his gift is in all things mechanical.The scene that make me burst out laughing the most was the actual robbery where normal everyday bins are used for a purpose their designers could`nt have thought of in a million years!! Also the music used by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra is a work of art,as it appears to be tailor made as the scene ends up looking like a ballet,when the music pauses so does the action.My hat is doffed to the creators of such a heartwarming film,and seeing as Australian humour is very much on a par with British humour,I had no trouble "getting it". Overall,a fantastic film that should be shown every Christmas,as further generation will enjoy it aswell for years to come.I know I will

Malcolm is one of those movies that really deserves more love. It's critically underrated and too many people have simply not seen it. Maybe it's too low budget but it's got an off beat charm that can't be denied.

The titular Malcolm is a very shy but gifted mechanic. He's not very good with people but he loves trams and gets fired from his job of repairing them because he built his own out of spare parts.

In desperation, he gets a roommate to help cover the bills and In walks petty criminal Frank who's just been released from prison and his brassy girlfriend Judith. They become friends, albeit awkward ones, and decide to use Malcolm's genius to help them rob a couple banks.

The robberies are inventive and it's quite fun to see how Malcolm and his two friends manage to pull off these heists.

The movie is, currently, able to be seen for free on Youtube so really there's no reason not to miss it.

I was very happy to find this awesome film on DVD for $10 yesterday. I hadn't seen it for ages but I knew that buying it would result in many happy viewings in the future. My first viewing reinforced my view that this film is just as terrific and engaging as I saw it when I was a young fella. The whole gadgetry was what I loved back then. Now I still love the gadgets but the whole story makes it a terrific viewing experience.

The three main performances from the film are all unreal. Colin Friels is so great as the awkward and brilliant Malcolm, John Hargraves is super as the dodgy but good hearted crim and Lindy Davies is wonderful as Judith. She is sexy and straightforward in a really honest way that is rarely captured in any film (kinda reminds me of Rachel Griffiths).

Big plaudits have to go to the writing/producing/directing team of David Parker and Nadia Tass. The info contained on the DVD explains to us that the Malcolm character was based on Tass's brother John who was, like Malcolm, socially inept but had formidable intelligence and talent. The final character is so likable. The fact that they put the whole thing together speaks very highly of them as a film-making team (another terrific film they did was "The Big Steal").

They did a great job on the special effects too. Low budget but iconic really. The car, tram, rubbish bins (!) are brilliant. The film's opening with the tram also highlights the very special score of the film. Watching Malcolm cruise around Melbourne in his homemade tram with the music in the background is a really lovely way to open the movie.

It's been years since there has been a funny, innovative, big-hearted Australian film like this (or The Big Steal). Hopefully someone out there can match it.

Malcolm (Colin Friels) is a toddler both emotionally and from a mental maturity standpoint. In one scene he is gifted a brand new television and is more impressed with the robustness of the cardboard box.

Afraid of contact and unaware of social niceties and intimacy, Malcolm lives alone after the death of his Mother in a small suburban home in Melbourne, confining interaction to only absolutely unavoidable situations, and even then conversing in only the most basic, factual sentences.

Malcolm likes things this way. He likes his countless model trains *ahem* trams, his pet parrot and his job at the Melbourne Tram services. He doesn't need human contact at all.

Then he loses his job.

Without a job Malcolm becomes a shut-in, but a shut-in with no income doesn't eat. Malcolm doesn't initially understand this, burying himself in backyard inventions that range from cute to ingenious, but after his remote controlled 'shopping buddy' returns home from the local deli with a note saying 'no more without $' instead of milk, he is forced to look at other possibilities.

At the behest of the kindly shopkeeper Malcolm advertises for a boarder, which brings Frank (John Hargreaves) – and later his missus Judith (Lindy Davies) – into his life.

Initially all parties have trouble finding their niche and dealing with the others, Frank is rough and ready and doesn't understand Malcolm's mental state, nor his meticulous drive and OCD tendencies. Judith often acts as a go-between for the two gents, she loves Frank but also takes a shine to Malcolm and his eccentricities.

As they become accustomed to each other Frank realises that Malcolm is somewhat of an engineering savant, capable of seeing possibilities with steel, wire and spare parts that few others can comprehend.

Malcolm in turn is fascinated to learn that Frank has only been recently released from prison for robbing banks. Malcolm is intrigued by the mechanics of such a job – not the ethics or legality – which gives both men inspiration, and Judith frustration and dilemma.

The unlikely 'crew' start with some 'live' practise runs which necessitate some amazingly creative inventions and entertaining getaways. These all build up to the big one, which entails remote controlled vehicles, ashtrays, clown heads, rubber gloves, Ned Kelly in a wheelchair and an ice-cream van.

What were you expecting? The small cast is excellent, Friels as Malcolm especially, he manages to underplay the vulnerability and eccentricity of the character so that he doesn't become a cliché or a cartoon. The story remains simple also, which breathes life into the sequences where the inventions and escape plans can take centre stage.

If the heist itself sounds strange and delightful the getaway is even more so, and in fact if you can ignore the legal ramifications the entire Malcolm experience will leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Final Rating – 6.5 / 10. Malcolm might sound like just another I Am Sam, Rain Man clone, but it is entirely different to both and deserves to stand alone in its own right. Malcolm might be hard to track down, but it leaves an indelible impression and is worth finding.

This is an absolute gem - a really original, clever and funny film. Colin Friels and John Hargreaves are brilliant, the gadgets are hilarious, and the music (from the Penguin Café Orchestra) beautifully surreal. This film has without question the most unusual bank raid sequence on film. Enjoy!

"Malcolm" is one of those movies I saw as a child and have never forgotten, but hadn't rewatched. There were three key moments that stayed in my memory: one, the should-be iconic shot of the car splitting in two working halves in the middle of the police chase; two, the scene where the John Hargreaves character demonstrates how he robs banks and gets hit over the head with a shovel by a guy who thinks he's really robbing Malcolm and his girlfriend; and three, the explanation his girlfriend supplies to Malcolm about why he is the way he is, a chilling urban-legend-like tale involving an escaped murderer and a severed head.

And who could forget the next scene, where Malcolm casually asks the disturbed criminal what they did with the head when they buried the body.

Yes, in today's world people would assume Malcolm is autistic, due to his social ineptitude and his mechanical genius. I don't believe his eccentricities are ever really explained in the movie.

In fact, the characters all remain kind of undeveloped. Legendary Australian actor John Hargreaves plays the ex-jailbird, and one of our most dependable performers plays Malcolm. Hargreaves is sort of creepy in the role; maybe too believable as a disturbed criminal, because this is pretty much a family movie. The tale of what happened to his father is presumably supposed to humanise him, but it mostly makes him more scary. His girlfriend also doesn't emerge with much of a personality.

The focal point in "Malcolm" isn't the characters, it's the gadgets. And if you're somebody who loves gadgets, "Malcolm" is a movie you don't want to miss.

This is my favourite movie. There have probably been a thousand bank robbing movies made but none of them as inventive as this. It is cleverly thought out with some great bits of humour and also a car that divides into halves.

10 out of 10.

I first saw this movie when it came out on VHS video, not certain of the year, but it must have been around 1987 or 1988. It turned me into a HUGE fan of anything Colin Friels was in. I was already a Bud Tingwell fan from watching Catweazel, I liked John Hargreaves and I will always be a Chris Haywood fan.

This movie just hits the spot, simple, quirky, very very funny and with a bit of romance.

Colin Friels plays the simple and innocent, but brilliant Malcolm to a tee.

To some probably a forgotten gem, to me an old favourite that I have had the pleasure of watching many many times.

Delightful Australian comedy about simple-minded genius 'Malcolm' and his misadventures in crime, with his partners/boarders 'Frank' and 'Judith'.

Filmed in inner suburban Melbourne, this film will really strike a chord with local audiences. Director Nadia Tass has kept the movie very light hearted, and very Australian, as the cast deliver comic scenes of real hilarity. Much kudos too goes to writer David Parker. Colin Friels is wonderful as 'Malcolm', and his supporting cast are also very good. John Hargreaves and Lindy Davies play off each other beautifully. Not to be missed by Melburnians, nor comedy fans.

Sunday, August 16, 1992 - Video

Nadia Tass' disarming comedy is delightfully acted out by Friels (as the reserved genius 'Malcolm') and both John Hargreaves and Lindy Davies (as the typical Aussie working class couple).

The gadgetry is fun, the scenery wonderfully close to home (inner suburban Melbourne) and the comedy very effective. Good fun all round.

Saturday, March 20, 1993 - Video

I had almost forgotten about this movie until I happened upon it while on here. I discovered this movie on TV one night and loved this cute little film. Very funny, charming, creative, touching, great storyline and good acting all around. Unfortunately it appears that it didn't get the publicity and release that it deserved. As others have already said on here, find it if you can, because it is well worth it!!

A brilliant low budget off beat Australian comedy that is well worth tracking down. Easy to watch and light hearted. It is rare that I go out of my way to recommend a film but this one is worth it. It contains one of the most amusing bank robberies portrayed in a film. The getaway sequence has to be seen to be believed. The soundtrack is provided by The Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Watch it if you can. A friend managed to catch it on TV many years ago and taped it and it is almost worn out. I have been trying to get a proper copy since then but have failed miserably. I have had to hide it to prevent anyone borrowing it again. One of these days it might be worth going to Australia just to track down a copy ( well, almost!)

What can I say about this film!Funny,clever and a credit to Australian films.My love for Malcolm started sixteen years ago when I stumbled upon this gem of film.It was a school night and I had decided to record Big Trouble in Little China on my old Sharpe VHS video recorder(Mums orders due to a school night)When I got home the next night,I was in for a treat.Not only had i just recorded a Kurt Russel classic but my fantastic recorder had carried on taping(good old long play).The tittle Malcolm popped up on the credits and this little Australian film was presented in front of me.I was dazzled and amazed in what I was seeing.How can this little simple man come up with these wacky inventions and make the most funny action sequences seem real.I owe my love for films and Engineering to this classic under rated cinematic genius of a film.Brilliant!!

This has to be the funniest, coolest foreign movie ever, especially classic is the car/robbery scene, awesome. I first saw this movie as a kid when it first came out, and I laughed for years when I thought of it, then I recently saw it on the late movies on tv a years or two ago, luckily I got to tape it!

Made in the days when Australia was still Australian, and we had only just started down the road to Americanism. Biscuits were still called biscuits and not cookies. Baseball caps were rare. We used the word arse, not butt or ass. Films were films and not movies. "Malcolm" is probably one of the best examples of genuine Australian humour. It also typifies a way of life I remember so well. Inner city suburban living, trams, ice-cream vans, corner shops that sold nearly everything. Hotels with scungy, pokey, public bars, and even scungier clientele. If anyone wants to see a film showing Australians as they really were, before we were corrupted, see "Malcolm" 10 out of 10, and in my top 10 films.

Malcolm is one of several movies produced by David Parker & Nadia Tass. It won 8 A.F.I. (Australian Film Industry) awards when first produced.

Malcolm was one of my favourite movies while growing up, particularly because of my own love of tinkering and model railroads. It and Rikky & Pete are still two of my favourite movies, light heared Australian comedies that didn't shy away from anything, which is the depressing reality of more and more modern movies.

As it goes it actually has a few stars cast (local stars though not international) in it.

While somewhat simple (in the story this is blamed at least partially on his upbringing by his mother in what is an ethnic neighbourhood) Malcolm has a flair for invention which gets him fired from his job with the Melbourne tram company after he builds a working tram out of spare parts. After being laid off he is told he needs to get a boarder in to support himself financially. Enter Frank an ex-con still upto criminal activities who brings in his girlfriend Judith to live in the other room.

It is a good fun family movie which most if not all will enjoy, provided the Australian style of comedy and pacing don't get to you (this is typical of Tass & Parker who tend to put a very Australian feel to all the movies they produced together which means the pace is laid back, the language a touch vulgar, and the whole affair is a realistic depiction of human beings [the car that split in half was actually built it's not just a prop]).

This iconic Australian comedy is a real treat !

Wonderful casting 1980s marvellous Melbourne.

This is one of those seldom heard of classics.

Malcolm, a hard working Melbourne suburbanite, with autism, has been fired from his job at a Melbourne tram yard for undertaking personal work at the Melbourne rail's expense. To help substitute his pay he takes in a rough yet lovable couple as boarders. Malcolm is a mechanical genius, whose Rube Goldberg'Esq inventions are a laugh-out-loud comical situation, and which offers Malcolm an invitation into the Melbourne underground scene of a high life of crime.

On a personal note, this was a childhood favorite of mine and is one of those movies that is just as enjoyable and suitable for children as it is for adults. Those in the Nepoleon Dynamite cult will also recognize the underscore as that of Penguin Cafe Orchestra. The score fits this film to a tee, as if the movie was made with the music in mind, or vica-versa.

Americans will enjoy the Australiana, with an absolute! vision for Australian suburban life, but may not understand the humor, please don't let that stop anyone from watching what is most likely one of Australias best comedic films.

Watch for the bin ballet. A highlight of the film.

Malcolm is a technical/mechanical version of Rainman - instead of numbers, it is about all things mechanical/electronic. Colin Friels plays him with the same attention to detail as Dustin Hoffman did in Rainman, but this is a much funnier, uplifting (if you can say that about a bank robbery film!) film that will leave you glad you watched. When Malcom's mother dies, he needs help with the house payments so he takes in a couple as boarders. When he finds out they are bank robbers - and not very adept ones at that - he devises ways to pull off a robbery successfully. How he does it is part of the fun of the film. The writer - David Parker - brings a unique perspective to the use of mechanical/electronic devices that keep the film moving. The robbery is a success and the film ends happily - for the characters and the viewer. I would hope it is made available again.

Trying to find a copy to buy - it's that good. It's my favourite film of all time.... Charming, well acted though a mostly unknown cast, good entertaining story line and the music score is quite up beat too. Will make you laugh. It's a film where the good guy gets one over on society, his work and his oppressors. Makes you feel good inside. Watch it if you can - you'll enjoy it.

Yes, its a 'feel good' movie, but it has so many other attributes.

I'll starty you off on the story line... Malcolm is a mid-twenties creature of habit with a mental age of a 12 year old and a social age of about six. He lives with his mum, works for the local tram company and has the same routine every day. Then mum dies and the locals try to help Malcolm survice. He takes a lodger who is not one of the local law enforcements' favourite people - surprisingly - this is where the fun starts...

I have to say it is a good few years since I saw this film, but it has a place in my heart. As a shy person in my teenage years, I had a small affinity with Malcolm. He was so shy that he crossed the road near the beginning to avoid some kids. Not your average film lead. Some of the gadgets and vehicles were clever, and well implemented into the film. This film could not work anywhere else in the world. The sense of humour is typically Australian, and definitely adds to the film. If you ever get the chance to catch this film, do so. The music by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra also gives the film something extra.

One of my favourite movies of all time.It doesn't try to be something its not and has some class and quirky humour which appeals to those of us who don't take life too seriously.I must admit it starts off a little slow but really warms up with some classic lines. mostly from Malcolm himself i don't want to tell you too much about them because i think it will spoil it so just watch it but better still buy yourself a copy. My mate introduced it to me called Simon Miller and he has introduced it too probably 50-60 people who mostly like it. If they make a sequel my mate Simon From Droylsden, Manchester should at least have a cameo role in it. Bring on Malcolm 2 please.