Danny Deckchair
Encyclopedia
Danny Deckchair is a 2003 Australian comedy film
written and directed by Jeff Balsmeyer. The majority of Danny Deckchair was shot in Bellingen, a Mid North Coast town in New South Wales.
It was inspired by the story of "Lawnchair Larry" (Larry Walters
), as well as being somewhat inspired by the last film of Peter Sellers
, Being There
, where a simple-minded man charms people by happenstance.
maker driver and construction worker
who lives with his girlfriend Trudy (Clarke) in a big city but is unhappy with his life. Danny yearns for the simple life while Trudy fantasizes about bright lights and fast times. While Danny plans for their annual camping trip, Trudy tells him she has to work, so the trip is off. In reality, Trudy is using her work connections at a local real estate agency to set up a meeting with a handsome local sports reporter, Sandy Upman (Muldoon). Danny sees them together while he's shopping for a weekend barbecue
, leaving him even more disenchanted with their relationship.
During the barbecue in his backyard, Danny, being an inventive character, ties a bunch of helium
-filled balloon
s to his deckchair
as his friends hold onto the chair. When they inadvertently let go, Danny is set on an airborne adventure across Australia, which causes him to become a national sensation. As he floats over idyllically beautiful rural landscapes, totally foreign to the concrete structures of his discontent, he appears on the verge of some enlightenment. After he's beaten up in a rugged ride through a thunderstorm, fireworks from a small town's macademia festival burst his balloons. Danny lands in a tree in Glenda's front yard as the remnants of his chair float away.
Glenda (Otto), who was watching the fireworks from her front porch, sees Danny fall into the tree but doesn't see the deckchair. As firemen and townsfolk arrive to find out if the fireball caused any damage, they see Glenda helping a disheveled Danny. Glenda tells them that Danny is an old professor from college days and takes him into her house, which belonged to her parents. As he recovers from the harrowing end to his journey, Glenda, lonely and fascinated by the strapping Danny, doesn't press him about his past. Danny doesn't help matters by offering only vague explanations about his unorthodox arrival in the town of Clarence.
As Danny explores the town, Glenda's friends wonder about their past relationship. But Danny's whimsical manner wins them over, which is easy to do as Glenda's friends are just happy to see that the withdrawn, and sometimes despised, traffic officer is with someone special. Using his easy-going manner, Danny persuades Glenda to dress-up and go with him to the harvest ball. She gives him some nice clothes to wear to the ball that were her father's. As Danny looks in the mirror, he shaves his beard and trims his hair. At the ball and around town, Danny's mysterious past, detached demeanour and off-the-wall ideas make him an instant hit with the townsfolk. His ideas that were considered hair-brained in the big city seem fresh in the small town of Clarence and he is hired to become the manager in an aspiring politician's campaign. As they spend time together at Glenda's house, Danny finds a motorcycle, which, for sentimental reasons, Glenda keeps in the shed. After she shows Danny pictures of her parents on the motorcycle exploring the country, Danny fixes up the old motorcycle when Glenda is at work.
All the while, the big city media can't get enough coverage of Danny's disappearance, constantly broadcasting interviews of his friends, family and co-workers. Trudy takes up with the sports reporter (Muldoon), who sees covering Danny's story and Trudy's suffering as a way to the top.
Back in Clarence, Danny is forging a deep connection with Glenda. But their budding relationship is not viewed by everyone in town as all peaches-and-cream. Their flirtations arouse jealousy and suspicion in Glenda's male co-worker, the town's police supervisor, who busts them for speeding when they take Glenda's motorcycle out for a ride. But nothing fazes Danny as he continues to immerse himself in his ideal world. He even goes so far as to give a stirring speech at a political rally and he is asked by some of the townsfolk to run for office.
All caught up in the dizzying events surrounding the political rally, Glenda and Danny spend the night together. He awakes reveling in his soul mate, gets dressed in a haze of happiness and steps outside to greet the dawn of his perfect new life . However, local kids have found the deck chair and Danny's past comes crashing down upon him in a torrent of media frenzy. As Danny runs down the street with a shocked Glenda standing on the porch, Trudy drops down in a helicopter right in front of Glenda's house to reclaim Danny and take him back to the big city, where she can bask in his new-found fame.
When his half-truths come to light, Glenda rails against Danny as he's whisked away. But, there's an underlying hurt. Although Glenda is angry that she was deceived by Danny, his departure brings her to the stark realization that she had been deceiving herself, as well. She finally admits to herself that her life is in a dead end and she decides it's time for a change.
Meanwhile, not only has Danny changed Glenda, but he knows a deep change has happened within himself. Unhappily plugged back into his old city life and with Trudy trying to capitalize on his fame, Danny uses the connections his media storm has forged to parachute into Glenda's town to win her back. He successfully lands in front of her house just in time to see Glenda packing up her motorcycle. At first, Glenda appears excited to see Danny but immediately she starts yelling that he can't just drop in and everything will be all right. Dragging his parachute, Danny tells her that he'll do whatever it takes to get back together. But Glenda pulls away on her motorcycle before Danny gets a chance to convince her how much he needs her and his new life in the town of Clarence. As she drives away, Danny's parachute cord gets accidentally caught on the back of her motorcycle and, before he knows it, he is being lifted into the air. As Glenda glances into her mirror for one last look at her old life, she notices that Danny is flying behind her and she dumps the bike. When he lands on her, they get entangled in the parachute, wordlessly embrace and kiss. The movie ends with Danny and Glenda in their bathrobes, symbolically floating in deck chairs as they talk about their future plans.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
written and directed by Jeff Balsmeyer. The majority of Danny Deckchair was shot in Bellingen, a Mid North Coast town in New South Wales.
It was inspired by the story of "Lawnchair Larry" (Larry Walters
Larry Walters
Lawrence Richard Walters, nicknamed "Lawnchair Larry" or the "Lawn Chair Pilot", was an American truck driver who took flight on July 2, 1982 in a homemade airship. Dubbed Inspiration I, the "flying machine" consisted of an ordinary patio chair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it...
), as well as being somewhat inspired by the last film of Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
, Being There
Being There
Being There is a 1979 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby. Adapted from the 1971 novella written by Jerzy Kosinski, the screenplay was coauthored by Kosinski and Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard A...
, where a simple-minded man charms people by happenstance.
Plot
Danny Morgan (Ifans) works as a cementCement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
maker driver and construction worker
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
who lives with his girlfriend Trudy (Clarke) in a big city but is unhappy with his life. Danny yearns for the simple life while Trudy fantasizes about bright lights and fast times. While Danny plans for their annual camping trip, Trudy tells him she has to work, so the trip is off. In reality, Trudy is using her work connections at a local real estate agency to set up a meeting with a handsome local sports reporter, Sandy Upman (Muldoon). Danny sees them together while he's shopping for a weekend barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
, leaving him even more disenchanted with their relationship.
During the barbecue in his backyard, Danny, being an inventive character, ties a bunch of helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
-filled balloon
Balloon
A balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
s to his deckchair
Deckchair
A deckchair is a folding chair, usually with a frame of treated wood or artificial material and a fabric or vinyl backrest and seat. It may have an extended seat, meant to be used as a leg rest, whose height may be adjustable...
as his friends hold onto the chair. When they inadvertently let go, Danny is set on an airborne adventure across Australia, which causes him to become a national sensation. As he floats over idyllically beautiful rural landscapes, totally foreign to the concrete structures of his discontent, he appears on the verge of some enlightenment. After he's beaten up in a rugged ride through a thunderstorm, fireworks from a small town's macademia festival burst his balloons. Danny lands in a tree in Glenda's front yard as the remnants of his chair float away.
Glenda (Otto), who was watching the fireworks from her front porch, sees Danny fall into the tree but doesn't see the deckchair. As firemen and townsfolk arrive to find out if the fireball caused any damage, they see Glenda helping a disheveled Danny. Glenda tells them that Danny is an old professor from college days and takes him into her house, which belonged to her parents. As he recovers from the harrowing end to his journey, Glenda, lonely and fascinated by the strapping Danny, doesn't press him about his past. Danny doesn't help matters by offering only vague explanations about his unorthodox arrival in the town of Clarence.
As Danny explores the town, Glenda's friends wonder about their past relationship. But Danny's whimsical manner wins them over, which is easy to do as Glenda's friends are just happy to see that the withdrawn, and sometimes despised, traffic officer is with someone special. Using his easy-going manner, Danny persuades Glenda to dress-up and go with him to the harvest ball. She gives him some nice clothes to wear to the ball that were her father's. As Danny looks in the mirror, he shaves his beard and trims his hair. At the ball and around town, Danny's mysterious past, detached demeanour and off-the-wall ideas make him an instant hit with the townsfolk. His ideas that were considered hair-brained in the big city seem fresh in the small town of Clarence and he is hired to become the manager in an aspiring politician's campaign. As they spend time together at Glenda's house, Danny finds a motorcycle, which, for sentimental reasons, Glenda keeps in the shed. After she shows Danny pictures of her parents on the motorcycle exploring the country, Danny fixes up the old motorcycle when Glenda is at work.
All the while, the big city media can't get enough coverage of Danny's disappearance, constantly broadcasting interviews of his friends, family and co-workers. Trudy takes up with the sports reporter (Muldoon), who sees covering Danny's story and Trudy's suffering as a way to the top.
Back in Clarence, Danny is forging a deep connection with Glenda. But their budding relationship is not viewed by everyone in town as all peaches-and-cream. Their flirtations arouse jealousy and suspicion in Glenda's male co-worker, the town's police supervisor, who busts them for speeding when they take Glenda's motorcycle out for a ride. But nothing fazes Danny as he continues to immerse himself in his ideal world. He even goes so far as to give a stirring speech at a political rally and he is asked by some of the townsfolk to run for office.
All caught up in the dizzying events surrounding the political rally, Glenda and Danny spend the night together. He awakes reveling in his soul mate, gets dressed in a haze of happiness and steps outside to greet the dawn of his perfect new life . However, local kids have found the deck chair and Danny's past comes crashing down upon him in a torrent of media frenzy. As Danny runs down the street with a shocked Glenda standing on the porch, Trudy drops down in a helicopter right in front of Glenda's house to reclaim Danny and take him back to the big city, where she can bask in his new-found fame.
When his half-truths come to light, Glenda rails against Danny as he's whisked away. But, there's an underlying hurt. Although Glenda is angry that she was deceived by Danny, his departure brings her to the stark realization that she had been deceiving herself, as well. She finally admits to herself that her life is in a dead end and she decides it's time for a change.
Meanwhile, not only has Danny changed Glenda, but he knows a deep change has happened within himself. Unhappily plugged back into his old city life and with Trudy trying to capitalize on his fame, Danny uses the connections his media storm has forged to parachute into Glenda's town to win her back. He successfully lands in front of her house just in time to see Glenda packing up her motorcycle. At first, Glenda appears excited to see Danny but immediately she starts yelling that he can't just drop in and everything will be all right. Dragging his parachute, Danny tells her that he'll do whatever it takes to get back together. But Glenda pulls away on her motorcycle before Danny gets a chance to convince her how much he needs her and his new life in the town of Clarence. As she drives away, Danny's parachute cord gets accidentally caught on the back of her motorcycle and, before he knows it, he is being lifted into the air. As Glenda glances into her mirror for one last look at her old life, she notices that Danny is flying behind her and she dumps the bike. When he lands on her, they get entangled in the parachute, wordlessly embrace and kiss. The movie ends with Danny and Glenda in their bathrobes, symbolically floating in deck chairs as they talk about their future plans.
Cast
- Rhys IfansRhys IfansRhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
... as Danny Morgan - Miranda OttoMiranda OttoMiranda Otto is an Australian actress. The daughter of actors Lindsay and Barry Otto and the sister of actress Gracie Otto, she began acting at age eighteen, and has performed in a variety of independent and major studio films....
... as Glenda Lake - Justine ClarkeJustine ClarkeJustine Clarke is an Australian actor and singer. She has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows...
... as Trudy Dunphy - Rhys MuldoonRhys MuldoonRhys Muldoon is an Australian actor, writer and director who has worked extensively in film, television, theatre and radio.-Television:...
... as Sandy Upman
Awards nominations
- Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards - 2003 Best Supporting Actor (Justine Clarke)
- Paris Film FestivalFestival du Film de ParisThe Festival Du Film De Paris was a film festival held annually in Paris, France. It was launched in 1986 as a youth-oriented festival. In 2002, the municipal government withdrew funding and began Festival Paris Cinéma. It continued through 2007 as Festival Du Film De Paris -...
- Grand Prix 2004 (Jeff Balsmeyer)