Review – Australia

After Luhrmann-izing Shakespeare and the musical, the erstwhile director takes on epic drama. Nicole Kidman stars as an English aristocrat who journeys to the Outback to save her late husband’s ranch. With the help of a man known only as The Drover (Hugh Jackman), she manages to save the operation from rival ranchers while rescuing indigenous people from cruel racists. The story plays like The African Queen if you took it out, got it drunk, and then took it around back and beat it with a brick for awhile. And nearly three hours later the picture decides that it actually isn’t going to go anywhere. Mildly amusing