Workmates, directed by Curtis Vowell, is in cinemas now.
This cute and savvy Kiwi romcom takes much of its storyline and associated mishaps from the film-makers’ experiences in the theatre world. It’s the tale of a struggling local theatre – not-very-loosely based on Auckland’s Basement, where the film was shot – run by dedicated practitioners while being hampered by bureaucrats.
Thirty-something Lucy (Sophie Henderson, also the film’s writer and the new artistic director of Silo Theatre) manages The Crystal Ballroom with her best friend Tom (Matt Whelan), literally papering over cracks to keep the dilapidated theatre and its low-budget productions thriving. The pair make a delightful team, both within the world of the film and for us as enchanted viewers, such is the chemistry between Henderson and Whelan. But while Lucy is perpetually jokey and attention-seeking, Tom is grappling with news he’s going to be a dad. With his partner keen for him to get a “real job”, suddenly the future of these besties is threatened by competing interests.
A luminous Henderson manages the tricky task of playing her gauche and immature character just the right side of Fleabag haplessness. Lucy makes reckless choices, lives illegally in a nook above the stage, and throws herself at unsuitable men – but Henderson beguiles us enough to make us care.
Husband and wife film-making team Curtis Vowell and Henderson won plaudits for 2013’s Fantail, which Henderson wrote and starred in, and were also the creative team behind Rose Matafeo’s comedy caper Baby Done. Once again, Henderson’s Workmates script is laden with zingers, industry in-jokes (an over-earnest, moustachioed director wails about their show being applauded with “a standing O”) and some great cameos. Kura Forrester’s hilarious portrait of a take-no-BS fire warden deserves a spin-off show, and stage manager Whetu (Akinehi Munroe) is a brilliant foil to the nonsense.
A more sinister subplot about a philanthropist sex pest mirrors the sad reality of a cash-strapped arts world but doesn’t quite nail the tonal switch or heavy implications. Workmates feels more at home with its “inadvertent consumption of drugs” scene, which now seems a Millennial comedy staple.
Delivering plenty of laughs amid vibrant performances, Workmates will particularly delight those who share the struggle of keeping the lights on in places like The Crystal Ballroom – and those whose rapport with a “work husband” or “work wife” makes life even more complicated.
Rating out of five: ★★★½
