Crosswalk.com

Danny Deckchair

compiled by Jeffrey Overstreet
from Film Forum, 09/09/04

The latest comical caper to cross the water from Australia and charm American audiences is director Jeff Balsmeyer's film Danny Deckchair. The film stars Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, Vanity Fair) as a forlorn fellow who ties helium balloons to a chair and floats away, only to land in a new place where he falls in love with a local beauty, played by Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings' Eowyn).

Harry Forbes (Catholic News Service) says, "It's always gratifying to come across a small, modestly scaled film that turns out to be total delight from start to finish. And so it is with Danny Deckchair. Balsmeyer … has created an engaging story in the vein of 'magical realism' about overcoming one's limitations and exploring life's possibilities. Ifans gives a superb performance."

Chris Monroe (Christian Spotlight) says, "The filmmaking here is quite simple, but done well. The plot is predictable and the humor is moderate. The acting is good, especially Ifans and Miranda Otto. It was a bit of a stretch to see Ifans and Otto play opposite each other romantically, but it is still feasible and doesn't really detract from the delightful experience this film can be."

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) writes, "Rhys Ifans is typically cast as an offbeat supporting character but shows that he has a little of the 'everyman' quality to him. He's fine as a romantic lead although his other performances show him to have more range. It's as if he's hamstrung in a role that requires him to be the film's center rather than a colorful part of an ensemble cast. Miranda Otto is too intelligent and beautiful to be cast as a dateless meter maid but she's pleasant to watch and easily gains the audience's sympathy."

Mainstream film critics have mixed feelings about Danny and his chair.