Malcolm (1986)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Malcolm (1986) – N. Tass

Charming Australian comedy that also includes a bank heist that is essentially ridiculous – pulled off with mechanical rubbish bins – but that’s not the point. Instead, this is a bit of a character study (or two) about the titular Malcolm (Colin Friels), a shy grown up mother’s boy (who might be thought to be “on the spectrum” these days), who spends his time building model trams and creating mechanical contraptions in his home. He also has a pet cockatoo. When his mother passes away, he takes in a lodger, Frank (John Hargreaves), who, it turns out, has just gotten out of prison; Frank’s girlfriend, Judith (Lindy Davies), soon joins them and smooths over Frank’s rough edges. Eventually, they decide to rob banks together! The movie is clearly low budget but its location shooting in Melbourne (the milk bar, the pub, the tram lines) feels right -- and shows just how much the city has changed since the ‘80s (which is to say a lot!). Of course, the cops are bumbling and there is a bit of keystone comedy when Malcolm’s self-engineered car splits in two during a getaway but the movie happily allows the crooks to get away with it and we feel somehow that no one was disadvantaged at all. In fact, the heist seems to have helped Malcolm socially since he uses his skills to fit in.  Worth a look, especially if you are in Melbourne.