Director: Kirstin Marcon
Cast: Matt Whelan, Roxane Mesquida, Pana Hema-Taylor, Clementine Howe, Colin Moy, Sophie Henderson
Rating: (R16)
2 stars (out of 5)
Hong Kong, London, Paris, Berlin, Monaco and Venice ... the Kiwi team behind The Most Fun You Can Have Dying certainly wasn't daunted by the difficulty of shifting locations.
Unfortunately, after seeing the fruits of all this travel, it looks like the film commission has picked up the tab for an ill-advised OE.
The adventure starts in Hamilton where we meet Michael (Matt Whelan), a wiry 20-something student in love with his feral existence.
Sandwiched somewhere among his partying prowess and relationship with best mate David (Pana Hema-Taylor), Michael receives the news he has terminal liver cancer.
Given only a 10% chance of survival, Michael does what any generation Y hedonist would do, he debunks with the $200,000 fund-raised for his treatment.
As proficient as Matt Whelan is in the role, his character is just not that likeable.
While it's obvious Michael's narcissistic posturing is intentional, his lack of depth and self-obsessed swagger make you kind of wish that the cancer would kick in sooner, rather than later.
But then he wouldn't meet Sylvie (Roxane Mesquida), a vacuous French freeloader with a few "dark" secrets of her own.
Adapted from Steven Gannaway's novel Seraphim Blues, The Most Fun You Can Have Dying rifles through a grab bag of cliches to deliver a love story that ultimately feels forced.
Best thing: The stylish use of light and composition.
Worst thing: The arbitrary storytelling and cliched set-ups.
See it with: Anyone needing an OE from a static position.
