The Efficiency Expert

source: The Efficiency Expert

This movie is very uneven. Parts of it are clear and entertaining. Other scenes are confusing, or a bit too hostile, or a bit too stupid. There is a sentimentality which permeates most of the scenes about the Ball shoe factory. This helps one get through silly situations, and ones which seem to make no sense. If 15 minutes were expertly cut out of this thing, it would be a lot more watchable, and interesting. I am sure that if I was Australian, I might understand more of what was happening (and why). So, if you are down under, I can heartily endorse this to you. I was attracted to watch this because of the cast: Anthony Hopkins, Toni Collette, among others. The only character I believed was Toni Collette, but this could well be because I don't get the Aussie way-of-life.

i bought this at a dollar store along with some other pretty good DVD double features,the efficiency expert and Eliza's horoscope which i have'nt seen yet.i took a look at the cast and said looks like a good movie.Anthony Hopkins,Russell crowe,Toni Collette,and Angela punch McGregor who i knew from the movie;the island 1980.anyway they send efficiency expert(Hopkins)out to a moccasin factory to check how its being run.and he gets to know all the workers and their lives and such. Russell crowe and Toni Collette both in early roles.Anthony Hopkins is a great actor and makes the movie interesting,its take on a small factory and the people that work there.but for a buck its a real bargain.as double features go sometimes one is good the other not too good,not always the case.but if you venture into a dollar store,look through the dollar dvds.you may find some good ones like i did. i give efficiency expert 8 out of 10.good movie.

Errol Wallace's wife, Caroline, perfectly played by Angela Punch McGregor, delivers that turning point line and sums up the plot. Bottom line focused efficiency expert finally sees the people whose lives his career of recommendations affect and unwittingly saves his own marriage in the process. Some might say "slow and plodding", but then they'd be missing the point. Layers of character development compactly delivered in 90-some minutes contradict that sentiment. No one does it better than Sir Anthony. Reminiscent of Merchant and Ivory's "Howard's End" but set in 1969 in Victoria Australia's working district of Spotswood a few kilometers from Melbourne, Hopkins again makes his measured character riveting more by acting than by dialog. For instance the look on his face is priceless while not being overplayed when, after asking Caroline to get him an "axe handle or something heavier", fearing a second labor retaliation on their home, she brings him a flimsy lady's umbrella. To paraphrase another reviewer, "Quite a little gem."

I first happened apon this movie during the lunchtime movie show around here. I missed bits here and there and promised myself I would get out the video. When I did, I was not dissapointed! Set in a small inner city suburb, called Spotswood, the comedy is based on a small company which is slowly going under. They hire Mr Wallace (Anthony Hopkins) to come in and assess the situation. What follows is a deep, but fascinating look into the workings of a small shoe factory... What I love so much about this movie are the actors. There are so many noticable australian actors playing in this movie. You instantly feel comfortable and apart of the atmosphere. From the very start, the movie engrosses you, and its great. The slot car race scene is great, as is the relationship between Carey and Cheryl. Don't miss this if you like Aussie comedies. Fits right in there with great films such as The Big Steal and Cosi.

I don't remember the last time I couldn't bear to watch a film the whole way through. Normally I give the director the benefit of the doubt and stick with an unpromising movie to see if it least has a decent ending, but this film was just so utterly dull that I just couldn't bring myself to watch any more. Lackluster acting - even from Anthony Hopkins (what was he thinking?) - uninspired direction, and a script lacking just about everything, especially humor. I cannot recommend this movie at all.

Who knew Hannibal Lector could be so subtly funny and filled with pathos. Hopkns turns in a marvelous role of the efficiency consultant who thinks nothing of recommending that half a work force be fired for better profits. Then he visits a down and out shoe company and meets his match in the Mendelshohn and Kurts characters and the rest of their workmates. Indeed, Kurts steals the film as the owner who lives back then and hopes that his efficiency expert can get him and his factory into the modern era, but does not expect it to be as brutal and painful as it is. Kudos to all. If you want a droll comedy that gives remarkable insight into the human dilemma, rent this. You will not regret it. In closing, pay close attention to how Hopkins portrays a plethora of emotions with only his facial and non verbal reactions. He is a genius!

As an American who lived in Australia for about 3 years, I found that this film captured a lot of "Australianisms" that are hard to pinpoint, but are definitely from the Australian culture and different than the US culture. Probably the most noticeable to me was the worker vs management mentality that is so much more exaggerated in Oz. One of the most ironic things I found about their culture was how much they protested that, unlike England, there was no class system down under. But, to me as an outsider it seemed very class driven but instead of upper and lower classes they were blue collar and white collar. Overall a touching film which I always wonder how much is going right over the heads of Americans.

Although this film is about the upheavals in Australia in the 60s, it could easily be reset in the mid to late-2000s with the economic upheaval that the US has been having as well. Companies having a person coming in to re-evaluate what they are doing to find the efficiency leaks/breaks that are causing the company to lose more money than gain, based upon 3 rules that he tells later in the movie. Anthony Hopkins was the bad guy just in 1991, a year before this movie, and he does the same in this film, but less than a resident evil that he did in the prior movie. You can see the struggles his character is having while playing the bad guy at the company and reporting to the head of the company changes that needs to be made. You almost feel sorry for Anthony Hopkin's character to have to make these life-changing decisions that affect so many other folks lives and livelihoods. Seeing it now in 2014 (almost 25 years later), it's interesting seeing that Anthony Hopkins stays true to form to his classic Anthony Hopkins self. No disappointment there; how could anything go wrong seeing him in the movies? BTW, their wardrobes are classic 60s and loved the lady in pink (from head to toe), even with the pink lipstick.

The Efficiency Expert is a very average film, and had much potential. However, it did not meet up to what it could have been. A feel good comedy, which stirs a warm feeling in the beginning, but rather boring as it progresses. Several well known actors star in this film, Anthony Hopkins, Russell Crowe, Ben Mendelson, and Toni Collette, which is possibly enough to stir an interest in this movie. But it can be assured, your attention may drift, and it would not be worth your time. It's not that difficult to understand because it is Australian, but just hard to keep your eyes open. Using several tropes and following two characters, it was easy to follow but rather a bore. The acting was good, the dialogue was fine. However, it was hard to take a liking to any of the main characters, Mr Wallace or Carey, the visual aesthetic was nothing special, and the plot was remarkably weak. The meaning of the film, is relevant in society, but it did not have impact. The tropes on love and decisions made the film predictable. The film had potential, but could have been a lot stronger. I would not recommend to anyone unless someone has some time and are okay with being bored a little, or is eager to see a average Aussie movie with some familiar names.