Seen the movie with the whole family 7 - 75, we all loved it, something in there for everyone with that uniquely Australian touch.

It has a great cast and they really carry this film, but they have a lot of work on their shoulders.

No idea what the book is like but as a movie it has problems with where it wants to go. There's a bush fire story at the edge of it but it doesn't really get hooked in, just some vague mentions. There is great scope for humour , but it's not played on that much, and is almost over in the first 30 minutes. There's two love stories that don't go anywhere And the main plot? Other than the caricature of the government worker, there's so much that could of been better put together

This could have been a real feel good movie or bit more Aussie larkism , but left me and my friend flat .

What's Sam Neill worth as a star in a film these days? Well pretty much everything, it's clear from this and other films he has been in, in recent years. Despite his ageing countenance and gently sagging paunch, his sardonic presence is compellingly attractive. He's just relentlessly bankable, like the late great Sean Connery. This antipodean sheep drama is a good fit for his real life persona as he is at least an honorary adopted Australian. The story is a good fit for Australia, too, although I understand it is a tale from Iceland. I imagine that farming in harsh conditions is one thing the two countries have in common. I had better declare myself here and say that small farming communities, dusty roads, rough rural fences and gates, and somewhat ramshackle farm buildings are very familiar to me as a country dwelling Aussie. The struggle to wrench a living from the land in the face of the adversities of nature is part of our pioneer heritage, and deeply felt but taciturn natures who occasionally express themselves with ironic humour are typical of the country Australian. Moving to objectivity about the film, I felt that the dialogue could have been wittier, and the minor characters better acted. I did wonder what non-Australians might make of it - let me assure you that even I couldn't understand some of the dialogue in the early part of the film. Let me also say I have no liking for sheep at all - they are desert-makers part excellence. The hills seen in the background of the landscape shots are the Stirling Ranges, which are a wonderland of native flora and fauna. If I could restore the barren sheep paddocks of this area to their native state I would gladly never eat another lamb chop in my life. To provide a summarizing comment about the film, it is a sufficiently engaging tale and a painless way to spend a couple of hours in the cinema.