MovieChat Forums > Angry Boys (2011) Discussion > Lilley should stick to Aus characters

Lilley should stick to Aus characters

posted 13 years ago by bkdsl
18 replies | jump to latest

I think his Australian characters are great - and by Australian, I include Jonah. I don't mean ethnicity, I mean whether they've grown up in Australia and fall in to one of the many modern Australian subcultures.

But with S.Mouse and Japanese mum Jen, he has really missed the mark. S Mouse is totally unconvincing and unfunny. There isn't anything clever or real about the send-up. Its just a really simple, lame stereotype of a rapper. And his accent is really bad!

And Jen - how many Japanese mums, however manipulative and mean, would swear like that? She swears like an Australian teenager. From what I know about Japanese culture, this character is not realistic. She seems like a lady from a "good" family and wouldn't be swearing like that, no matter how mean and horrible she might be.

[–] Barbed_Wire_Strawberry 13 years ago

There isn't anything clever or real about the send-up. Its just a really simple, lame stereotype of a rapper. And his accent is really bad

-bkdsl

sounds like a lot of rappers at the moment...they influence ALOT of australian
male youth culture

From what I know about Japanese culture, this character is not realistic. She seems like a lady from a "good" family and wouldn't be swearing like that, no matter how mean and horrible she might be

-bkdsl

That could be perceived as a stereotype

Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride

[–] bkdsl 13 years ago

There's a difference between a stereotype and a socially/culturally accurate character. A stereotype is an oversimplied generalisation. My point is that Jen doesn't seem an accurate representation of someone from her background.

For example, if I had said that "All Japanese people are polite" that would be a stereotype. But what I'm saying is that the way Jen talks - the particular swear words she uses and how she phrases her sentences - are not realistic. A middle class Japanese mum wouldn't typically call her son "a f#@ing sh#t". Maybe there are individuals who do but the whole point of a send-up is to bring to life a character that people know (ie typical characters) and show some insights through humour. I don't think he succeeds in this regard with Jen or S.Mouse.

I agree that rappers at the moment influence Australian youth culture - I just think the accent and mannerisms are not spot on. Close-enough is not good enough when you're doing a send-up on tv. It's like when you hear an American actor doing a bad Australian accent.

To me, characters like Ja'ime (sp?) were really funny because it rings true of that type of person.

[–] Sensimilla 13 years ago

Well shes more American Id say that Japanese, she just uses that to promote Tim in Japan. Obviously she is Japanese dont get me wrong but Tim was born an raised in America so shes Americanised, and just goin back to Japan and Japanese to make as much money as she can. She is the funniest character in it, by a long way.

[–] Finkle-is-Einhorn 13 years ago

the mum and smouse are hillarious.

smouse is a lame stereo type of a rapper becuase thats what there like, hes taking the piss out of those type of people, i think he does it very well, even the dialogue is a funny piss take of how those rappers and those wannabe gangsters act and talk.

this is a comedy not a drama there exagerated versions of certain type sof people, jane swearing is funny because you dont expect somelike that to say those things, and there are japanese mothers like her who push there kids to far, usualy academically rather than through sport or fame

[–] bkdsl 13 years ago

Just because there are dumb try-hard rappers out there doesn't mean its funny to do a bad impression of one. There has to be more to it (in my opinion). I don't have a problem with the idea of the characters - its the execution that I think is bad.

Like with Blake the surfer or Daniel and Nathan or Jonah - these guys are all pretty dumb and there's a fair bit of ego in all of them, but there's realism to them and some insights into another side to their character. He shows up their insecurities and gives a hint of why they may be like that.

But I guess this is just a matter of personal opinion - I cringe when I see S.Mouse, others think its funny.It's like Eric Bana's accent in Black Hawk Down - some people (incl myself) thought it was really bad and others thought it was great. We just heard different things.

[–] king-julien 13 years ago

Those are the main two characters that actually brought humour to the series.

The Japanese mum was my favourite character because she was absolutely hilarious. Any laugh out loud moments I have had with these series have been with her. Other characters are more realistic but they're also less funny.

Not that I didn't enjoy it overall.

[–] jon_lajoie 13 years ago

He missed the mark with everyone except Gran. He ruined that character in the end too.

I...drink...your...MILKSHAKE!

I DRINK IT UP!!!

[–] Gib11 13 years ago

All the characters are hilarious, its a great show.

S.Mouse! is definitly one of the funniest characters.

[–] Condemn 13 years ago

The surfer was the most unimpressive character to me - just boring to watch, and often annoying. Laughed at the first balls joke, then that was it.

I found Jen Okazaki to be the funniest by far. She's probably my favourite of the new characters, alongside Gran.

[–] laurendorward-990-190608 13 years ago

He is taking the piss, can you not see that, it's called comedy, it's hardly a realistic portrayal. If it was it wouldn't be half as funny I mean seriously would ANY mother want their son to pretend what their sexuality is and promote "gay style" don't be bloomin' ridiculous, you have totally missed the point, and I love the s.mouse mainly for the dad, he is class.
Maybe you need to expand your imagination a wee bit.

[–] bensfiction 12 years ago

As an American, I have to say I love s.mouse. Granted, his accent is terrible; his mannerisms, however, are very true to nature. I used to be a promoter for a radio station and had to drive around "rappers" to various gigs that we booked. Trust me, it's sad how on the mark he is for s.mouse.

Definitely not shot in the US, but I wouldn't shoot here either given the ridiculous cost of shooting in America, but it's fun to suspend your disbelief for a little bit, especially during a Chris Lilley show. If you think about it, I find Ricky Wong to be kind of unrealistic as well, but still really fun to watch.

"Get that hate out your heart"-He Got Game

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] xela23 12 years ago

I agree. S.Mouse has the potential to be funny, but with Lilley being Australian it just isn't.