We Can Be Heroes » Reviews » Green Guide

by Larissa Dubecki

The title is sure to strike fear into the heart of anyone with a morbid fear of the parochial flatulence that accompanies awards such as Australian of the Year. But fear not; We Can Be Heroes is a brilliantly funny satirical strike at the heart of hollow accolades high on the fumes of their own pomp and circumstance. Written by and starring comedian Chris Lilley (Hamish and Andy,Big Bite), the six-part spoof follows the stories of five Australians vying for the title Australian Of The Year.

This week’s debut introduces the trainspotter-heavy cast of fictional characters – ordinary folk driven by arcane obsessions (suburban housewife and champion roller Pat Mullins), high achievers (Ricky Wong, PhD student and the shining light of the Australian-Chinese students’ musical theatre company), and heroes (Phil Olivetti, a former policeman starting out on the public speaking circuit after rescuing children from a fly-away jumping castle). They’re augmented by the egregiously self-absorbed Sydney schoolgirl Ja’mie King, who sponsors 85 Sudanese children, raising the money by undertaking the 40-hour Famine every week, and gormless country lad Daniel Sims, who is about to make medical history by donating one of his eardrums to is deaf twin.

Each character is played by Lilley, who proves himself uncannily tuned into the finer nuances of each of these community-leader stereotypes, as utterly convincing as teen queen Ja’mie as he is the inveterate dag Ricky. While lacking more subtle psychological flavours of recent television highlight mockumenataries such as The Office and People Like Us, We Can Be Heroes strikes the right balance between its quietly outrageous characters and fidelity to the classic documentary style, including sober narration by Jennifer Byrne, montages of suburban streets and a xylophone-heavy soundtrack.

The concept might sound like a one-trick pony, but it’s sustained over future weeks as plenty of petards are hoisted high – favourites include Ja’mie’s visit to the Villawood detention centre and Phil’s ill-fated emergency workshop with a group of scouts – and other candidates face life-changing decisions. With a Kath and Kim-esque joy in the vernacular, and observations deeply ingrained in the rituals, preoccupations and follies of contemporary Australia, We Can Be Heroes has the early hallmarks of a cult classic.