NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN introduces us to Jonah (Kwanten), Stevie (Snook) and Gus (Corr), three friends who all live in Jonah’s house and earn their living by throwing super popular weekend parties. After a particularly busy night of entertainment Jonah goes to his room with a girl he has politely dubbed “Stalker Becky.” While taking care of business he is informed of a lump on one of his testicles. Seeing a doctor he is soon hit with bad news: he has testicular cancer. The doctor assures Jonah that he will be ok. He also informs him that after he has received treatment for the disease Jonah will be sterile. Horrified that he may never be able to procreate, and faced with the reality that the common process of freezing semen for later use will not help him, Jonah decides to ask every young woman he knows, up to and including “Stalker Becky,” to consider having his child. But sadly, the more women he propositions the more he learns that they all consider him “not suitable for children!”
Well acted, the film is a clever look at how the youth of today, despite having a slacker mentality, are still concerned with their future. Jonah is a likable guy with a personality that draws people towards him. When he is forced to contemplate his life without his own offspring it scares him. Even his roommates/partners get involved in trying to find the right woman. Eventually, when no one else will help out, Stevie herself offers. After a comedy of errors in trying to mechanically inseminate her, the two decide to do the deed. A lot. But eventually it becomes obvious that both have hidden feelings for the other and, despite another 45 minutes of film left to follow, the ending has been telegraphed to you.
The young actors are all appealing. Kwanten, best known in the States for his work as Jason Stackhouse in the popular HBO series “True Blood,” hits all the right emotional notes necessary to make you truly care about his character. Yes, he’s a bit of an overgrown man-child but you can’t help but feel the fear he’s facing. The same can be said for Snook. She too must bare her emotions, and her body, in an attempt to help her friend. She has her reservations but knows deep inside that she is doing the right thing.
Director Templeman, making his feature film debut, shows an eye for relationships and the various comedies that pour forth from them. Writer Michael Lucas, who in real life went through a lot of what Jonah does in the film, has created three dimensional characters that the audience can easily support. That being said, it is the weakness (if that’s even the right word…I hesitate to say laziness) of the second act that truly affects the entire film. It’s not a fatal problem but it does take away from the story when you’ve already figured out the ending.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: The 1080p transfer is sharp and clear, helped by the fact the film was filmed digitally, and is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
Audio: Available in both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or Dolby Digital 2.0, the sound transfer here is very well done, most notably the scenes that take place at the trio’s house parties. The audio and dialogue are clear and strong over the various background music being featured.
Interviews with the Cast and Crew (58:11): A series of four mini-featurettes featuring pretty informative talks with director Templeman and the films (3) leads: Kwanten, Corr and Snook.
Behind the Scenes (14:23): a fairly standard featurette featuring interviews and a behind the scenes look at the making of the film.
Theatrical Trailer
Additional Previews
