It may be pretentious of me to label The Castle the funniest Australian comedy ever made, but that’s probably not far from the truth.

This film comes from the Working Dog production company, who were responsible for the classic Aussie TV show Frontline as well as variety news and entertainment talkie The Panel. Working Dog star Rob Sitch directs The Castle with tasteful, silly and intelligent humour, complemented with a breezy and effortlessly energetic rythtem.

The Castle is a small guy versus the big guys film that has a sentimental emotional core, and many jokes are derived from the story of a charming family defending their home against a compulsory acquisition.

Performances from a talented Australia cast breathe life into a bunch of quirky but lovable characters. Michael Caton is especially great as the father of the family, Darryl Kerrigan, a lovable oaf with a heart of gold. Veteran actor Charles (Bud) Tingwell also appears as a wise lawyer who takes it upon himself to defend the Kerrigans.

The script was written by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy and Sitch - all regulars on TV’s The Panel. They have a sound sense of joke timing, and how to keep audiences interested. The Castle is a rare find; a funny, wonderful piece that shines in its own homely, honest way.

It is common in Australia to humorously quote lines from "The Castle". Some of the most popular of these are:

• What do you call this? (in reference to obvious items)
• Tell 'em they're dreaming!
• A man's home is his castle.
• It's not a house, it's a home.
• Dale dug a hole.
• That is going straight to the Pool Room.
• How's the serenity? So much serenity!
• It's what you do with it.
• It's the vibe.

Director: Rob Sitch
Cast: Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Sophie Lee, Anthony Simcoe, Charles (Bud) Tingwell, Wayne Hope, Tiriel Mora, Eric Bana