The Cup (PG). Director: Simon Wincer. Starring: Stephen Curry, Daniel McPherson, Colleen Hewitt, Brendan Gleeson, Jodi Gordon. 106 minutes
The big test for any historically based sports film is how well it manages to sustain emotional engagement and dramatic tension, despite the common-knowledge nature of the events. In 2002, jockey Damien Oliver rode Irish horse Media Puzzle to Melbourne Cup glory, one week after his brother, Jason, was killed in a racing incident. (The brothers' father, Ray, had died under similar circumstances when they were children.) The Cup recreates the tragic and inspirational events in style.
Curry — known mainly for his comic roles in The Castle and those AFL themed Toyota commercials — provides a solid dramatic turn as Damien. As the film begins Damien is already an acclaimed jockey, having won his fourth Racing Victoria Limited Scobie Breasley Medal for riding excellence. The film then turns immediately to his family relationships, notably with Jason (McPherson) and their mother Pat (Hewitt). These human relationships are at the film's heart.
Damien is due to ride Media Puzzle in the Cup, and the early signs are good: they easily win the Geelong Cup, seen as a precursor to Melbourne. However when Jason is killed, Damien is thrown into turmoil. His grief tests his own resolve, as well as the faith of Irish trainer Dermot Weld (Gleeson). Damien must also consider his mother, now twice bereaved by the sport, and his wife, Trish (Gordon), suddenly acutely aware of the dangers of sitting astride 400kg of galloping horseflesh.
The Cup dwells at length on Damien's struggle with this dilemma, to ride or not to ride. Perhaps too long, given that we all know what decision he ultimately made. The film risks being mired in the maudlin, but is carried through by Curry's strong performance and solid contributions from a supporting cast that includes TV comedian Shaun Micallef, credible in a straight role as Damien's former trainer and mentor, alonside Australian cinema staples Tom Burlinson and Bill Hunter.
Make no mistake, The Cup is sentimental, even romantic in its portrayal of horseracing.
But it is also refreshingly traditional. None of the parochial jokiness, boutique idiosyncrasy, or blood-and-boobs edginess that tend to be the mark of many modern Australian films. Just a straight-faced, straight-laced drama, with a polished script, unashamedly nostalgic score, the scope and scale to demand a cinematic viewing, and uniformly good performances from a fair