“Matching Jack is a powerful emotional drama from award winning director Nadia Tass, about the unbreakable bond between parent and child.At the same time Marisa Hagen (Jacinda Barrett) discovers that her child Jack(Tom Russell) is seriously ill, she also finds out that her husband (Richard Roxburgh) has been unfaithful for years.
Marisa goes on a bizarre search in an attempt to turn her husband’s serial affairs into a positive – an illegitimate child could save her son’s life. A chance encounter with another parent, Connor (James Nesbitt) & his son Finn (Kodi Smit-McPhee), leads them on an unpredictable journey of love and hope”
From the Director of the 90’s Australian Classic “The Big Steal” Nadia Tass brings you a new aussie movie MATCHING JACK. This film was shot pretty much completely in Melbourne and stars some amazing actors including Jacinda Barrett(The Last Kiss), Richard Roxburgh(Van Helsing), Tom Russell(Last Ride), James Nesbitt(TV’s Cold Feet) and Kodi Smit-McPhee(The Road and the Upcoming Let Me In). MATCHING JACK is an amazing film, as I have said in previous posts about Australian films they usually don’t cut it for me, but Matching Jack is up there with “Beneath Hill 60” which came out earlier this year.
Jacinda Barrett heads the cast as the extremely strong willed Marisa, thought everything that has gone wrong including the infidelity of her husband she still manages to lift herself up and do everything she can to protect and save her son who just recently got diagnosed with Leukaemia. She really gives the role her all, you can feel everything she’s feeling and to be honest with you I did get a bit upset a few times. Richard Roxburgh is always fantastic even though he’s playing the husband who ends up cheating with Yvonne Strahovski (Plays Sarah on TV’s Chuck) he does the role rather well. James Nesbitt who was always my favourite character on the TV Show “Cold Feet” is amazing; I haven’t really seen him in a role like this before as he is playing the father of Finn (Kodi) who is also suffering from Leukaemia and shares a hospital room with Jack (Tom Russell).
The standouts in this film are the children played by Kodi Smitt-McPhee and Tom Russell. Tom who we last saw on screen with Hugo Weaving in the Australian Film ‘Last Ride’ and Kodi who’s career has started to skyrocket that starred in ‘The Road’ and the upcoming American Adaption of the Spanish film ‘Let the Right One in” titled “Let me In” opposite Chloe Moretz(Kick-Ass). These two talent actors spent time in actual cancer wards to research the role and are both equally sensational in there portrayal of these very sick kids.
I will say the some of the dialog is extremely weak but when you look at the film as a whole it’s all quite forgivable. Nadia Tass is an extremely talented director and the shots around Melbourne are beautiful, this story will touch the hearts of anyone with children and anybody who has experienced a family member with cancer.
MATCHING JACK is a story of love, honesty and hope. I give this film 4 out of 5 Stars…
In Cinemas 19th August