Saw The Castle, an Australian film about a family living right next to the airport runway. Crisis comes in the form of a land-grab by the conglomerate that owns the airport, forcing the family out of their home. Unable to stand for this, they fight it in court. The central family is unbelievably lovable. The film is narrated by the son of the family who is so absurdly stupid it may well be that we were supposed to assume he was retarded. The family members are all fairly dumb. The mother constructs hideous hand-crafts out of potato-chip bags and spray paint. One son constantly buys random things from the classified ads so their house is filled with exercise equipment and knicknacks. They're most proud of their daughter, the only one who went to college (barber.) They're so stupid and poor, but they are lovely. They so clearly love each other and have not only survived in these margins of society but thrive there.
The film is a comedy that pokes fun of its subjects but also loves them and portrays them as worthy of love. A rare thing for any film, doubly so for a comedy. It's a sweet film, life-affirming and kind. The evil conglomerate heads are left offscreen but even the opposition lawyers come off as well-meaning professionals. It's a lovely film.
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