The Big Steal
Clip 2: Mr Johnson gets heavy
2 min 58 sec
Taken from the feature The Big Steal (1990)
Original title classification not known – this clip chosen to be PG
Availability of the complete title
Curator’s clip description
Danny (Ben Mendelsohn) arrives at the Johnson house for his first date with Joanna (Claudia Karvan). Mr Johnson (Tim Robertson) scares the daylights out of him, with very specific warnings that Joanna is only too familiar with. Danny is relieved to get going in his new car.
Curator’s notes
The comedy is already there in the writing with this scene, but it’s made much richer by the performances; Ben Mendelsohn’s gawky respectfulness, calling Mr Johnson ‘sir’, and Tim Robertson’s ‘secret’ aggression, coupled with disdain. Joanna’s surprise attack on her father’s predictability tells us all we need to know about their uneasy relationship. He’s a bully and a blowhard, and she’s already a lot smarter than him.
Paul Byrnes, curator
