The Castle was just voted Australia’s favourite movie of all time – and it’s an absolute ripper

You little ripper! The Castle has just cemented itself as Australia’s favourite movie of all time in a massive nationwide reader poll conducted by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Every true-blue Aussie has seen this 1997 comedy classic, directed by Rob Sitch and produced by Melbourne’s Working Dog. The light-hearted storyline follows the quirky Kerrigan family as they fight to save their beloved family home from a ruthless airport expansion.

Arguably the most quotable film in Australian movie history, folks still drop one-liners from working-class battler Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) nearly three decades on. Standing his ground against developers intent on expanding the nearby airport, his battle cry of “How’s the serenity?” is as enduring as his “tell him he’s dreamin’!” Then there’s useless lawyer Dennis Denuto (Tiriel Mora) arguing the eviction notice is against “the vibe” of the constitution.

Tropfest founder John Polson says, “Ingenious in its simplicity. Hilarious and deceptively wise. Low budget in all the best ways: all that matters is everything else. It celebrates the heart of Australia with charm. Characters we all recognise. Too many iconic lines to mention (e.g. 'pool room', 'wogs with cash', 'serenity'). Still makes me laugh out loud, even when I’m not watching it. One of those films I’ll never skip a chance to watch."

In the reader poll tracking more than 15,000 votes, The Castle has an impressive lead with 2,000 votes and counting, outpacing Gallipoli (1,800+ votes), Muriel's Wedding (1,600+) and Strictly Ballroom (1,500+).

Alongside the public vote, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald challenged a star-studded jury of 24 film industry experts to rank the absolute top 50 Australian movies of all time. The Castle landed in 22nd place, with the top honour going to Warwick Thornton’s 2009 romantic drama Samson & Delilah.

Australia’s 10 favourite films of all time

1. The Castle
2. Gallipoli
3. Muriel’s Wedding
4. Strictly Ballroom
5. The Dish
6. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
7. Picnic at Hanging Rock
8. Lantana
9. Rabbit-Proof Fence
10. Mad Max

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