Kangaroo

Kangaroos have had a rough time in Australian cinema. But if the likes of Snowtown and Wake in Fright showed the perils of being pouched and hoppy in God’s own country, here’s a feel-warm-inside family roo-mance to finally celebrate the humble marsupial.

Kangaroo is based on the true story of Chris Barns, an Aussie who discovered his purpose setting up a kangaroo sanctuary in Alice Springs. He found fame via social media and earned the nickname ‘Kangaroo Dundee’. The fact that his journey began with him running over a roo and adopting the surviving joey gave the story the kind of twist that’s absolute bait for screenwriters. 

House of the Dragon’s Ryan Corr plays ambitious TV weatherman Chris Masterman, a very loose version of Barns, who boasts all the urbanite traits that get right up the noses of rural Australians. He’s conceited, he’s on the telly, he drives a fancy car and he uses moisturiser.

Disgraced and sacked when a career-enhancing attempt to save a dolphin at Bondi ends in disaster, he’s on his way to Broome when he runs over a roo and is left cradling her joey. The locals in the local Northern Territory community don’t want to know – kangaroos are a dime a dozen here – except for Charlie (Lily Whiteley), a young roo-loving loner channelling her grief for her dad into nurturing young joeys. She’s even willing to overlook his ‘fish killer’ rep.

It’s not doing anything wildly different, but it’ll put a smile on your face

Will the pair bond? Obviously, yes. But not before Chris loses the arrogance and embraces the value of this tight-knit community. Sarky landlady Jesse (Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Rachel House at her acerbic best) and Charlie’s mum Rosie (indigenous acting legend Deborah Mailman) are on hand to give him a boot in the right direction. 

Unfussily directed by Kate Woods with an eye for spectacular Outback landscapes and the extraordinary quality of light, Kangaroo is a gentle crowd-pleaser. I had a lovely time basking in the widescreen vistas and the inclusive spirit of the story, and most of the kangaroo action is Attenborough-worthy. Only Chris’s comically muscular roo nemesis, Roger, based on a real adult kangaroo Barns once spared with, is rendered with fake-looking CGI. 

Such a positive depiction of rural indigenous communities can only be a good thing, too, and Kangaroo has a love for the people, landscape and wildlife that leaves a warm glow. It’s not doing anything wildly different or unexpected, but it’ll put a smile on your face. 

In UK and Ireland cinemas Fri Jan 30.