Stan and George's New Life

Stan is a shy, none too quick-witted 40-year-old who abandons the tedium of the family barber's shop for the relative excitement of a clerical job in a backwater meteorological office; George - perhaps the only sane person to work there - is the dumpy but determined girl of his dreams. McKenzie's oddball romantic comedy has a tendency towards lethargic pacing, but Chubb and Forsyth are credible and engaging as the misfit lovers; and if you ignore the contrived conspiracy subplot, the quirky account of office politics offers some sharp insights. Though not nearly as good as Jane Campion's work, its similar eye for absurdity is far from negligible.