Joffa the Movie

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Joffa the Movie's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Joffa the Movie completed by The Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 30 August 2010.

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines.

ACCM review

This review of the movie Joffa the Movie contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Joffa the Movie is a mockumentary depicting the daily life of Joffa Corfe, a fanatical Collingwood supporter who runs a handyman business with his sidekick Shane (Shane McRae). Joffa and Shane have a knack for getting into trouble, which drives the local  priest Father Bob McGuire (played by himself) to the point of total distraction.

The pair’s friendship becomes strained when Shane starts falling asleep at work, causing Joffa and Shane to lose jobs. Then to make matters worse, Joffa catches Shane going through his wallet and ends the friendship, sending Shane packing. Shane, however, has a big surprise for his old friend.

Themes

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

None of concern

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

Joffa the Movie contains occasional low-level violence, some of it verbal, and some of which is slapstick in nature. Examples include:

• On several occasions Joffa shouts at Shane in an abusive manner.
  In a couple of occasions Joffa uses either his hand or a rolled up paper to hit Shane across the top of his head.
• While Joffa and Shane are out driving, a second car follows them, full of men shouting abuse at Shane for driving a Volvo. Shane drives off and the second car follows them and pulls in front when Shane stops. The abusive men get out of their car and smash the windscreen on Shane’s Volvo before throwing their drinks over the windscreen, they then get back into their car and drive off.
• During a business management course, Shane is repeatedly ridiculed and demeaned by one of the other participants.
• Shane gets into a fight with a man at a workshop. The two men grab each other by the throat and push and shove each other.
• Scenes of rough and tumble play during a football game
• After catching Shane going through his wallet, Joffa grabs Shane by the throat and pushes him about.

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

Some children may be concerned by scenes of accidental harm including:

• While working on a construction site Shane falls on a piece of wood, straddling it and injuring his groin. He appears to be in a degree of pain.
• Joffa accidentally smashes and crushes an unoccupied car with an excavator.

Aged eight to thirteen

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Children in this age group are unlikely to be disturbed by anything in this film

Over the age of thirteen

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children in this age group are unlikely to be disturbed by anything in this film

Product placement

None of concern

Sexual references

The film contains a couple of mild suggestive sexual references. Examples include:

• Joffa and Shane have the slogan “Anything, Anytime, Anywhere”. Joffa questions Shane about the meaning behind their new slogan and infers that it has sexual connotations.
• Joffa and Shane are called to a job which turns out to be a massage for 97 year-old Mavis, who used to go to the dances with Ron Barassi’s father. We hear Joffa making some cryptic remarks about their slogan “Anything, Anytime, Anywhere”. Mavis tells Shane that she has the coconut oil out and that after Shane has used the coconut oil on her they would “see what happens”. Shane is gets back into the car later, refusing to talk about the experience. 

Nudity and sexual activity

None of concern

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

• A couple of scenes depict gatherings at football clubs with men holding glasses of beer
• Men holding bottles of beer at Joffa’s birthday barbecue party.

Coarse language

Joffa the movie contains frequent coarse language and put downs. Example include:

• Balls, pissed on, pissed off, shut up, for god’s sake, Christ, Jesus Christ, Idiot, shit food, goat’s balls, bloody hell, turn to shit, what the hell, crap, stuff up, get stuffed,  take a piss, shit, dick head, bloody bastard, wuss.  

The movie's message

Joffa the Movie is a light-hearted mockumentary targeting an adult audience, but which may appeal to those adolescents with an interest in football. The film has some funny moments, particularly those involving Father Bob.

The main messages from this movie are:

• Working together as a team is what wins the game
• Mateship is one of the most important and meaningful things in life.