Review by Steve Bennett

However, it doesn’t take a Jerry Bruckheimer to realise that an hour taking the mickey out of the overwrought hyperbole of your average Hollywood promo will offer fairly slim pickings for a full hour.

So what mcginlay has done is fuse his cinematic obsession with something a lot more personal – a quest to discover the truth about his grandfather, about whom he know very little. He knows he has too few leads to ever be able to piece together the full story of his life, but he hopes, at least, to be able to determine the highlights: a trailer version of his life, no less.

Unfortunately, the rather forced union of the two subjects proves problematical. His Who Do You Think You Are-style research into his family history is fascinating, but it’s undermined by the constant, and repetitive, remaking of the trailer, revised after each new piece of information is unearthed.

The short spoof films are well made, but after a while begin to spoil the flow of the core story, which the likeable and confident mcginlay tells with skill.

Some of the jokes, however, are obvious and ill judged. mcginlay’s grandfather was from Donegal, and I lost count of the number of times the word ‘potato’ was said in a jauntily exaggerated, leprechaun-y accent. Australians (and North Americans for that mater) seem to find this potentially offensive stereotype endlessly hilarious, for some reason.

Yet what stands out through all these flaws in mcginlay’s talents as an entertaining storyteller – which is possibly the main reason for disappointment every time he hides behind the screen to show another video. We want to hear what he has to say without such distractions.

His stand-up skills are evident, too, in the preamble gently mocking his lack of achievements as an actor in Australia and the UK. But unlike many thespians who turn to comedy, stand-up comes naturally to him.

The mystery over who his grandfather really was gives the show a solid, fascinating basis which mcginlay is adept at building on. He doesn’t need quite so many of the whistles and bells the movie trailer maguffin provides to ‘enhance’ it.

Reviewed by: Steve Bennett

Review date: 1 Apr 2008
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett