There are times when the soul yearns for silly. And Leon Ford, an Australian writer-director, is here to provide with "Griff the Invisible," a mockery of super-hero movies with Ryan Kwanten just perfect as our title character, who checks the sky regularly in case the police commissioner is looking for him.
In real life, Griff is all too visible, arriving late for work almost every morning and being bullied by Tony (Toby Schmitz), the office creep. We never know what Griff actually does in his office cubicle, but that doesn't matter.
Griff's brother, Tim (Patrick Brammall), tries to look out for him, to advise him away from his dream-life and back to reality, but we know that isn't going to work, and it doesn't.
Our hopes rise when Griff meets a girl, the sweet and charming Melody (a delightful Maeve Dermody), but Griff thinks she's involved with someone else and backs off, to his dismay. Melody proves to be the right match, however, because she's of a scientific bent and understands the necessary steps for both her and Griff to take advantage of their super-hero skills.
Director Ford keeps everything simple, and the acting is delightful. It's easy to fall for both Griff and Melody and to hope they keep playing their little tune, where June rhymes with moon and spoon and soon.
I usually run for the ant-acid pills when cute takes over the screen, but this one won me over.
Griff the Invisible opens today at the Plaza Frontenac.
— Joe