Not Suitable for Children

R

2012

1 hr. 37 min.

Romance

Comedy

List

88%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

53%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A womanizer (Ryan Kwanten) learns he has one month before he becomes sterile, so he tries to impregnate a woman before it's too late.

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Audience Member

Gets by on the charm of the two leads. Sometimes the rom/com aspect becomes blurred when you remember Josh's problem. But it's fresh and different and set in a modern social context. Recommended. Perfect funky music score.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

i don't like his performance, he has the same face all the entire movie...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Audience Member

A sweet comedy about a young player who discovers he has cancer and strives to find a woman to get pregnant in a few weeks. Kwanten shows he has life after True Blood as he is adorably cute. Its funny if not a little light

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

With great performances from the leads and a story that has a fair amount of heart with a few laughs, this film shines through the chemistry between Kwanten & Snook. Although the idea and set up were great, the execution is a mixed bag with moments in the film that didn't work too well and even dragged. Overall it's a fine Australian romantic "dramedy" that isn't a waste of your time. C+

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

Basically a good premise with the overuse of the setup/punch gag though a few too many times for my taste but not bad overall.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

Australia has never had the best track record for normal films. Transvesites in a winnebago, check. Bodies in barrels, check. So it shouldn't really be a surprise that a film about a guy's race against infertility should come out of Australia. When Jonah finds out that the treatment for his testicular cancer will make him sterile, he sets out on a mission to make a baby before his time runs out. Such a subject isn't the easiest to stretch out over an hour and a half, so it's a tribute to writers Michael Lucas and Peter Templeman that the film is constantly charming with a wry sense of humour and sarcasm, executed brilliantly by the three leads. The writers have also nailed the characters here, as each of them could easily be locked up in their own stereotypes, but instead are real and layered with hidden depths. Jonah in particular could easily come off as unlikeable after his funny moron schtick wears off, but instead his character imbues the movie with a childlike innocence, despite its initially crude subject matter. Templeman also has a keen ear for every day conversation and the awkward intricacies it brings. Some of the film's funniest moments are in the cringe-worthy conversations between a guy who needs to find someone who wants a kid immediately and his confused subject. At its centre, however, the film is a romantic comedy, and Templeman never forgets to focus on the real relationships developing behind the babymaking farce. The main romance never feels unrealistic or cheaply found. Instead, the two characters grow together naturally through their own developments as characters and understanding of themselves. Making these characters a reality is a fantastic cast who are perfect for each of their roles. At the front of the pack is Ryan Kwanten. Most people will know the Aussie star from True Blood but he has kept returning home to make independent, cleverly strange films like Griff the Invisible. Here, his Jonah has touches of Jason Stackhouse's stupidity but he's such a likeable guy that he's instantly endeared to the audience. His journey from aloof playboy to earnest adult is forced upon him at first, but by the end of the film he has made the journey in his own right. It's a performance which you can't help but like thanks to Kwanten's great comedic sensibility and an ability to convey a vulnerability and depth in what could easily be a shallow, unlikeable character. His counterpart, Sarah Snook, is more than a match for Jonah as the sarcastic Stevie. She's always the first one to point out the stupidity of a situation and bring a little sanity to the works. However, her sense of humour makes it tough for her to connect with others emotionally, something which Snook displays perfectly. Her awkward manouvering through a real conversation is as touching as it is funny. Ryan Corr provides even more to the comic relief side of things as Gus, the housemate constantly in the dark, constantly on the very edge of knowing what's going on. Other performances from Bojana Novakovic, Alice Parkinson and Laura Brent are welcome additions to an already great cast. Almost a member of the cast in its own right is the soundtrack. Full of an eclectic mix of party tracks and subtler, softer choices, the music does a great deal to heighten the film while also working in the crux of each scene. Peter Templeman's direction is a cut above your average indy film: confidently restrained, cleverly dynamic and unafraid of earnest emotion. He handles every beat of the film with the flair of someone who doesn't even realise this is their debut feature. Having written the script, Templeman very clearly understands his subject matter and his characters and, more importantly, how to convey this through his direction. Whether it's an incisive close-up during a key moment for a character or tracking an oblivious Jonah through a pulsing crowd, Templeman adds a mood and a beauty to his film through his camera. Australia can either make very good films or very bad films. For every Animal Kingdom there's going to be a Bait to follow it up. Not Suitable for Children wobbles a little throughout, but it ends firmly in the good column. Defining Scene: The cringe-worthy hilarity of an arrangement with a lesbian couple.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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Peter Templeman

Director

Ryan Kwanten

Jonah

Bojana Novakovic

Ava

Alice Parkinson

Alison

Laura Brent

Erica

Clare Bowen

Gypsy

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David Stratton

At the Movies (Australia)

What lifts this Australian romantic-comedy above the level of most of its Hollywood counterparts is the reality of the characters and the situations and the honesty of the film's approach.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 11, 2012

Full Review

Nick Dent

Time Out Sydney

You'll laugh all the way to the sperm bank.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 27, 2017

Full Review

Amber Wilkinson

Eye for Film

The premise sounds like a playpen for vulgarity but Michael Lucas's script is smarter than that.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 7, 2012

Full Review

Adam Ross

The Aristocrat

A film with great characters, laughs and earned emotion, Not Suitable isn't a revolutionary film, but it does what most of its romantic ilk doesn't: it actually works.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 27, 2012

Full Review

Alice Tynan

Limelight

A heartily welcome sex comedy with a few sneaky surprises.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 2, 2012

Full Review

Ed Gibbs

The Sun-Herald (Australia)

Performances are impressive - particularly Snook, who seems destined for greatness - with screenwriter Michael Lucas serving a suitably gentle helping of humour throughout.

Rated: 6/10

Jul 15, 2012

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Synopsis

A womanizer (Ryan Kwanten) learns he has one month before he becomes sterile, so he tries to impregnate a woman before it's too late.

Director: Peter Templeman
Executive Producer: Darren Ashton, Gary Hamilton, Bruna Papandrea
Screenwriter: Michael Lucas, Peter Templeman
Production Co: Screen NSW, Exit Films Inc., Frame, Set & Match, Wild Eddie
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Brief Drug Use|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014

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