Twenty-one years ago the Australian film Stange Bedfellows made its debut.
Starring Paul Hogan and Michael Caton, it told the story of two mates in small town who decide to pretend they are a gay couple to cash in on the tax benefits.
Crocodile Dundee star Hogan plays Vince Hopgood, a local businessman who owns a cinema and a couple of other small businesses. He’s facing difficulty playing his taxes due to his divorce, which has left him strapped for cash.
After hearing about a new tax break given to same-sex couples he convinces best mate Ralph Williams (Caton) to pretend to be his other half, just on paper for the tax breaks. The pair are both members of the local volunteer fire brigade.
It’s hard to keep a secret in small town though, and soon the new couple have to keep up the pretense so they don’t get busted for tax fraud. To make matters more complicated Ralph’s daughter Carla who has unexpectedly arrived with some news of her own.
The film was a big hit with Australian audiences who loved two of Australia’s most iconic actors coming together for the project.
While Hogan is adored for his Crocodile Dundee persona, Caton has a special place in the nation’s heart thanks to his role as Darryl Kerrigan in The Castle.
Following the success of Crocodile Dundee in the 1980s Hogan’s follow up films had not enjoyed the same level of success. 1990s Almost an Angel was a critical and commercial failure, and 1994’s Lightening Jack was also savaged by critics.
Hogan appeared in Flipper in 1996 and returned to the Crocodile Dundee franchise in 2001. After a raft of poor box office results, Strange Bedfellows was a success.
It was the most successful Australian film of 2004, with 40% of the local box office attributed to the title. The film probably has not aged well, filled with stereotypes about gay couples and language that makes you cringe.
Also in the cast were many notable Australian actors including Paula Duncan, Roy Billing and Shane Withington. British actor Pete Postlethwaite is in the cast too.
Plagiarism concerns
In 2007 the US film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James was released.
It told the story of two New York firefighters pretending they are gay so they can access healthcare benefits for one of their children.
Audiences and film critics noted the very similar plot to the Australian film from just two years earlier, and the producers filed a lawsuit against the US film.
The latter was resolved when the team behind I Now Pronounce You Check and Larry were able to show they had begun a draft of their script way before the Australian film was developed.
