Gettin' Square

Home media

Gettin' Square was first released on DVD by Columbia Tristar in 2003. The DVD is compatible with region 4 and includes special features such as deleted scenes, a Popcorn Taxi Q&A, interviews with Jonathan Teplitzky, Chris Nyst, Timothy Spall, David Wenham, and audio commentary with Jonathan Teplitzky and Chris Nyst. It was re-released by Umbrella Entertainment in September 2011.^[6]

Box office

According to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia, Gettin' Square grossed $2,137,749, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2003 in Australia.^[7] VicScreen, formerly known as Film Victoria, reported that it made $2,292,587.^[2]

Critical response

David Stratton of Variety described the film as "a cleverly scripted, very Australian crime comedy" and "a feel-good combination of suspense and laughs distinguished by superb performances." Stratton also wrote, "Although the situations in the script are not new, Chris Nyst's characters and salty dialogue add freshness and energy."^[8]

Frank Hatherley of Screen Daily stated, "Teplitzky keeps the action flowing, jolting his audience with odd angles and never-still camera movements." Hatherley also noted, "The cast are excellent, revelling in Nyst's free-flowing comic dialogue, modern Aussie slang effortlessly raised to a street smart poetry. But it's David Wenham who makes the biggest impression," and called his performance "brilliant, career-enhancing."^[9]

Paul Byrnes of The Sydney Morning Herald commented, "The script works best when it's ruled by character, probably because Nyst knows the people he's writing about. When plot becomes more important, the film becomes just another crime movie."^[10]

The critic from The Age gave Gettin' Square 2.5 out of 5 stars and opined, "The film becomes overwhelmed by the narrative web of who is doing what to whom, the focus being on plot rather than pace. And while Worthington's character Barry is meant to be the lead, the film lacks sufficient focus on a central character arc."^[11]

Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian highlighted Wenham's "unmissable performance," writing that "Gettin' Square marks a rare comedic turn from Wenham and a performance so good it generated a loyal band of appreciators for whom his character's name, Johnny "Spit" Spitieri, will be forever synonymous with gales of laughter and highly quotable lines."^[12]