Though you might think it sets itself up as a fable in the tradition of Strictly Ballroom, this hit Australian film is mostly of a much darker hue. There are serious, even disturbing, undertones to its story of a frumpy girl from a family of couch potatoes looking for Mr Right. Most of these characters are a few steps away from being suicidal, and one of them ends up that way. Muriel herself (strongly played by Toni Collette) is a compulsive liar and thief kept out of the hands of the law by her influential father, whose downtrodden wife asks him for how much she should make out a blank cheque. Clearing out her dad's account, Muriel jets off for a dream holiday on which she meets a high-living school chum, Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths) - there's a wonderful scene where they sing an Abba number together. The girls flee to Sydney but, alas, after a few heady flings, Rhonda develops cancer of the spine and Muriel finds herself pushing her around in a wheelchair. Although the ending is determinedly upbeat, you may find yourself shifting uneasily at this study of helplessness and hopelessness in the big city suburbs - as well as questioning the actions of the characters.

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