Sometimes nostalgia betrays us. But seized by an urge to watch The Big Steal for the first time in at least 25 years, I’m pleased to report that the ’90s classic is as funny and charming as I remember it. Set in Melbourne, the 1990 movie stars Ben Mendelsohn as shy, clever Danny Clark, who has just turned 18 and gotten his eccentric parents’ prized 1963 Nissan Cedric as a birthday gift.
Ben Mendelsohn and Claudia Karvan in The Big Steal. Apart from cars, Danny’s main interest in life is his gorgeous classmate Joanna Johnson (Claudia Karvan). To his astonishment, she agrees to go on a date with him, and, figuring it will impress her, he promises to pick her up in a Jaguar.
Trading in the Cedric for a Jag sold by a seedy car dealer is his only hope of keeping his word, but how far will Danny get before his plan (and the car) blows up in his face? Among the film’s many cracking lines, the most memorable is Danny’s parents’ endearing recurring bit about their son’s name. When Edith (Maggie King) calls out to her husband Desmond (Marshall Napier) to remind him it’s Danny’s birthday, he stops cleaning the caravan and turns to his wife with a twinkle in his eye. “Would that be Daniel the lion tamer, or Daniel our son?” “Daniel our son,” Edith responds, party hat on head, beaming proudly.
When Desmond later finds out that Danny has traded in the Cedric, he is apoplectic. Staggering into the backyard, shaking fists raised, he emits a roar as loud and long a.