set against the colourful background of the cappuccino culture of adelaide's fashionable rundle street , the low budget comedy spank ! is both an embarrassment and a disappointment . the main problem lies with the underdeveloped script from first time writer david farrell , and the lack of control over the material displayed by first time director ernie clark , making an inauspicious debut . nick ( mario gamma ) and his friend vinny ( checc musolino ) decide that they want to go into business together and open their own cafe . they enter into a partnership with wannabe local wheeler and dealer rocky pisoni ( vince poletto , recently seen in jackie chan's mr nice guy ) , who agrees to bankroll the enterprise . rocky has power of attorney over his ailing father's business . although he dresses sharply he has few clues about successfully running a business . he uses bully boy tactics to oversee his father's vast investments , but he is largely ineffectual . the dubious deal quickly comes unstuck as the characters' egos and personalities take over . nick is lazy and obnoxious , and thinks he's a real charmer with the ladies . vinny lacks money , and turns to his girl friend tina ( lucia mastrantone ) for financial help . she initially advises him against becoming involved in any dealing with nick and rocky . before long there is competition between the various players to open their own establishments . intended as a satire with something constructive to say about the rich diversity of ethnic culture and experiences in contemporary australia , spank ! misfires badly . clark has completely misjudged the tone and mood of the material , and this comedy actually has very little genuine humour . wogs out of work and head on explored similar issues and characters in far more emphatic and compelling fashion . clark , a former cinematographer , makes good use of locations to provide the film with atmosphere and character . but his lack of experience shows in the quality of performances he draws from his cast . the performances are pitched at a hysterically overwrought level in which stereotypes are reduced to the level of caricature . any nuances are bludgeoned into submission . poletto gives a completely unbelievable and outrageous performance as rocky , and his grating and unbearable character wears out his welcome even before the film is half over . gamma captures nick's overbearing personality beautifully with an energetic but unsubtle performance . robert mammone ( heaven's burning , etc ) plays paulie , the film's conscience , although his thoughtful and restrained performance almost seems to belong in another film . jo ( victoria dixon-whittle ) is a thankless cliché , a woman who dumps her narcissistic but wealthy lover , who treats her with contempt , for another man who treats her with respect . only theatre veteran mastrantone gives a more positive portrayal of a strong , modern woman with her performance as the independent , assertive and confident tina . for a first feature spank ! lacks spark , polish and spunk . it is a huge disappointment , especially when compared to the recent achievements of gregor jordan with his superb debut two hands . even the local distributors seem to have recognised its overall lack of quality and audience appeal , and have decided to release spank ! straight to video in melbourne and sydney . 
