The Castle was released on April 10, 1997. By the end of 1997, the phrases “Tell him he’s dreaming”, “How’s the serenity?” and “This is going straight to the pool room” had entered our lexicon. Twenty-five years later, they’re still part of the national phrasebook.
The Castle’s most famous line, of course, is articulated by the hapless suburban lawyer Dennis Denuto in his memorable submission to the Federal Court judge: “In summing up, it’s the Constitution, it’s Mabo, it’s justice, it’s law, it’s the vibe, and… uh, no, that’s it, it’s the vibe.” What began as an incompetent submission in a funny movie is now occasionally used in actual courtroom discourse, where “the vibe” is a handy shorthand to refer to existing concepts such legislative intent.
This gem of a movie wasn't just a comedy. It was our fantasy of egalitarianism, family, community and popular notions of individual justice but, of course, they were different times back then. Australians harboured a brighter view of people’s rights, access to the law, their ability to own their own home ... just, the vibe of the thing.
It’s a real heart-warmer of a movie, mostly because it lets us escape for an hour-and-a-half into a world that is governed by principles of fairness and justice. If only the same principles would govern Australia today.
