The Efficiency Expert

Stars: Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Howard's End, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Chaplin), Ben Mendelsohn (The Year My Voice Broke). Released in theaters in 1992 under the title Spotswood, this on-again, off-again Australian comedy set in 1966 bears resemblance to Bill Forsyth's Local Hero in its exploration of what happens when modern ideas descend on a sleepy little town. Here, modernity takes the form of Erroll Wallace (Anthony Hopkins, whose understated performance is impeccable), an efficiency expert who's called in to evaluate the Ball's Moccasin factory in the little outback village of Spotswood. Wallace, who is having difficulty keeping his marriage running smoothly, has no trouble deciding what's wrong with the Ball's factory: the knitters gossip, the warehouse guys take some time to work on their slot car models, and the office boys are busy chasing skirt. In other words, the problem is people being people. Everywhere he turns, the bewildered Wallace sees inefficiency; therefore he devises new ways to increase output (which the employees, of course, have no problem getting around). A less effective subplot involving a young worker's infatuation with the boss's stuck-up daughter, ignoring the girl who really loves him, is both predictable and time-consuming. Still, although The Efficiency Expert suffers from a condition common to beer guzzling couch potatoes (namely, midriff bulge), the final reel, which puts Wallace into the world of slotcar racing, is strong. On balance, an engaging little slice-of-life that's relevant to today's economic realities. Audience: Families looking for light, warm-hearted, comedy; as well as those interested in human--as opposed to slapstick--comedy.