| Strange Bedfellows | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Dean Murphey |
| Produced by | Thomas Augsberger |
| Written by | Stewart Faichney Dean Murphy |
| Starring | Paul Hogan Michael Caton |
| Cinematography | Roger Lanser Sean McClory |
| Editing by | Peter Carrodus |
| Release date(s) | Australia: 22 April 2004 United States: 15 October 2005 |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Strange Bedfellows is a 2004 Australian film starring Paul Hogan and Michael Caton as heterosexual men who pass themselves off as a homosexual couple in order to get financial benefits from the government. A Stage Musical based on the film is being staged at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne.
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A very similar plot was later used in the American film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007), generating controversy that Chuck and Larry may be a clone of Strange Bedfellows.[1][2][3] In November 2007 the producers of Strange Bedfellows initiated legal action against Universal Pictures for copyright violation.[4]The suit was withdrawn in April 2008 after the producers of Strange Bedfellows received an early draft of Chuck and Larry that predated their film, satisfied that they had not been plagiarized.[5]
The Sydney Morning Herald took a negative view of the film, concluding that "[Paul] Hogan's "ordinary bloke" humour was originally based on the fact that he once was one. He still plays the same character, but with less and less conviction."[6]
As of 23 May 2010[update], film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes indicated an overall tomatometer level of 80% positive reviews, with a 6.7/10 average rating.[7]
Strange Bedfellows grossed $4,816,495 at the box office in Australia, this represented over 40% of the entire box office for Australian films for 2004. The film was awarded the Film Finance Corporation Australia IF Award for Box Office Achievement.[8]