The Heartbreak Kid (1993 film)

The Heartbreak Kid is a 1993 Australian romantic comedy film directed by Michael Jenkins. It stars Claudia Karvan as Christina Papadopoulos, a 22-year-old Greek-Australian teacher who falls in love with her 17-year-old, soccer-obsessed student, Nick Polides, played by Alex Dimitriades.

The Heartbreak Kid
1993 VHS cover
Directed byMichael Jenkins
Written byMichael Jenkins
Richard Barrett
Produced byBen Gannon
StarringClaudia Karvan
Alex Dimitriades
Nico Lathouris
Steve Bastoni
Esme Melville
Scott Major
Bao Quach
Harry Shiamaris
Distributed byVillage Roadshow
Release date
17 June 1993
Running time
93 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguagesEnglish
Greek

The portrayal of a sexual relationship between an underage student and a teacher would be a crime, a fact not mentioned in the film.

The film was based on the 1987 stage play of the same name. It was filmed in the inner suburb of Prahran, Victoria, with many of its real students co-opted as extras. Scenes at the teacher's family home were shot in Avondale Heights in Melbourne's north-west.

Michael Jenkins and Ben Gannon developed the 1994 television series Heartbreak High as a spin-off of the film, with several cast members reprising their roles, reimagined in a Sydney setting.

Plot

Christina Papadopoulos is a 22-year-old school teacher, engaged to ambitious lawyer Dimitri. Christina's entire future seems planned out for her—albeit planned by her fiancé, her father and her priest.

Lively 17-year-old Nick Polides is a student in Christina's Greek class and a soccer fanatic who supports local Melbourne club South Melbourne FC. Nick finds himself attracted to Christina and makes numerous passes at her which she rebuffs. But her resistance begins to crumble as both begin to rebel against the constricting Greek-Australian cultural restraints put upon them.

When Christina becomes the manager of the school's newly formed soccer team, she and Nick begin to spend more time together outside of school hours. Though Christina is initially hesitant at Nick's continuous advances, she soon gives into impulses and engages in an illicit relationship with Nick. She uses the house left by her friend for rendezvous with Nick outside school hours. Their amorous relationship progresses quickly as they fall in love with each other. But as the news of their relationship leaks out, Christina faces severe shaming at her workplace. She is further berated by Nick's father for breaking the trust placed upon her as a teacher. Her fiancé learns of the relationship and gives her a choice that he is willing to let the matter slide if she promises to act as if her past with Nick never occurred. But Christina, by then very much in love with Nick and tired of her overbearing fiancé, breaks off the engagement and leaves to meet up with Nick. She tells Nick of her decision to leave Dimitri and mentions that she would be pursuing overseas postgraduate studies for two years until Nick graduates. An overjoyed Nick readily agrees and promises to meet up after two years. The film ends on a positive note with their kiss and soccer-play under the sun.

Cast

Soundtrack
  1. "The Heartbreak Kid" (John Clifford White) – John Clifford White
  2. "Teacher I Need You" (Elton John and Bernie Taupin) – Stephen Cummings
  3. "Love Is All Around" (Reg Presley) – The Persuasions
  4. "I Can Just (Lose Myself in You)" (Brian Cadd and David Hirschfelder) – Lisa Edwards
  5. "Vision" (Ashley Rothchild, James MacKinnon, Sean Fonti) – Caligula
  6. "One" (Paul Hewson, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., David Evans) – U2
  7. "True Love" (Art Neville, Daryl Johnson, Hawk Wolinski) – The Neville Brothers
  8. "Great Palaces of Immortal Splendour" (Single Gun Theory) – Single Gun Theory
  9. "Words Written Backwards" (Single Gun Theory) – Single Gun Theory
  10. "Mozart Requiem, K626 – Introitus" (Mozart) – Mezzo Soprano, Cecilia Bartoli, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
  11. "Mozart Requiem, K626 – Lacrimosa" (Mozart) – Mezzo Soprano, Cecilia Bartoli, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
  12. "Looking for Nick" (John Clifford White)
  13. "Father and Son" (John Clifford White)
  14. "Anthem" (John Clifford White)

Production

Mike Jenkins developed the script with Richard Barrett, who wrote the original play, over two years, doing around seven drafts. Jenkins and the cast then rehearsed for three weeks.[1] The Soccer scenes were filmed at South Melbourne's old ground at Middle Park (stadium) with Socceroo Con Boutsianis being the stand in for the soccer scenes involving Nick.[2]

Box office

The Heartbreak Kid took in A$2,658,819 at the box office, making it the 74th most successful Australian film (1966–2008).[3]

Awards and nominations

The Heartbreak Kid received three nominations at the 1993 Australian Film Institute Awards in the categories of Best Supporting Actor (Nico Lathouris), Best Director (Michael Jenkins) and Best Film (Ben Gannon).[4] The film was nominated for and won Best Screenplay at the Montreal World Film Festival in 1993.[5]

References
  1. Pat Gillespie, "Mike Jenkins: The Heartbreak Kid", Cinema Papers, August 1993 p18-21
  2. Paul (5 August 2015). "South of the Border – a South Melbourne Hellas blog: Greek studs and disco kings artefact Wednesday – Heartbreak Kid mementos". South of the Border – a South Melbourne Hellas blog. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  3. "Top 100 Australian films at the Australian box office, 1966–2008". Screen Australia. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  4. The Heartbreak Kid (1993) – IMDb, retrieved 12 September 2020
  5. "1993 FFM Awards". World Film Festival of Montreal. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
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