''Wendy Cracked a Walnut'' (also known as ''...Almost'') is a 1990 Australian romantic fantasy/

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Michael Pattinson Michael Pattinson (born 1957) is an Australian film director. He has directed over 40 films and television shows since 1980. In 1987, along with Bruce Myles, he co-directed the film ''Ground Zero''. It was entered into the 38th Berlin Interna ...

and starring

Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Lisa Arquette (; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film ''The Executioner's Song ( ...

and

Bruce Spence Bruce Spence (born 17 September 1945) is a New Zealand–Australian actor. Spence has amassed over 100 film and television credits and has also acted in theatre. Biography Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1971 comedy ...

Plot

Wendy is unhappy with her life and with her preoccupied husband, Ronnie. She reads

Mills and Boon Mills & Boon is a romance imprint of British publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. It was founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon as a general publisher. The company moved towards escapist fiction for women in the 1930s. In 1971, the ...

romantic novels and dreams of a new life featuring a dream lover, Jake.

Cast

as Wendy *

as Ronnie *

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six AACTA Awards, Australian Academy of Cinema and Tel ...

as Jake *

Kerry Walker Kerry Ann Walker is an Australian actress. She has had a lengthy career on both stage and screen. She was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role three times, in 1985 for ''Bliss'', 1986 for ''Twelfth Night'' and in 1 ...

as Deidre *

Doreen Warburton Doreen Warburton (22 March 1930 – 19 July 2017) was an Australian actress, director, and theatre co-founder. Biography Evelyn Doreen Warburton was born in London on 22 March 1930. At 18 she began her theatre career with the Theatre Worksho ...

as Elsie * Desiree Smith as Cynthia *

Susan Lyons Susan Lyons (born 1958, Sydney) is an Australian actress. Her television appearances include: ''A Country Practice'', ''Police Rescue'', ''Murder Call'', ''Farscape'', ''Something in the Air'' and '' All Saints''. Her film appearances includ ...

as Caroline *

Betty Lucas Betty Helen Lucas (31 May 1924 – 7 April 2015), also known as Betty Lucas Peterson, was an Australian character actress and theatre director, known for her numerous roles on stage and television, starting from the post-WWII years in 1945. Biog ...

as Mrs. Taggart * Dennis Hoey as Sonny Taggart * Douglas Hedge as Mr. Leveredge * Barry Jenkins as Pierre

Production

It was the first theatrical film from the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

Reception

The film wasn't well received critically or commercially.

David Stratton David James Stratton (born 10 September 1939) is an English-Australian award-winning film critic, as both a journalist and interviewer, film historian and lecturer and television personality and producer. Life and career Born in Trowbridge, ...

of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "limply executed" and "unconvincing". It grossed only A$43,074 in Australia. It was released in the U.S.

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

under the title ''...Almost''.

References

External links

*
''Wendy Cracked a Walnut''
at Oz Movies Australian romantic comedy films 1990 films Films scored by Bruce Smeaton 1990s English-language films 1990s Australian films {{1990s-Australia-film-stub