IMDb 6.4 1997 HD

Idiot Box

Idiot Box

1997
Comedy Crime Drama Thriller
85 min R Australia
5 / 10
6.4 IMDB

Mick and Kev – bored, unemployed and aimless in the western suburbs of Sydney – decide to rob a bank, more or less for the fun of it.

Personnel // Cast & Crew

Director David Caesar
Starring
Ben Mendelsohn / Jeremy Sims / John Polson / Graeme Blundell / Deborah Kennedy / Robyn Loau / Amanda Muggleton / David Wenham

How Viewers Describe This Film

Common themes and sentiments

boredom dark humour bleak character-driven aimless raw Australian desperate compelling understated flawed suburban

Reviews

S
Sophia Chen
May 14, 2026
3.5 / 5
3.5

This Australian gem, 'Idiot Box', is a compelling character study disguised as a crime caper. Ben Mendelsohn and Jeremy Sims deliver superb performances as Mick and Kev, two unemployed men in Sydney's western suburbs whose overwhelming boredom leads…

M
Marcus Thorne
May 14, 2026
2.5 / 5
2.5

In 'Idiot Box', the titular device might as well refer to the characters' brains. Mick and Kev, played by Ben Mendelsohn and Jeremy Sims, are so profoundly bored they decide a bank heist is a sensible weekend activity.…

G
Genevieve Dubois
May 14, 2026
4.0 / 5
4.0

'Idiot Box' is a refreshingly unvarnished look at two men suffocating under the weight of their own inertia. Ben Mendelsohn and Jeremy Sims embody Mick and Kev with a raw, magnetic energy that anchors the film. Their decision…

A
Arthur Pendelton
May 14, 2026
3.0 / 5
3.0

This 1997 offering, 'Idiot Box', plunges us into the stagnant waters of unemployment and aimlessness in Sydney's outer suburbs. Mick and Kev, portrayed with a convincing blend of listlessness and burgeoning recklessness by Ben Mendelsohn and Jeremy Sims,…

E
Eleanor Vance
May 14, 2026
3.5 / 5
3.5

Beneath its seemingly simple premise, 'Idiot Box' offers a surprisingly sharp, if occasionally bleak, portrayal of suburban ennui. Ben Mendelsohn and Jeremy Sims are perfectly cast as Mick and Kev, two mates whose overwhelming boredom propels them towards…

FAQs

The film delves into themes of boredom, existential ennui, and the desperate search for meaning or excitement in monotonous lives. Mick and Kev's ill-conceived bank robbery serves as a catalyst, exposing the consequences of impulsive actions driven by a lack of purpose. It’s a commentary on a certain kind of aimlessness found in suburban Australia, questioning what drives people to such extreme measures.