The Shrimp on the Barbie

"She's an ice-cool heiress. He's hot-to-trot. It's Desire Down Under!"

1990 1h 30m EN

😐

5.7

MID

★5.7TMDB · 43

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Carlos has failed in show-biz and currently works as a waiter in a Mexican restaurant. There he meets Alex and dumb footballer Bruce celebrating their engagement with her parents. Alex' father is less than thrilled of her fiancée and says he'd rather accept anybody else. Eventually Alex hires Carlos to present him as her new fiancée.

“She's an ice-cool heiress. He's hot-to-trot. It's Desire Down Under!”

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Cast

Cheech Marin
Carlos
Emma Samms
Alex
Vernon Wells
Bruce
Bruce Spence
Wayne
Carole Davis
Dominique
Terence Cooper
Sir Ian Hobart
Jeanette Cronin
Maggie
Gary McCormick
Gary Williams

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Gottlieb
Writers: Ronald E. House, Alan Shearman, Grant Morris
Languages: English
Countries: Australia, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Gottlieb, shot by Andrew Lesnie. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Peter D. Kaye. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Fred A. Chulack shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Cheech Marin and Emma Samms and Vernon Wells carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "She's an ice-cool heiress. He's hot-to-trot. It's Desire Down Under!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Gottlieb directs. Andrew Lesnie behind the camera. Peter D. Kaye scores. Fred A. Chulack cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Australia, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.
4Directed by Michael Gottlieb, shot by Andrew Lesnie. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Peter D. Kaye. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Fred A. Chulack shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Cheech Marin and Emma Samms and Vernon Wells carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "She's an ice-cool heiress. He's hot-to-trot. It's Desire Down Under!".
9IMDB entry: tt0100608 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.