A serving of bland cuts and worse jokes, The BBQ reminds that Australian comedy has a long way to go to earn a decent laugh.

In The BBQ, one character makes reference to the “Kerrigans, who live down the street”. Now anyone who knows their Barry McKenzie from their Alvin Purple knows this refers to The Castle, the 1997 hit that still stands as the best Australian comedy of all time. It’s also a stark reminder that those days are far behind us, especially considering the recent drop of comedy’s that have failed to even make Australian audiences crack a smile.

The BBQ is a recent case in point. Directed by Stephen Amis (The 25th Reich), this latest Aussie comedy has 5 (!) credited screenwriters yet not a decent joke between them. Starring Australian comedy stalwarts Shane Jacobson and Magda Szubanski, the hope was the even if things were dire, their charismatic personalities would be able to keep things lively. No such luck, with The BBQ a personality void dud of a comedy, undercooked in its writing and bland in its delivery.

Jacobson stars as Dazza, a loving husband and father who claims to be a descendant of Captain James Cook (British explorer who was the first European to discover what we now call Australia). Dazza’s passion is barbequing, especially for his family and friends during his famed Saturday BBQ feasts, one which turns to disaster after he accidentally gives his guests food poisoning. Determined to redeem himself in the eyes of his family and the community, Dazza enters an international barbeque competition, under the tutelage of feared, tyrannical Scottish chef known as “The Butcher” (Magda Szubanski.)

The pairing of Jacobson and Szubanski is the films lone strength. Aside from both being stalwarts of Australian comedy, their respective shticks – Jacobson the everyday man, Szubanski’s Scottish aggressor imitation - are at full capacity throughout the film. Yet this also results in a restrictive space where their characters are unable to fully form themselves. It’s probably something they could get away with in a sketch, yet not a 91-minute feature.

And what a dirge of an experience that 91 minutes is. As directed by Stephen Amill, this slog of a movie fails in all its facets. Comedy? Hardly any laughs. Family drama? Lacks emotion and depth. Pick up your bootstraps battler story? Characters lack sympathy. Worst yet, its greatest disadvantage as a movie about cooking, is The BBQ fails to serve any visuals of mouth watering dishes. Yes, this is a film that makes juicy steak look like cardboard.

What The BBQ does serve us is an overwrought, amateur attempt at trying to gain laughs through an unlikely battler story. May those who try to make an Aussie comedy not follow its recipe for disaster.