Figure 1.--Here Jimmy and his friends are researching the pollution problem in the local river as part of a school project.

Jimmy is an Australian schoolboy aged about 13 years. He plays soccer and is a bit of an entrepeneur with big ideas--hence the title of this made-for-TV film which is also called "High Hopes". He is a Polish immigrant boy with big idea's hence the title of this film. and runs a small after school business which interferes with his schoolwork. His mum is widowed and works as a dressmaker'sewer at Gallea's a clothes maker. His mother cannot read English, so he translates his school reports (grade report cards) to her but decieves her with his progress. Mother is widowed. Evetually the school contacts her about his poor progress. Jimmy makes pocket money selling homemade mulch called 'Black Magic', but has to give up making it because of the fat lady next doorand his poor school reports. Mum bans him from working. They have a nosy neighbour who is always complaining to the authorities about the family. Mother puts up with a snobby snotty nosed neighbour who hates ethnics and who makes trouble for her and her boy. Justin Rosniak, a well- known Australian child actor plays Jimmy. He wears grey shorts (Midfords'Stubbies or King Gee), the summer uniform, at his Catholic high school in Melbourne as do other boys in this film.

Filmology

"Big Ideas" was a Channel 7 made for TV movie. It is akso called "High Hopes".

Setting

The film is set in Melbourne. Jummy who is Polish attends a Cathholic high school.

Cast

Justin Rosniak, a well-known Australian child actor, plays Jimmy--a year 8 high schoolboy. Gosia Dobrowolska plays his troubled but nice mum. 'Paul Chubb plays the bad truckie neighbour who is causing the polution in the river and is the snotty nosed fat lady's husband.

Plot

Jimmy is an Australian schoolboy aged about 13 years. He plays socce and is a bit of an entrepeneur. He is a Polish boy with big idea's hence the title of this film. and runs a small after school business which interferes with his schoolwork. His mum is widowed and works as a dressmaker'sewer at Gallea's a clothes maker. His mother cannot read English, so he translates his school reports (grade report cards) to her but decieves her with his progress. Mother is widowed. Evetually the school contacts her about his poor progress. Jimmy makes pocket money selling homemade mulch called 'Black Magic', but has to give up making it because of the fat lady next doorand his poor school reports. Mum bans him from working. They have a nosy neighbour who is always complaining to the authorities about the family. Mother puts up with a snobby snotty nosed neighbour who hates ethnics and who makes trouble for her and her boy. He befriends a middle aged single man with fading eyesight who strikes up a relationship with the boy's mum and the boy Jimmy Kovacs makes a automatic chicken feeder for the boyfriend but the neighbour dobs the mum in for making Jimmy work. Eventually Jimmy gets revenge on the neighbour. Jimmy does a task at school on pollution and he notices that the local river becomes polluted every Tuesday. Jimmy with some school friends forms a committee detirmined to find the culprit. Via the school project, they itrack the pollution to a flushout pipe. They take photos, collecting water samples, and writeup the thesis on computer. It turns out to be the next door neighbours husband who is arrested by the police who then come to investigate the neighbour for filing too many complaints.

Costuming

Some of the boys wear school grey shorts and the girls wear school attire orother dresses. The uniform includes grey jumpers, white shirt, ties, grey shorts smartly cut. Jimmy and his best friend Matt appear as Jerry Hammond's best friend and wore grey shorts in Skippy too but he is about 4 years younger in this earlier film. Matt wears a baseball cap with the Washington Redskins mottiff on it. The boys wear their uniform out of school, around the house and out in the streetscape as well. Jimmy wears short grey school trousers for most of the film with normally white sports socks. The shorts look 1980s, rather shorter than todays shorts. An Australian reader reports that they are Midfords'Stubbies or King Gee, the summer uniform, at his Catholic high school in Melbourne as do other boys in this film.

Created: 7:25 PM 1/19/2008
Last updated: 7:25 PM 1/19/2008