Spotswood (The Efficiency Expert) (1991)

67% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(919 ratings)

Also released as Spotswood, The Efficiency Expert stars Anthony Hopkins as Wallace, a cold-blooded management consultant, infamous for radically "downsizing" every firm he comes in contact with. Wallace's latest assignment is to streamline a small, family-owned shoe factory in Australia. As he gets… More Also released as Spotswood, The Efficiency Expert stars Anthony Hopkins as Wallace, a cold-blooded management consultant, infamous for radically "downsizing" every firm he comes in contact with. Wallace's latest assignment is to streamline a small, family-owned shoe factory in Australia. As he gets to know the eccentric (and endearingly inefficient) factory workers, Wallace undergoes a slow-but-sure "humanizing" process. Eventually realizing that he can simultaneously cut costs and preserve the dignity of the workers, he finds a way to modernize the operation without a single firing. In traditional fashion, the main story shares screen time with a romantic subplot involving the factory-owner's son and a female employee. Characterized by many critics as "Capraesque," The Efficiency Expert also bears trace of all those Ealing comedies of the 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Mark Joffe
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 6, 1992 Wide
On DVD: Feb 6, 2007
Studio: Miramax

Critic Reviews

Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
The eccentricities of the characters and the nostalgia emanating from the wonderfully evocative production design by Chris Kennedy all add up to a charming film of considerable entertainment value. It is a minor classic of Australian cinema.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This is a minor comedy, in the style of Ealing films from the 1950s, of the little man against the bureaucrats.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Pretty lame for a film that had some top notch familiar faces in their earlier careers. Such a waste...but I guess that they had to start somewhere.