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‘I am left grinning’: why The Dish is my feelgood movie

The latest in our series of writers picking their most loved comfort films is a 2000 Australian gem featuring the late Sam Neill After the shock of Sam Neill’s death, I was surprised just how hard the news hit me. I don’t usually take a celebrity death so deeply to heart and yet here I was struggling to stem the weeping. There is no denying he holds a special place in my movie-watching life: he’s Dr Alan Grant from Jurassic Park, for goodness sake. I first saw the Spielbergian masterpiece at the age of five and Neill’s passionate, intelligent and empathetic scientist was the coolest hero my young mind could hope for (when it wasn’t overwhelmed with terror). Then, in my early teens, I got introduced to another hero role of Neill’s, the equally passionate, intelligent and empathetic scientist Cliff Buxton, from The Dish. Directed by Rob Sitch, the 2000 based-on-a-true-story drama is a warm

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The latest in our series of writers picking their most loved comfort films is a 2000 Australian gem featuring the late Sam Neill After the shock of Sam Neill’s death, I was surprised just how hard the news hit me. I don’t usually take a celebrity death so deeply to heart and yet here I was struggling to stem the weeping. There is no denying he holds a special place in my movie-watching life: he’s Dr Alan Grant from Jurassic Park, for goodness sake. I first saw the Spielbergian masterpiece at the age of five and Neill’s passionate, intelligent and empathetic scientist was the coolest hero my young mind could hope for (when it wasn’t overwhelmed with terror). Then, in my early teens, I got introduced to another hero role of Neill’s, the equally passionate, intelligent and empathetic scientist Cliff Buxton, from The Dish. Directed by Rob Sitch, the 2000 based-on-a-true-story drama is a warm

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According to The Guardian’s linked report, ‘I am left grinning’: why The Dish is my feelgood movie, The latest in our series of writers picking their most loved comfort films is a 2000 Australian gem featuring the late Sam Neill After the shock of Sam Neill’s death, I was surprised just how hard the news hit me. I don’t usually take a celebrity death so deeply to heart and yet here I was struggling to stem the weeping. There is no denying he holds a special place in my movie-watching life: he’s Dr Alan Grant from Jurassic Park, for goodness sake. I first saw the Spielbergian masterpiece at the age of five and Neill’s passionate, intelligent and empathetic scientist was the coolest hero my young mind could hope for (when it wasn’t overwhelmed with terror). Then, in my early teens, I got introduced to another hero role of Neill’s, the equally passionate, intelligent and empathetic scientist Cliff Buxton, from The Dish. Directed by Rob Sitch, the 2000 based-on-a-true-story drama is a warm

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The development sits in VINI’s Culture coverage for readers following arts, entertainment, fashion, film, music, celebrity, and the business of culture. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The linked report is dated 2026-08-10T09:00:40+00:00.

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Primary source: ‘I am left grinning’: why The Dish is my feelgood movie via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.

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