FLAGBEARERS
MEN WITH BROOMS (2002)
Is there a more Canadian sport than curling? (Well, OK, hockey. But other than that one.) Paul Gross, this time directing and starring (with Canadian icon Leslie Nielsen) in a story of friendship, rivalry and, oddly, a line of marching beavers. But don’t worry, the closing credits assure us: “No beavers were harmed in the making of this film ... Honest!”
What makes a Canadian film, well, Canadian? (And how very Canadian of us to ask.) Many rightly cite the landmark status of 1970s Goin’ Down the Road (The Canadian Encyclopedia calls it ‘widely recognized as marking the beginning of the film industry in English Canada’), while others consider Gordon Pinsent’s role in The Rowdyman (1972) a quintessentially important Canadian story. For Canada Day, we offer some other small gems worthy of consideration — and maybe oddly relevant in today’s world. LAST NIGHT (1998)
With Y2K in mind, writer-director-star Don Mckellar, with co-star Sandra Oh, tells a small story about some friends confronting a big event — a little possibility called the end of the world. The credits even include “Special thanks to the director’s exploited friends.”
BON COP BAD COP (2006)
And of course what could be more Canadian than a little French-english cross-cultural tension and misunderstanding ? As the title suggests, two cops — one from Quebec and one from Ontario (Patrick Huard, left, and Colm Feore) — must put aside their differences to bring a killer to justice. And let that be a lesson to us all.
CANADIAN BACON (1995)
Speaking of standing up to a bully: The IMDB synopsis for this movie is: “The U.S. president, low in the opinion polls, gets talked into raising his popularity by trying to start a cold war against Canada.” Sound familiar? If only John Candy, with co-star Rhea Perlman, were still with us to help this time around.
BURIED ON SUNDAY (1992)
A Russian sub with nukes, a trade war, international tension. That may sound like a Tom Clancy thriller, but in the hands of director Paul Donovan and star Paul Gross, left, this charming comedy has a little something to say about soft power and standing up to a bully.