When I saw that the usual suspects (movie channels, tax credits) funded this film, I clenched my teeth, and braced myself for an hour and a half of mind-numbing insanity.
However, I was pleasantly surprised. Not Avatar surprised, mind you. But just surprised that this bunch funded an OK film. They do that on occasion. It's just that it's so rare, it kind of hits you in the head when it happens. Nevertheless, I'm still waiting for something I can rate a 9 or 10. Canada deserves that, when you consider all the dollars they throw at filmmakers around here.
A lot of what makes this film great are the landscapes. Canada is so rarely depicted so well in film, outside of geographical documentaries, or HDTV advertising packages. It's difficult to take a bad landscape picture in Canada. It is this reason alone that is going to catapult this film to the top of many Canadians' best film lists, though it doesn't really deserve to be there if you're being honest about the plot and characters.
One thing that bothered me was the narration. Some parts were funny, but mostly it was just annoying, and revealing the narrator at the end was supremely sappy (and not in a maple way). The Lola rennt (1998)-like summaries of minor character's lives was badly done as well. Sometimes people have unintended bad effects on others. Lola was honest about that. Ben isn't.
But I did like the general story of a man seeking adventure after learning he's going to have a much shorter life than he thought. It seemed realistic to me, and the right mood was set, and so I gave this film a 7/10. The film kept me interested in Ben's journey through the entire time.
What I didn't like about Ben was his selfish relationship with his weak-willed fiancée. I'd love to see a sequel where she and some of her friends stop putting up with Ben's crap, and drive across the Eastern half of Canada in a convertible for an adventure of their own. (Not kidding... I want to see this).
And what is a grumps? I grew up here, and I never heard of it.
However, I was pleasantly surprised. Not Avatar surprised, mind you. But just surprised that this bunch funded an OK film. They do that on occasion. It's just that it's so rare, it kind of hits you in the head when it happens. Nevertheless, I'm still waiting for something I can rate a 9 or 10. Canada deserves that, when you consider all the dollars they throw at filmmakers around here.
A lot of what makes this film great are the landscapes. Canada is so rarely depicted so well in film, outside of geographical documentaries, or HDTV advertising packages. It's difficult to take a bad landscape picture in Canada. It is this reason alone that is going to catapult this film to the top of many Canadians' best film lists, though it doesn't really deserve to be there if you're being honest about the plot and characters.
One thing that bothered me was the narration. Some parts were funny, but mostly it was just annoying, and revealing the narrator at the end was supremely sappy (and not in a maple way). The Lola rennt (1998)-like summaries of minor character's lives was badly done as well. Sometimes people have unintended bad effects on others. Lola was honest about that. Ben isn't.
But I did like the general story of a man seeking adventure after learning he's going to have a much shorter life than he thought. It seemed realistic to me, and the right mood was set, and so I gave this film a 7/10. The film kept me interested in Ben's journey through the entire time.
What I didn't like about Ben was his selfish relationship with his weak-willed fiancée. I'd love to see a sequel where she and some of her friends stop putting up with Ben's crap, and drive across the Eastern half of Canada in a convertible for an adventure of their own. (Not kidding... I want to see this).
And what is a grumps? I grew up here, and I never heard of it.