Written by Mike Clattenburg, Robb Wells
Starring Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay, Mike Smith, Cory Bowles, Michael Jackson, John Dunsworth, Patrick Roach, Lucy Decoutere, Nichole Hiltz
Genre: Comedy
Country: Canada
Runtime: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated 14A for coarse language and nudity.

Evaluation: 10/10
by Greg Ferguson







Canadians at times have a tendency to embrace some pretty unusual customs and regional eccentricities, and overpraise works and figures that are by all rights mediocre or inconsequential, in our mostly fruitless bid to forge a unified national identity that belies our interchangably rich and bland heritage. Really - what do beavers, poutine, hockey, curling, beer brands (Molson...Keith's...), Celine Dion, Margaret Atwood, Canadian Idol, or Anne of Green Gables truly mean to you? Just as I imagine whatever aspects of my country I value and cherish are not equally regarded by my fellow paisans, spurious attempts by those of us with the loudest voices and broadest platforms to chisel out the Definitive Canadian rarely say anything relevant about who I am. As of late, one such banner of Canadian pride which has won a devoted following but sparked little interest with me is the enormously popular Trailer Park Boys television show. Without having watched an actual episode, I erroneously dismissed it at first as a low-brow, crass, and cretinous glorification of uneducated petty criminal drug culture, certainly undeserving of my esoteric sensibilities and even bordering on offensive in its purported status as Canada's One True almighty backwater pulse. When confirmation came that a film version was being tailored for cinemas, I expected to be awash in that alienating stench of pot, booze, and ballsweat which seems to typify that chunk of society which, lo and behold, was yet again exalting another embarrassing aspect of popular consciousness. With a tagline proclaiming it to be "Baked on a true story," how was Trailer Park Boys: The Movie ever supposed to appeal to my tastes as a lover of art and philosophy? That was my attitude going in; however, upon leaving last week's crowded downtown screening, that snide disposition turned to big-toothed glee because, I'm happy to say, I'd seen one of the year's best films.

Since this review, I'm aware, is going to seem like a sordid confession, I wanted to open on a critical tone in order to acknowledge those of you who I know felt and still feel the same way I did about Trailer Park Boys - the aesthetes too edified to bother trying to "get it." Indeed, it is a deceptively simple film, although all of its charm and meaningfulness is embedded on the surface in plain sight. Furthermore, its natural depiction of its impoverished segment of life - the sort which has struck a chord with so many already across Canada - risks obfuscating the sheer talent involved in its creation. One person with whom I spoke dared to refer to the acting as "bad," perhaps expecting uncharacteristically "deep" emoting or slick Hollywood comedic brio, and apparently unaware that the realistic performances were a carefully calculated charade - in other words, convincingly "good" acting.

In spirit, Trailer Park Boys: The Movie is faithful to its small-screen origins and happily includes most of its cherished cast of lunkheads and assorted wingnuts. Where it deviates slightly is that it's more of a re-imagining of the show's events rather than strict canon, sculpted to function as a stand-alone film to be taken on its own merits. This decision was likely not made lightly; yes, devotees may have feathers ruffled over inconsistencies, but the bigger picture is a more accessible film for audiences unfamiliar with the show at home and abroad to enjoy. Certainly, the material is both richly hilarious and touching, regardless of continuity; in many ways, it is the sort of warmly sympathetic edification of the underdog class that the scornful and cynical Napoleon Dynamite is often mistaken as.

For me, though, the plot was almost incidental. The most appealing aspect of the film was the camaraderie between boyhood friends and petty criminals Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay), and Bubbles (Mike Smith), and their personal troubles and triumphs in the bleakness of their trailer park. More specifically, I admired how filmmakers Mike Clattenburg and Ivan Reitman (who, as a fan himself, was instrumental in producing the film and getting it off the ground) don't condescend or demean their subjects but instead imbue every frame of their film with a love and warmth typically denied this brand of comedy. A lesser film would have set up its characters to be whipping posts ripe for the flogging by an audience of superior intellect and societal status, drawn to watching it for an unearned sense of power. Here, our gang is permitted to be sensitive and smart when it's unexpected then succeed when they shouldn't, and in two great scenes a huddled mass of movie theatre patrons at the chain which the boys hope to later rob are grouped around them and gawk, morally judgemental and admonishing. They represent real-life audiences watching the fictitious boys, but to the viewer who understands and cares about the boys they look absolutely smug and clueless - and they are. If only they could see the way Bubbles, such a sweetheart, pokes Ricky's belly when he tries to soften his anger; the honest concern Julian shows for Cory and Trevor's feelings; and, the fiendishly quick wit Ricky demonstrates when his back's against the wall. They have flashes of grandness in them.

Another element of the film I found interesting is its intended resemblance to the documentary brand of hard-knock reality. Employing a series of asides given by various figures and addressed toward the camera as the plot progresses, Trailer Park Boys: The Movie anchors itself on not just their lives and experiences but on their personalities and feelings too. So, while we laugh at the car Ricky takes to the fast-food drive-thru, missing its passenger door, or at the ridiculousness of Julian's perma-grip on his glass of booze, we're never meant to make fun of anyone (no, not even the shirtless keg-gut Randy or the obliviously underpaid Jim Lahey). We laugh at the pain because, well, despairing is the alternative, and who wants to despair? Of course, these are grown men acting like hoodlums to an extent, and it is easy to revile them or jeer because they foolishly refuse to comply with the accepted norms of society, but there is an earnestness to their best-laid plans and a level of caring in their behaviour toward one another that challenges us not to dignify them, which the film's denouement, set to the perfectly-chosen tune of "Bobcaygeon" by The Tragically Hip, does gloriously. For all their faults, Ricky is entitled to having his family with Lucy and Trinity, Julian to falling in love with Wanda, and Bubbles to living in his shack with his kitties.

Who knew that I'd find all of these delights at a film which might very well be just as easily remembered for its creative use of conventional swear words and revelation that stealing change is quite unlikely to get you noticed by the police? Ideally, Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, which deftly and seamlessly handles its expanse between jolly lewd guttermouth and bittersweet compassion, should live on and find an audience among a wide cross-section of the filmgoing public as it has enough to offer people of different tastes. Whether or not it will is another matter altogether; some boors relish the blissfulness of their ignornace. As inclusive as it is, though, I'm apt to uphold its position as one of the things our nation, in part, has correctly embraced. This is a Canadian work of art.

(Trailer Park Boys: The Movie is currently playing at Crystal Palace 8 Cinemas, located at 499 Paul St., Dieppe.)