| MEN WITH BROOMS (2002) |
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| THIS IS AS CANADIAN AS IT GETS |
| a movie review by Luc-Rock Paquin |
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This weekend, I was faced with a tough dilemma: Should I go see The Time Machine, an American megaproduction or Men with Brooms, a Canadian production of much smaller scale? While I was tempted to go with the former, a sense of patriotic duty instead pushed me towards the latter. Fortunately, I have not regretted my choice.
Men with Brooms tells the story of Chris Cutter (Gross), a curling star who 10 years ago left his fiancée Julie Foley (Nolden) at the altar and his curling team during the Golden Broom tournament, the "Stanley Cup" of the curling world. When his former coach – who just happens to be his ex-fiancée's father – dies, he makes one last wish: that the team reunites and tries to win the Golden Groom. In order to win this tournament, Cutter will need to ask the help of his estranged father (Nielsen), as well as evaluate his feelings towards Julie and her sister Amy (Parker).
Paul Gross, known to most people as friendly Mountie Benton Fraser in Due South, has proved to the world that he's more than just a loveable actor. He is not only the star of Men with Brooms, but also one of the writers, the director and one of the music performers. Gross has previously written two TV movies (both directed by Canada's Atom Egoyan), as well as numerous Due South episodes, but this was his first foray in the world of theatrical release feature films, as well as his directorial debut. And, surprisingly enough, Gross has done fairly well in all aspects.
For practical reasons, Paul Gross decided to make this movie about curling and not hockey |
Originally, the theme of this movie was supposed to be hockey, which would have better represented Canada. You see, a lot of Canadians enjoy curling, but hockey is our national sport. After all, we invented it, right? (and it's really sad to see that we're now struggling to keep teams in Canada). However, Gross had to be realistic if he wanted to be successful with this movie: curling involves fewer players, which allows for more character development, and it's way slower than hockey, which makes it so much easier to shoot.
The movie has a nice balance between the dramatic and comedy scenes and both genres are explored thoroughly. In its dramatic scenes, the movie deals with such topics as alcoholism, death, and abandonment, and although Gross treats these scenes seriously, they don't break the mood of the movie. The comedy aspects of the movie include a wide range of genres, from the very physical (walking into posts, falling on the ice), to the very Canadian (several scenes include beavers).
The old curling team reunites to honour the last wishes of their former coach |
The sports aspect of the story is fairly clichéed. It's the basic "loser team can win big tournament if players put their minds to it". While this theme has pretty much been done to death (Major League, Les Boys, A League of Their Own, Tin Cup, Wildcats, Mighty Ducks), I've got to admit that it's still a crowd pleaser. It's the other aspects of the movie that give Men with Brooms its distinctive character: the story is as much about relationships as it is about curling.
All the men of the curling team have problems with their relationships. Chris Cutter has to sort out his feelings towards his ex-fiancée, her sister and his own father; Neil Bucyk (Allodi) is an unhappily married mortician who's struggling to confront his wife; James Lennox (Outerbridge) is a womanizer who's unable to deal with his problems; and Eddie Strombeck (Rees) is faced with the possibility of his wife being impregnated by another man because of his single digit sperm count.
Why on earth did Nolden's character have to be an astronaut? |
Of course, the story does have a few flaws. The biggest one was introducing the whole "Julie became an astronaut because Chris left her at the altar" into the story. It does nothing to advance the plot or Julie's character, and the movie could have easily done without the few dim-witted American officers of the fictitious American Space Agency (NASA surely didn't want to associate their name to these characters). Gross should have also toned down his caricature of the curling champion, as the character is way too "evil"-looking. I also would've appreciated if the Chris/Amy relationship had been explored more thoroughly.
Molly Parker, who was brilliant as the necrophiliac in Kissed, gives an exquisite performance |
In terms of acting, there is one performance that clearly stands out: it's that of Molly Parker (Kissed, Sunshine, Wonderland) as Amy Foley. Parker had a lot to play with, since her character is the most complex of all. She plays an alcoholic single mother who has always had feelings for her sister's fiancé and who is now finding herself battling with both of these problems. With a background like this one, Parker gets to play a wide range of emotions and she does so exquisitely.
Paul Gross is also pretty good as Chris Cutter, another character who has a lot of emotional baggage to carry around. The best thing about Cutter is that he is not a perfect guy, so that also leaves Gross with a lot of acting liberty.
The rest of the curling team characters mainly provides comedy relief |
The other three members of the curling team are far more restricted in terms of emotional range, as they are mostly used to comedic purposes. Peter Outerbridge (Kissed, For the Moment, Better Than Chocolate), Jed Rees (Galaxy Quest, Lake Placid, Dudley Do-Right) and James Allodi (Top of the Food Chain, Glitter) give decent performances, but nothing to write your mother about.
I was relieved to see Leslie Nielsen (Airplane!, The Naked Gun, Forbidden Planet) in something other than a parody, as this actor is capable of playing in many genres. In fact, in the 60's and 70's, Nielsen played in everything from dramas to science-fiction movies. His performance doesn't stand out, but it might help remind casting directors that he does have some acting abilities.
"The Hip" not only plays on the soundtrack, but on the ice too! |
One of the most pleasurable aspects of Men with Brooms is that it takes advantage of the fact that it's Canadian. Our culture is prominently displayed throughout the movie: all the actors are Canadian and so are the artists who contributed to the soundtrack: The Tragically Hip (one of the best Canadian bands ever), Big Sugar, Matthew Good Band (who recently broke up), Sarah Harmer, Chantal Kreviazuk, Holly McNarland, and Our Lady Peace. By the way, if you're a fan of "The Hip", take a good look at the curling team from Kingston (yep, that's them).
Overall, Men with Brooms is a pleasant comedy, especially considering the fact that it's a Canadian production. If do go see in it in theatres, try to go on a busy night, as this movie greatly benefits from the "crowd effect" (it just won't be that funny if you're all alone). And even if you don't find this movie funny, it will at least teach you how curling is played!
Reviewed on March 10, 2002
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Directed by
Paul Gross
Written by
Paul Gross
John Krizanc
Cast
Paul Gross
Leslie Nielsen
Kari Matchett
Molly Parker
Michelle Nolden
Peter Outerbridge
Jed Rees
Polly Shannon
James Allodi
Gord Downie
Johnny Fay
Gord Sinclair
Bobby Baker
Paul Langlois
David G. Fremlin
Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang
Michael Stevens
Produced by
Robert Lantos
Penny McDonald
Julia Rosenberg
Frank Siracusa
Music
The Tragically Hip
Production Design
Paul D. Austerberry
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