Fuckoffiously good
Trailer Park Boys movie fulfills baked expectations
DYLAN FERGUSON
PHOTO: MIKE TOMPKINS. COURTESY OF ODEON FILMS.
The Movie
Directed by: Mike Clattenburg
Opening Friday Oct. 6
♥♥♥♥ out of 5
When the film version of the popular Showcase series Trailer Park Boys was originally announced, there were rumours that the setting would be switched to Chicago or something, and the whole concept would be de- Canadianised.
Well, in Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, the characters enter a cinema boasting posters for Foolproof and Fubar, and the soundtrack features not one, but three Tragically Hip tunes. No problems there.
For five seasons the Mike Clattenburg-created series, chronicling the exploits of Nova Scotia trailer park residents Ricky (Rob Wells), Bubbles (Mike Smith), and Julian (John Paul Tremblay), has been one of the best Canadian shows on TV, and the TPB movie is basically what everyone wants it to be — a two-hour episode. Most of us will recognise the hallmarks of TPB comedy: drunken banter with a spontaneous feel reminiscent of Christopher Guest, childish comebacks, repressed homosexuality, and a unique lexicon that relies heavily on the versatile root-words “cocksucker” and “fuckoff .” The movie adds some of the accessories expected in a silver-screen feature — a more robust soundtrack, better cinematography, more breasts. But the added gloss only really detracts from the lo-fi charm of the series.
Still, Bubbles’ facial expressions are even more priceless on the big screen, and there are many laughs to be had in the storyline, which sees the Boys, fresh out of prison, trying to steal a shitload of loonies and toonies.
When our public broadcasters continue to plug stupid, unfunny dinosaurs as “classic Canadian comedy” (Air Farce, anyone?) it’s good to see success come to a home-grown comedy that’s actually original and kind of inspired. The best part about TPB is that it’s really all about the friendship between the characters. Though the Boys may be losers and criminals, it’s nice to see a world where even a dim-witted, though kind-hearted, weirdo like Bubbles has friends who will look out for him. Is it too much to call the Trailer Park Boys kind of Franciscan?
Probably, yeah. But it’s still pretty fucking funny.
Trailer Park Boys: The Movie opens Friday Oct. 6 in Winnipeg.
