This is a review about the film Blue State
NICK MACMAHON STAFF
Ah, the romantic comedy; a field dominated by the eagerly airbrushed. I’ll rejoice in the aisle of Movie Village the day I discover a speck of dust disgracing the affected grin of Hugh Grant’s justly unrented face. Thank you, Marshall Lewy (writer and director) for purifying the air of this suffocating genre with your strikingly original screenplay.
Blue State was the feature film-closer for the Winnipeg International Film Festival and was well received by the sold-out crowd. The crowd ate up the film, as much of the film is set in Winnipeg, unlike the multi-million dollar films that use smoke and mirrors to transform our Spirited Energy into Chicago like a lousy Criss Angel camera trick.
It’s the night before the 2004 U.S. election, a young idealistic democrat, John Logue (Breckin Meyer, Road Trip) gives a slurred speech for a Democratic campaign party announcing his plans and promise to move to Canada if Bush gets re-elected. The subsequent loss of the potential blue state crushes John into his own blue state, forcing him to carry out his promise through a zany Winnipeg-based organization called “Marry-A-Canadian.” The mission: to lure American men and woman across the border to marry Canadians in order to gain instant citizenship. John quickly seeks out a like-minded companion for his road trip and discovers Chloe, played by Anna Paquin, a conflicted, 20-something on the road to self-discovery. Applying blue highlights to her hair in an early scene, we see a desperate attempt for change from conservative girl-next-door to Osborne spare-any-change-so-I-can-get-stoned Villager. Both characters are running away from their past, setting the tone for their relationship.
The chemistry between the two characters feels natural, complete
Directed by Marshall Lewy
♥♥♥♥ out of 5
with awkward silences and furtive glances. Their relationship slowly progresses and tension is created with their opposite lifestyles; John is the orthodox hippie, while Chloe is the people-pleaser. On the surface, the film explores the mentalities of the right and left and the struggles that both sides endure, but ultimately the film is trying to answer the question: how does one turn belief into action?
This is not your typical comedy, as most of the humor is subtle. If you’re easily offended by Canadian jokes, let alone Winnipeg jokes, this movie is not for you. Lewy uses Wolseley as Winnipeg’s representative, making us all look like aging beatniks, thanks to Adriana O’Neil’s hilarious performance as Gloria — the free loving eccentric in charge of “Marry-A-Canadian”. The American humour is accessible as one scene depicts John pulling out a CD titled “Bushisms” (Jon Stewart’s bread-and-butter), full of lines like “I’m honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein.” One can’t deny that Bush jokes have been way overdone, yet this scene makes them fresh again by poking fun at the joker — John and his know-it-all arrogance that comes from reading one Chomsky novel. More laughs stem from John’s heated dinner table debate with his father, a staunch Republican. It is simultaneously the funniest scene in the movie and the most dramatic — a realism depicted throughout the movie, reminding us of the complexity of relationships.
Although Breckin Meyer delivers a strong performance, shedding the loveable stoner that Clueless created, Winnipeg-born Anna Paquin is the real star (and executive producer!) of this film. She has finally come to life; her talent has been stifled by too many X-Men films. Let X-Men III really be the last stand. Other than a fat paycheque, the series has given her a famous face and a smooth transition out of the frenetic world of child actors. As one of the youngest Oscar winners (1993’s The Piano), I expected her to be signing her dignity away to El Diablo, a.k.a. The Surreal Life. However, she has rightfully earned the fortunate position that every true actor dreams of — landing roles in independent films like this one, where the real acting takes place.
