Trailer Park Boys: The Movie

I have never (!) seen an episode of TPB. Although I knew what it was, I thought it would be "stupid" humour, so I never bothered. Went to the movie on opening night ... it is an absolute blast! Hilarious! I hope it's as good for die-hard fans of the TV show as it was for me as a newbie.

If people the world over thinks that the TPB are what Canadians are like, that's just fine by me. These guys are truly good people. They appeal to both the typical "chick flick" crowd and the typical "guy flick" crowd (whatever those are). People who think they're too smart to watch "movies like this" will be swept up in the warmth and humour in spite of themselves - and probably learn some new ways to use the word f**k. Half-way through the movie I was already planning when I could go see it again. It's just great. Go see it immediately!

I saw it today at a screening here in Victoria, BC Any hard-care TPB fan will be happy with the translation to the Big Screen. No contrived "fish out of water" plot-lines or cameos by unlikely big Hollywood stars.

The budget was spent on a few car crashes, and that's about it. Viewers outside of Canada or not-too-familiar with the characters will be able to follow the characters.

Plenty of dope-selling talk, liquor and whores: the staple of life in Sunnyvale.

Die-hard fans of the show will be able to spot recurring characters and actors from previous episodes.

Attended the US premiere last night here in Austin, as part of the SXSW Film Festival. Got a pic taken with my Canadian wife, Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles, which should tell you what a dork I am.... :) Overall, I agree with the comments here that the movie is okay for long-time TPB fans, but is kind of a watered down version, probably meant to not snow over the initial viewer. Some good laughs, but I think I have laughed as much at some of the individual episodes, each of which are about 30% the length of this. That being said, I am sure I will add the DVD to my collection.

In the Q&A after, the question was asked, "when can we see more TPB in the States?" I think Mike Clattenburg. was there answering, didn't pay much attention to the name when he was introduced, but the answer was that there simply is too much censorship here. He referenced the one season they tried, on BBCA, and I remember that debacle. Too many bleeps to follow the dialog. But one thing that kind of amazed me is that amazon.ca was not mentioned as a source to get all of the DVDs. A lot of my fellow film-goers didn't know this either. It's not network, but it is available....

Bonus: All the attendees last night were given complementary key-chains by Mike C... Yay!!!

I am a huge fan of the complete series and I was worried that the film would disappoint me. Luckily, it did not.

Clattenburg and his team managed to craft a Trailer Park Boys film which has an excellent story, and indeed the story itself is a somewhat "typical" TPB story - something a fan immediately can recognize and acknowledge. Although I believe that people who have yet not seen the series might not completely follow at all times, the very same people will never find themselves lost while watching the film. I mean, the film introduces the characters rather well to those who make their first acquaintance with our Trailer Park heroes, but the film has much more to offer those who know the characters well.

Do yourself a favour and get the series or the film and enjoy some white trash mockumentary tonight. In conclusion, the film is great. 7/10

I watched the "Trailer Park Boys: The Movie" Halifax Premiere on October 6 in a packed theater with the full cast in attendance. Notably in character was a bare chested Patrick Roach as "Randy". John Dunsworth as "Jim Lahey" patrolled the aisles in the theater checking to see if "anybody got a lil' drinky poo?" I know that laughter in a theater is contagious, but I really thought the movie was hilarious and I plan to purchase the movie DVD. I thought that Mike Smith as "Bubbles" probably got the biggest laughs, bringing the house down with the funniest one-liners and close-ups. Robb Wells as "Ricky" was terrific as the fast talking schemer and probably did the best acting. John Paul Tremblay as "Julian" had great screen presence as the quiet, burly, drink-toting enforcer.

The movie is all comedy, but it's a combo of slapstick, mocumentary, drama and action, and it even has its touching moments. I don't recall anything in the movie that needs to be taken seriously. The characters are at the bottom of the totem pole in life and their exceptionally poor ambition manages to exceed their ability, intelligence or education so they are unable to achieve any of their minimal goals. This cycles them between laziness, poverty and petty crime. Somehow, the characters don't really seem unhappy, since this is normal to them, and I guess that makes it feel okay for me to laugh at them.

I'm sorry to say I haven't been faithfully following the TV series, but I now am intent on working my way through the whole series on DVD to get caught up and that's something to look forward to. I know this will be a big hit in Canada, and I expect it to do very well in the USA and worldwide.