Men with Brooms

Genial, intermittently amusing comedy about curling. I never knew what curling was, and it's sort of an interesting shuffleboard/billiards kind of game and I'm glad to have learned something about it, but outside of that this movie is so slight that in spite of it's easygoing charm I never felt more than a passing interest in the character's lives. Watchable but forgettable.

The negative reviews point out that the film is cliched. Most comedy these days can be accused of that. What pulls this film up for me is the characters. I live in a small town and recognize these characters as my neighbors. More over, although they are flawed, the residents are treated with respect and love. I think this film nailed the experience of closeness in a village. I also enjoyed watching curling. Who knew the sport was performed with such precision and grace. Probably not the best film for city loving flat landers. It did make me laugh and gave me a buzz of happiness.

I not only wanted to like this movie, I tried to like this movie. I failed.

The subject is curling, so you might think that the script would be as offbeat as the sport. Wrong. This is the most formulaic piece of claptrap I've seen in a long time. "A group of wacky misfits must get back together to beat the odds and win an emotional tournament while putting old ghosts to rest and reconciling with estranged loved ones." It could be the plot of practically every sports movie ever made, but they usually aren't done this dumbly.

Cliches abound: the feisty single mother harbouring a secret crush; the dopehead teammate who can't keep his girlfriends' names straight; the crusty old coach who is also one teammate's father; the henpecked husband who must eventually find his backbone; the dweeby couple trying to conceive a baby; and of course the male lead who must choose between two women (sisters, no less) and atone for past wrongs on the curling rink. YAWN.

Speaking of the copulating couple, whoever saw two people trying to have a kid do the act right in front of his male buddies? And by the way, a woman can only get pregnant once a month, so why does this couple hop on each other in every second scene throughout the whole movie? She'd come running in screaming, "It's time!" and he'd unzip and hump frantically for 5 seconds and then she'd run off again. Hi-lar-ious.

Poop jokes? You couldn't count how many.

I was so bored watching this thing that I started to root for the robo-curler they call Juggernaut. In spite of his expressionless face and mechanical movements, he was the liveliest thing in the movie.

I give it a 3 on 10. The outtakes at the end were the only funny moments I saw.

"Men With Brooms" has got to be the funniest movie about curling ever (by default)! This is a very Canadian movie, focusing on a very Canadian sport. It had to be a comedy, because dealing with curling, you can't take it too seriously! Paul Gross stars as a former curling star, and Leslie Nielsen appears as a grizzled curling coach. Any American watching the movie can learn some things about curling, while Canadians can be sure the depiction of the sport is authentic. There are funny moments, such as the foursome's dealing with beavers on the road, and the flashy opposing players. You don't have to be Canadian to laugh!

This movie was not as funny as I thought it would be at first. Yes, there's some laughs, but no genuine one. It's the Canadian answer to a movie like Independence Day or The Patriot!

The acting is not brilliant, even if Polly Shannon and Molly Parker are good. On a good note, It was nice to see some scenes shot in Sudbury, where I lived for a while, but besides that, the movie has no real value.

Out of 100, I gave it 70. That's good for ** out of **** stars.

Seen in Vaughan, at the AMC Interchange 30 Cineplex, on April 13th, 2002.