Goin' Down the Road

A gritty and realistic portrayal of the Toronto in 1970, and the tale of two young men with "not a pot to p*** in", who come west from Nova Scotia in search of a better life, but who both end up just trying to survive.

Easily one of the top 10 movies within the past 20 years that I have had the pleasure of viewing.

A great story of two simple-minded hosers from Cape Breton who move to Toronto to try and make a better life for themselves.

They get into amusing situations while trying to make it in the big city, but the real strength of this film is the acting and directing. It is difficult to tell if it's a film or a documentary - the actors and director Don Shebib do such a great job.

I watched the film a few times before it grew on me. After purchasing the VHS, I've now watched it many times, finding something new with each viewing.

Torontonians will marvel at how busy the nightlife was on the Yonge Street strip between Dundas and Gerrard back in '69. Now, of course, it is all but forgotten by nocturnal revellers.

Any Canadian who has left his or her home to move to Toronto can identify with this movie. Doug McGrath and Paul Bradley star as Peter and Joey, who leave their home on Cape Breton for prosperity in Hogtown. After searching for "doctorin' and lawyerin'" jobs, they eventually settle for factory work. The movie chronicles the quest of these small town boys trying to take on the big city. Also starring are Jayne Eastwood as Betty, Nicole Morin as the unforgettable daughter of the boss, and Stompin' Tom Connors as himself. Peter and Joey would serve as the models for countless characters in Canadian culture, including Bob and Doug Mackenzie, Wayne and Garth, and "Dumb and Dumber." The movie also acts as an apt reminder of how much the city of Toronto has changed in the past thirty years. It's worth watching if you can find it.

I stumbled upon this low budget Canadian movie while flipping channels, and although somewhat slow in areas, its grittiness and realism gripped my attention from beginning to end. At first it appeared to be a Canadian version of "Midnight Cowboy" which was released a year earlier, however as the movie progressed it became obvious that the story being told was different.

The heros, Pete and Joey, are high school dropouts from the economically depressed east coast (Nova Scotia), who like so many others travel to the big city (Toronto), in search of a better life. Their enthusiasm is quickly dashed, and they settle into a series of minimum wage jobs, ranging from factory work to washing cars. As the underdogs I couldn't help routing for them, in particular Pete has aspirations for better jobs and dating classier women. However Joey's interest in Toronto's nightlife, working class women and constant beer drinking holds his friend back. Even an interviewer's candid comment "You need to get more education or go back home" does not provide the wake up call Pete needs. In the end Pete and Joey can't seem to help themselves.

Although the main characters appeared to be in their 40's (both are heavy smokers), a decade or two too old for their roles, the acting, dialog, camera work, sound track and interactions with other bit characters worked very well together to distract the viewer from this fact. In particular the scenes of our heros hard at menial work and at play were extremely well done.

All in all, a realistic drama and time capsule to the working class of Toronto in 1970, particularly interesting to Canadians, and lover's of dramas and foreign films.

I first saw this movie about 25 years ago and was absolutely struck by it's authentic feel. I'm about the same age as the 2 main actors, Doug McGrath and Paul Bradley and although I was born in Ontario, I clearly recall the tremendous influx of 18 - 25 year old men from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia during the 60s and 70s. I worked with several of them and as far as they were concerned, Ontario was the promised land. When they arrived, they were invariably stunned by the promise of it all. High wages, new cars, nice clothes, bright lights, and parties. Everything a boy from the pastoral East coast of Canada dreams of. They loved it all and were about the most friendly people you could ever hope to meet. They worked hard and loved to party.

At times, it was like there was a revolving door between Ontario and the Maritimes. Some of these young men were as steady as rocks and were destined to stay, marry, have children and live out their lives in Ontario. Others were impatient and quickly grew disillusioned. They'd simply pack up and move further West to the next new promised land, British Columbia. Still others came to Ontario with dreams of wealth and standing that they felt they could never attain in the Maritimes. When the dream failed to materialize, they returned to their East Coast homes, disappointed but happy that they gave it a try.

In retrospect, it was like I was caught in the center of a huge social experiment. The wave of young men from the maritimes came unexpectedly in the early 60s and and disappeared just as quickly in the early 70s. It was a period of global readjustment and personal introspection. People wanted to see if there was something more and went out to find it.

When I first happened upon this movie, I thought I was watching a documentary. It has the look and feel of a documentary and this effect is reinforced by the actors who deliver their lines in a manner that seems unrehearsed. The movie is a totally and completely accurate portrayal of the fate that met many young male adventurers from the maritimes.

This is a good movie. It shows up every few months in the wee hours of the morning. The next time you see the title, turn it on a prepare for an interesting trek through the social and cultural landscape of the 1960s.