Whale Music

I was amazingly impressed by this movie. It contained fundamental elements of depression, grief, loneliness, despair, hope, dreams and companionship. It wasn't merely about a genius musician who hit rock bottom but it was about a man caught up in grief trying drastically to find solace within his music. He finds a companion who comes with her own issues. Claire and Des were able to provide each other with friendship and love but more importantly a conclusion to events which had shaped their life for the worst.

Des is an unlikely character by todays standards of a rock star. Yet he has musical genius. He also has an event in his past that has made him stagnate, while things around him literally go to ruins. His focus is creating his Whale Music, in fact it becomes an obsession for him.

Claire is the streetwise kid that needs a place to stay. She finds hidden talents while being in Des company. She also finds a mutual friend that accepts her. She learns to trust him over a period of time.

These two find love with one another. Not the mind blowing, sex infused kind of passion, but a love where friendship and understanding means more. For two people who have been hurt, they find trust together.

Based on Paul Quarrington's award-winning novel, which in turn is loosely based on the life of Brian Wilson, "Whale Music" should be a much better film than it is. Maury Chaykin is so well cast as Des you'd think Quarrington wrote the character with him in mind, and the whale music itself (composed by Canada's greatest band, Rheostatics) is terrific, but the movie is a disappointment. The novel is a wonderfully entertaining read, however, and the story is much better developed in print; another commentator has mistakenly written that the flashbacks concern Des's son when they feature his brother, Danny (or Dennis Wilson).

I originally rented Whale Music because I'm a fan of Deborah Duchene. But I was completely surprised at the caliber of this movie. It's wonderful. The acting is so convincing you wonder if the people knew they were being filmed. Also, the love story between Desmond and Claire is so interesting because of their differences. The characters are believable and un-cliched. Claire is skinny and pretty but not bombshell beautiful and Desmond is slightly obese and normal looking.

It's a very real, original film that is well worth renting. I've seen it at least eight times and enjoyed each time.

Anyone who loves the Rheostatics' music is going to enjoy this film. I have some minor complaints, mainly about pacing and the casting of certain actors (not Maury) who aren't really convincing in their roles, but I don't have time write a detailed review. I just want to warn anyone who has seen this film or plans to watch this film as presented CBC television in Canada: The version that airs are the CBC is like the Reader's Digest version of WHALE MUSIC---don't watch it. It cuts out entire scenes and subplots (if you can them that) from the film. The CBC, which presents most of films untouched, took half the guts out of WHALE MUSIC. I don't know why. It's horrible what they did to the film. Rent the video or watch it in a theatre, but DON'T watch it on CBC television.

I have seen this movie 3 or 4 times, about every five years it seems, and enjoyed it immensely each time. Most recently it was on Bravo! channel coming just days after Maury Chaykin's passing.

The movie is worth seeing if only for Chaykin's performance, and for the beautiful music. The soundtrack is great on its own but hearing it in the context of the movie makes it that much better.

Chaykin was one of the greatest character actors and when you give him an oddball role such as this lead one, he brings it to life like no one else can. The irony of his performance, speaking for myself anyway, is that I feel the saddest for him at his happiest moment in the movie.

Judging from only 353 votes on IMDb, this movie needs more viewers!