Trailer Park Boys: The Movie

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.

One of the great things about Trailer Park Boys on TV are the scripts. In a half hour format, they are cleaver and tight. The movie format with the given script only stretched it out and makes it flabby.

If the film had been conceived with the same snappy pace as the TV versions if would have been much better; perhaps four snappy subplots cleverly linked together. The film draws too much on previous TV episodes and needs more new material.

While the production values are better than the TV series, I don't think this works for the film either. TPB are down and dirty; no polish required.

I caught the private screening hosted by Ivan Reitman on Sept 11th in Toronto. I enjoyed the movie a lot. I was mostly impressed with Rob Wells and Mike Smith, who really stepped up their performances for the big screen. Any fans of the show will surely like the movie, so be sure to check it out. It's tough to say whether the movie will gain fans outside of Canada, but let's keep in mind that Canadian movies like Porky's and Meatballs did so I wouldn't be surprised if TPB:The Movie obtains the same cult-like fan base. As a side note, I was surprised by the amount of T & A used. I could see how it was added much in the same way comedy movies from the 1980s used it to pacify the audience. I'm still undecided about whether or not it was necessary and it may have taken away from the inside- tone of the show's/movie's concept.

The cult TV show from Canada has really surprised me with how fresh the comedy has stayed throughout its six year duration. When I first heard about the jump to the big screen, I wasn't quite sure how to take it. Most half hour shows that get feature film updates really feel forced and dragged out like the writers took their next show idea and filled it up to last an hour and a half. With a show like "Trailer Park Boys" I sensed that something like this would happen, but thankfully I was wrong. Rather than expanding a short story thread, the creators actually seemed to have taken a full season arc and shortened it to make a movie. Trailer Park Boys: The Movie is then a tightened piece of work, with all the good parts kept at the expense of filler, to make it 100 minutes of pure insanity and hilarity.

A movie like this can only do justice if it keeps what works from the show. Our heroes, Julian and Ricky, need to go to jail at some point and come back to the trailer park right when the residents were getting used to the lack of trouble the two cause. Ricky then needs to win back his girlfriend Lucy, Julian needs to find a new masterminded crime to attempt, Jim Lahey has to find a reason to get the cops to arrest the misfits again, and Bubbles can enjoy some human friendship again, having only his cats to spend time with when the boys are gone. All the laughs and staples from the show are here to great effect. Now, while Showcase in Canada is a cable station with the swears and drinking allowed, it seems the filmmakers have decided to step it up even more for this movie. Lahey adds his favorite curse adjective to everything he says, (the least sense made the better), Ricky butchers the English language, Bubbles goes on his Tourettes rants, and with the addition of a strip club locale, nudity is very prevalent whereas non-existent in the show. The boys have pulled out all the stops for a crazy adventure of low-class criminals and the seedy activities they partake in for the love of friends and family.

It is great seeing John Paul Tremblay (Julian) and Robb Wells (Ricky) keeping their characters consistent with the show. The two have a great rapport and really shine as the brains and stupidity of the operation respectively. Their friend Bubbles is hilariously played as always by Mike Smith. His slow mannerisms and bottled up aggression always lead to laughs between his small vocal outbursts and his full on attack once his shack is destroyed. All the other regulars make appearances too, John Dunsworth the best of which plays his drunk park supervisor role to perfection. When he does a long take stare while downing an entire bottle of alcohol, I was dying of laughter just from the dedication to the scene. There has to be sacrifices of course for a jump like this, though, and that is at the expense of characters Cory and Trevor. This duo are great fun and foils to the boys in the show, but mostly wasted here in the film. Also, where was J-Roc? Youknowwattimsayin?! I really wish his role was bigger than the ten or so minutes he got.

Sure the film might not be as successful as the show, but it still delivers the big laughs and misplaced heartfelt moments as its originator. It was strange seeing the numerous inconsistencies to the show being that this is not a continuation after season 6, but an almost restart to gain a new fan base. I understand the reasoning here, but I feel that they could have kept it in context to the storyline with scenes of exposition from the show itself to help new viewers understand what was happening. Either way it was still enjoyable. Credit too to the Canadian support as always with cameos from Gord Downey and Alex Lifeson, along with the great soundtrack and hidden easter eggs. Between the numerous Hip songs, Our Lady Peace sampling (during J-Roc's rap), Tea Party instrumentals, and Rush titles hidden at the theatre (game machine was 2112, and the movie names based off songs), I had fun noticing them all. So, whether you are a fan of the show or just want to experience the craziness for the first time, Trailer Park Boys: The Movie is well worth your time.

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