Goin' Down the Road

It took me 30+ years to find this film (on video) after being on a TOP TEN list in 1970 by a cool critic. I got a clean copy on Ebay that plays out (like FIVE EASY PIECES) as a mood piece of the times, fascinating character study, and overall good film of the BEST year of films overall (1970) with unknown actors.

Find this one. You won't regret it and you don't have to be Canadian or from the Golden 70's. Heartbreakingly realistic but humorous...at the most bleak and surreal moments and MacGrath and the others will smoke and live in real time before your eyes..it's not dated. Donald Shebib (whatever happened to this cool guy?) directed like a young M. Scorsese (with unknowns) that you'll never forget. Find it or you'll never be able to listen to THE DOORS again with a clean conscience.

Not only is this a great Canadian movie and a touchstone of '70s culture (stubby beer bottles!), it's one of the best movies made anywhere about the working poor. The low production values and laidback acting work to good effect. It spawned plenty of awful imitations, but few were as rawly heartfelt and honest. Essential viewing for Canadians

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 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.

This film has been criticized for many things (poor acting, poor direction among them). However, it is still widely regarded in Canada as an incredibly good film. While it's true that we in Canada may keep a special place in our hearts for the film because of the subject matter (two men from rural Nova Scotia who move to Toronto to start a new life), the film still holds water even to a non-Canadian.

Like the men in the film, both of my parents moved to Toronto from Nova Scotia to start a new life in the Canadian "promises land". And like the film, they did it in the same era (1968-9). And, like the film, my father resorted to stealing food from a grocery store to eat. It is these facts that makes the film so special to me.

The plight of these two gentlemen is so common in Southern Ontario that I think it actually helped propel this film into the cult status it still maintains today. The film is earthy, gritty and has documentary-style camera work that makes it believable. The use of an actual audio clip of a distraught woman crying in the hallway of a boarding house (used in the scene when our heroes are trying to sleep their first night in their new boarding house room) and the real alcoholic war veterans interacting with the film's stars make this film so real, it's disturbing. Hollywood could take a few cues from this movie.

Frankly, I think the acting is superb. Then again, I think that the method acting and melodramatic style used in film like Gone With The Wind is disgusting and plastic. The director's role in this film was clearly leading his troops very well. I highly recommend this incredibly well done film.