Perfectly Normal

This wonderful comedy deserves to be widely viewed; very funny, and one of the few films ever to film hockey the way those who love it really experience it. Few films have ever better represented upper Canadian humour. Riley and Coltrane have a wonderful chemistry, and the one-liners are side-splitting. Kenneth Walsh as the putatively dying coach is classic. Contrary to the LES BOYS films, this movie actually captures the look and feel of beer-league hockey. It also deals very funnily with the stress of working on the line (in this case at a beer-bottling plant), of the difficulty of dealing with assembly line production that just keeps on coming. I would recommend this film to anyone!

TB

Everyone should expect that in a film called 'Perfectly Normal' no one actually is, and sure enough, the dull routine of everyman Michael Riley is upended by an amiable, overweight con artist (Robbie Coltrane), who before long is coaxing Riley out of his sociopathic shell and into a dress to sing an aria from Bellini's 'Norma' at an opera-themed restaurant. The film obviously wants to be eccentric and unpredictable, but the effort only makes it look strained, although director Yves Simoneau tries hard to juice up the scenario with enough camera tricks to make even Spike Lee dizzy. There's an irrelevant romantic subplot, and the restaurant scheme is just plain silly, but any movie mixing opera and ice hockey can't be all bad. Simoneau shows some genuine affection for his characters (Riley and Coltrane together resemble a New Wave Laurel and Hardy), but in the end the film delivers exactly what the title promises: an offbeat but unexceptional comedy.

Oh, so you want to see a *Canadian* film. Say, something set in a beer factory, and maybe in a hockey rink too. And something about "tiny, fizzy" little dreams, all going unfulfilled. And maybe add an American character who has big, bold, huge dreams, and imposes them on the main character. The only Canadian content that could possibly be added would be a cameo by Paul Henderson.

Also, you can see the Sam's on Yonge street in Toronto in one of the shots. Does it get any better than this?

No, it doesn't. This film rivals Hard Core Logo for Canadian content. So, like, see it. It's cool, eh?

Renzo Parachi (Michael Riley) is a quiet introvert working at the brewery under Charlie Glesby who coaches the employees in an amateur hockey league where Renzo is the goalie. He is alone after the death of his mother. He drives his father's cab during his off hours. One night, he picks up Alonzo Turner (Robbie Coltrane) in the cab and is forced to bring home the passed-out talkative drunk. He rents out his mother's room to Alonzo for the money to build his dream house. Denise works at the rink and is taken with the quiet goalie. Alonzo decides to start a lavish Italian restaurant with money found in Renzo's mother's record collection. He convinces Renzo to be the cross-dressing opera-singing headliner.

I didn't laugh. This quirky Canadian indie has a lot weird little touches. I like the characters. I love Coltrane and Riley. I simply didn't laugh. It's an odd little film and some of it is quite memorable. Riley doesn't fit the quiet type and Coltrane could be much funnier. The writing needs actual jokes. It's quirky without being funny. Some may enjoy it for some light fun. I'm somewhat blah about this.

If you like slow, stylish, cynically heart-warming humor...this movie is for you. This isn't sleepless in seattle or when harry met sally. This is a brilliantly conceived, written, directed and acted masterpiece that exalts the multifaceted idiosyncrasies of the great white north, combining it with a deft touch of the quieter side of British humor.

It combines my love of humor, hockey and music in a tale of romance and transformation that is smart, rather than sickly sweet.

Kenneth Walsh is great as the no-holds-barred coach that will fake cancer to motivate his team. Michael Riley gives a performance even more subdued and complex than Bud Cort in Harold and Maude. And Robbie Coltrane is a hugely under-appreciated comic talent - the John Candy of Great Britain.

I seldom gush over a movie...but this one hit the spot.