Perfectly Normal

Yves Simoneau uses the stereotypes of Canada, the beer factory, the hockey rink, the snow-covered wilderness, as his setting to examine its relationship with its bombastic neighbor to the south. But instead of a heavy geopolitical study it's actually a hoot. He throws in opera and cross-dressing for fun, and Robbie Coltrane gives a fabulous performance that almost steals the show. Yet the entire cast hits their notes well, with the smaller parts especially shining. Beautifully shot, it's a gem of a film.

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.

If you're looking for a fun movie that will make you laugh, this is it.

Michael Riley gives a great performance as an ordinary guy who works at two hum-drum jobs and lives a pretty boring life. Robbie Coltrane comes into his life and changes it for the creative better. As always, Coltrane is over-the-top with his portrayal of a failed, but always hopeful restauranteur. The dialogue is witty especially from Kristina Nichol, who has a minor, but standout role. Eugene Lipinski, who also wrote the original story and co-wrote the screenplay, gives a hilarious performance as the jealous, slightly-psycho 'Hopeless.' Kenneth Welsh is equally funny as the obsessed-to-win hockey coach and boss.

The list of memorable performances goes on. The cinematography involves unique camera shots that are creative beyond what I've ever seen.

Definitely, a must see. I give it a 10 and a spot on my favorite movies of all time list.

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.

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