1:52 a.m. - 2002-11-04
Heyoka
This weekend I rented the movie "Men With Brooms". /P>
It is a Canadian production that satirizes the "Rocky" comeback genre of movies. The stars, both Canadians, are Leslie Nielsen of Naked Gun fame and Paul Gross from the TV series Due South; a show about the teamwork of a Chicago cop and a Canadian Mountie(RCMP). The TV series was very popular in Canada mostly because of the humour, but also partly because females found Paul Gross very easy on the eyes, we love our Mounties, and the plots were always very intriguing. There was always a sense of the mystical or mysterious about the stories.
This movie is set on the West(left)coast of Canada. It has three running jokes throughout the story that might seem a bit obscure if you aren't Canadian. First, our left coast is renowned (notorious) for one of its biggest cash crops - magic mushrooms. Leslie Nielsen's character is the wise, aged, and slightly stoned mentor of the comeback curling team - yes curling, bear with me - both on and off the ice. His magical and mysterious insights are offered throughout the film. Second, Canada's national symbol is the beaver; references to beavers, as well as the critters themselves show up in the picture on a regular basis. Mr Nielsen's character is lured away from his life of quiet contemplation and his "gardening" by his estranged son, played by Paul Gross, because a deathbed request has the younger man trying to win the world championship title for curling. The whole game of curling, the third running joke, is an entire subculture here in Canada. References to tossing rocks and getting the rocks off is the theme of the final running gag. Hmmmmmmm.... On second thought maybe one doesn't have to be Canadian to catch the humour.
The movie not only satirizes the whole comeback theme, but also the commercialization of athletics and the "color commentary" that is unavoidable and inevitable now in any contest. The game of curling requires four individuals to make a team or rink, as it is called. The secondary story is of the relationships the men have with the women in their lives, especially the developing romance between Paul Gross' character and the woman he spurned in his youth. Again the satire is subtle but well played.
No deep thought or incisive philosophy here, but sometimes it's important to sit back and laugh at ourselves too. Keeps us from becoming too staid or pompous.
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