Weirdsville

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Weirdsville

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Allan Moyle
Produced by Michael Baker
Hartley Gorenstein
Morris Ruskin
Jennifer L. Stivala
Nicholas D. Tabarrok
Perry Zimel
Written by Willem Wennekers
Starring Scott Speedman
Wes Bentley
Taryn Manning
Music by John Rowley
Cinematography Adam Swica
Editing by Michael Doherty
Brigitte Rabazo
Distributed by Magnolia Pictures
THINKFilm
Equinoxe Films
Shoreline Entertainment
Running time 90 minutes
Country Flag of the United States United States
Flag of Canada Canada
Language English
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Weirdsville is a black comedy directed by Allan Moyle and written by Willem Wennekers. The film premiered January 19, 2007 at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival.[1] The film has also been shown at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Raindance Film Festival.[2] The film opens in limited release in the United States on October 5, 2007 in 1 theater in Austin, Texas, and will expand to 2 more theaters (in Atlanta and Portland) two weeks later.[3] The film is set to be released on November 16, 2007 in the United Kingdom.[2]

The film takes place in Northern Ontario and was filmed in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and Brantford Ontario, Canada.[4][5] Filming completed April 8, 2006.[6]

Contents

[edit] Cast

[edit] Plot

Dexter (Scott Speedman) and Royce (Wes Bentley) are two slackers living in Northern Ontario. One night it appears their friend Matilda (Taryn Manning) has overdosed on drugs, which they were supposed to sell for a local drug dealer named Omar (Raoul Bhaneja), so they decide to bury her body in the boiler room of a drive-in theater that's closed for the winter. They interrupt a Satanic cult performing a ritual sacrifice and have to run away from the cult and the drug dealer that are both after them.[1][4]

[edit] Reception

Joe Leydon of Variety said the following: "Deconstructionists will delight in divining the influences that inform "Weirdsville," a cleverly constructed, capably crafted and often uproarious shaggy-dog black comedy that riffs on everything from "Trainspotting" and Quentin Tarantino to "Race With the Devil" and Elmore Leonard. Nimbly directed by Allan Moyle, this Canadian-produced potential sleeper could command an even larger cult following than the helmer's enduringly popular "Pump Up the Volume." Savvy marketing and a shrewd release strategymight help it make at least a minor splash with mainstream auds as well.".[7]"

Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Director Allan Moyle has described Weirdsville as a Canadian Trainspotting, which is a bit of wishful thinking", saying "it lacks the inventiveness and biting edge of Danny Boyle's landmark movie" and while the film "has some quirky pleasures, it seems unlikely to achieve either major cult status or boxoffice success." Farber said that some of the incidents in the script "are bizarrely funny" but "[Allan Moyle] fails to provide the energy necessary to keep us involved." Farber described the film as "frenetic and convoluted rather than pleasingly impudent." Speaking of the cast, Farber said "the cast is generally better than the material", "Speedman and Bentley...demonstrate more charm incarnating these grungy characters than they have sometimes shown in blander heroic parts", and also said "Manning...is wasted here." Farber said "plotting is far too haphazard to hold the audience's attention" and wrote "some of it is funny-weird, but too much is pointlessly weird."[8]

Rich Cline gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said "this absurd crime odyssey has so much gonzo enthusiasm that it's impossible not to enjoy watching these crazed characters bounce off of each other" and said "the actors are hilariously charming, delivering scruffy, lively performances as a bunch of knuckleheads trying desperately to get out of a mess that gets more and more tangled." Cline also said "as it progresses, the plot gets a bit strained, and perhaps too farcical. But we stick with it because of the amiable cast".[9]


[edit] External links