One Week

By Jenny Siddle

We Canadians are often criticized for not supporting our homegrown films. The phrase “Canadian blockbuster” is virtually an oxymoron. However, many Canucks argue that pathetic distribution and non-existent advertising campaigns make it impossible for them to even hear about domestic films, let alone see them in the theatre. Thus, when a film debuts like One Week starring Joshua Jackson, one that has received major distribution across Canada and a huge network advertising campaign, it should make us sit up in our seats and take notice. Even provide a glimmer of hope.

Having said that, there were three major reasons why I was concerned that this film was doomed to fail before ever having seen it:

One, the last Canadian film I can remember that got this kind of promotion and distribution was Men With Brooms. From what I recall, Men With Brooms is the blue kind of cheesy; the stinky kind. It is so full of Canadian clichés that it made us look like caricatures of ourselves rather than actually mirroring familiar Canadian culture. Solely because of the vast distribution, this film is now one of Canada’s highest grossing films. This fact makes me worry about what other countries think of us. It really does. Therefore I had anxiety over what kind of damage the uber-Canadian One Week could do to our reputation. Which brings me to my next concern…

Two, One Week has been hailed as “the ultimate Canadian movie.” Its advertising is diluted with Tim Horton’s references, Stanley Cup appearances, and “I Am Canadian” slogans. The seeming overcompensation to wave our own flag leaves me a bit squeamish. Now I am just as proud as the next guy to “stand on guard for thee,” but if the film concerns itself more with “trying to be Canadian” than an actual meaningful story, we’ve got problems.

Lastly, the film is about someone who discovers they are terminally ill. Translation: Upon being diagnosed with cancer, the protagonist realizes that he truly hasn’t lived and decides to embark on a journey of a lifetime. I’ve already seen this movie, it was called The Barbarian Invasions, I mean The Bucket List. Or was it Y tu mamá también? Or that one with Queen Latifah. This story is not new, so the presentation had better be.

As it turns out, the film is absolutely unapologetically Canadian and it does focus on Ben Tyler’s (Jackson) awakening to a new life he had been too afraid to live prior to a cancer diagnosis. And you know what? I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Canadian “ness” of the film feels less like patriotic product placement and more a simple by-product of a man who happens to be on a road trip across this great country of ours. There are a few moments of historical stock footage peppered throughout that reflect what is going through Ben’s head, which really worked for me as I’m sure they are the same historical moments that would flash through any Canadian’s mind in the same time and place as his character. I also appreciate the fact that the focus is not on the big cities between Toronto and Tofino but rather the small towns, prairies, and parks that truly make this country unique. From Terry Fox, to Gord Downie, to one giant red paperclip, this film reeks of Canadiana without really…reeking.

Thematically, One Week doesn’t preach carpe diem so much as it wonders if it is actually plausible to “live every day like it’s your last.” The film doesn’t ask us to walk in Ben Tyler’s shoes so much as it presents the possibility that maybe we already have. Perhaps many of us are already living on borrowed time without even knowing it. What I found truly inspirational about writer/director Michael McGowan’s script is what he has to say about our vulnerability as humans over our own perceived failures and how, even in the face of terminal illness, we are so often our own worst enemy.

What surprises me most about the film is the tone. It is far more motivational and even funny than it is depressing. The voice over narration reminds me of a Wes Anderson film in its sarcastic ability to state the obvious. At first the narration seems out of place and at times far too expository, however after the final reveal about who the identity of the narrator actually is, I buy it.

Lastly, the understated performance by Canadian-born Joshua Jackson bumps my rating of this film from a 4 to a 4.5. So much of this film is about being humbled by our surroundings so I love the fact that, even as the leading man, Jackson doesn’t try to be the star of the show.

Now it’s up to you, my fellow Canucks. You’ve seen the ads in the paper, you watched the commercials on TV, and now you’ve even read a positive review. Go check out One Week. It will make you think, it will make you smile, and it will make you proud.