And instead of visiting the festival almost daily, I've barely seen anything this year; a shocking turn of events caused by a combination of going away to Golden Plains last weekend, and being stupidly busy at work the week just gone. That said, I have managed to watch preview copies of quite a few of the films on offer at the festival this year. Here are my impressions of what I've seen so far...
Breakfast with Scot (Candada, 2007) was the opening night feature at this year's
MQFF, and sadly, a return to the poor form of most of the festival's opening nights, which tend to feature a light, feel-good movie rather than a good movie. It didn't help this year that the expected 35mm print of the feature didn't arrive, meaning that a digital beta copy had to be screened instead; a situation which hardly took advantage of the Astor Theatre's sizeable screen.Based on the novel by Michael Downing, and directed by Laurie Lynd from a screenplay by Sean Reycraft, Breakfast with Scot is a slight, trite story of rainbow families, acceptance and understanding.
Tom Cavanagh (best known as the title character of the TV series Ed) is Eric McNally, a retired pro hockey player turned closeted TV sports commentator. Tom lives with his lawyer partner, Sam (Ben Shenkman), who unexpectedly becomes the legal guardian of his brother’s flamboyant young stepson, Scot (Noah Bernett), a primary school kid with a fondness for make-up, feather boas and kissing boys. Not surprisingly, Scot's arrival throws the men’s lives into disarray. Cue Tom's mistaken efforts to butch the kid up a little, a ploy which risks breaking Scot's spirit, and which leads to the film's main message: individuality is a good thing. Duh. It's a hackneyed message delivered with all the subtlety of a kick in the balls.Worse, in the film's final act, Scot's no-good dad, Billy, appears on the scene, prompting a predictable, cloying ending.
Performances - save for young Noah Bernett - were stiff and forced, while characterisation of the gay male leads was severly lacking. We get that Tom is uptight and closeted, but their relationship as portrayed in this film was the most loveless, un-physical pairing I've seen portrayed on screen in a hell of a long time.
Aiming for endearing, too often, Breakfast with Scot was simply trying. Its comedic elements were unfunny, its emotional elements blunted, and its blandly commercial approach to storytelling has resulted in a film lacking zest, wit or originality. Yawn. Next?
Two stars out of five
1 comment:
I think you're right about this one, it was a loveless depiction - they seemed to care more about their renovated house than each other. What did you think about the short 'Mirror, Mirror' - which also left me cold? Disappointing opening night. But enjoyed some of the other films I caught up with, particularly The Bubble.
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