Canadian Bacon (1995)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Michael Moore

Writer (WGA):

Michael Moore (written by)

Release Date:

22 September 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

It Gets Lonely at the Top, When There's No More Butt to Kick.

Plot:

The U.S. President, low in the opinion polls, gets talked into raising his popularity by trying to start a cold war against Canada.

Plot Keywords:

Niagara Falls | U.S. President | Canada | Special Forces | Food In Title

Cast

John Candy	...	Sheriff Bud Boomer
Alan Alda	...	President of the United States
Rhea Perlman	...	Honey
Kevin Pollak	...	Stu Smiley
Rip Torn	...	General Dick Panzer
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Roy Boy
Bill Nunn	...	Kabral
G.D. Spradlin	...	R. J. Hacker (as G. D. Spradlin)
Steven Wright	...	Niagara Mountie
James Belushi	...	Charles Jackal (as Jim Belushi)
Brad Sullivan	...	Gus
Stanley Anderson	...	Edwin S. Simon
Richard Council	...	Russian President
Wallace Shawn	...	Canadian Prime Minister
Michael Copeman	...	Panzer's Aide

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language and violence.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG (NO. 33582) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Buffalo, New York, USA

Company:

Dog Eat Dog Films

Trivia:

One of the odd little "inside" jokes is the title: "Canadian Bacon" is an American term. According to the American Pork Producers Association, the name was coined to designate that style of bacon which was, many years ago, imported from Canada because such a cut was not produced in the U.S. at the time. Canadians generally call such bacon "back bacon".

Goofs:

Continuity: Sheriff Boomer sprays French translations onto the side of his truck. In the next shot, the truck has only English.

Quotes:

R.J. Hacker, President of Hacker Dynamics: Here he is now. The man that a thin majority of you chose to be the president of the United States.

Movie Connections:

References "Hogan's Heroes" (1965)

Soundtrack:

High Hopes

Somebody has a great understanding of culture

As a person who has spent half his life on each side of the 49th parallel, I was delightfully impressed with this movie. There were countless cultural statements and innuendos that were absolutely hilarious. I can certainly see how someone unfamiliar with Canadian tradition and culture might not 'get' this movie. However, if you've lived in, visited, or known someone from Canada, this movie will provide non-stop laughs. Canada was certainly slapped in the face a number of times, but the balance was fair, with the Canadians scoring a number of blows against the Americans. Definitely worth the watch if you've got ties to Canada, otherwise it may seem silly and pointless.