Hollywood North (2003)

Director:

Peter O'Brian

Writers:

Barry Healey (writer) &
John Hunter (writer) ...

Release Date:

12 January 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The camera never lies ... only the people behind it.

Plot:

A producer buys the film rights of a famous Canadian novel known as "Latern Moon" and plans the production...

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Canadian Expatriate | Nymphomaniac | Canada | Movie Business

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Matthew Modine	...	Bobby Myers
Saul Rubinek	...	Paul Linder
Alan Bates	...	Michael Baytes
Joe Cobden	...	Howard Atkins
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Sandy Ryan
Alan Thicke	...	Peter Casey
John Neville	...	Henry Neville
Lindy Booth	...	Molly
Fab Filippo	...	Frankie Candido (as Fabrizio Filippo)
Clare Coulter	...	Lindsay Marshall
Sandi Stahlbrand	...	Leslie Carrington
John Bayliss	...	Customs Inspector
Jennifer Tilly	...	Gillian Stevens
Audrey Lupke	...	Joanne Jennings
Kim Coates	...	Scott DiMarco

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, language and drug content.

Runtime:

Canada:89 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Argentina:89 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Ballpark Productions Partnership

Trivia:

The character Lindsay Marshall is based on the well-respected Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The first film adaption of one of her novels Surfacing (1981) had similar problems as the movie "Road to Bogota" being made in this movie.

Quotes:

Lindsay Marshall: If God were Canadian, he would come down and destroy you and this production in a fiery apocalyptic rebuke!

Movie Connections:

References In Praise of Older Women (1978)

Soundtrack:

A Million Vacations

Brilliantly Funny Mock Documentary

A mock documentary about a pair of Canadian producers, Bobby Myers (Matthew Modine) and Paul Linder (Saul Rubinek), trying to make their first film in the late 1970s. Hollywood North is the comic tale of their struggle to pull everything together, despite a number of conflicting threads.

Hollywood North works as a film in a way very similar to why This Is Spinal Tap (1984) works so well. Namely, although exaggerated in some ways, it is very close to the truth, and the truth consists of "behind the scenes" facts that are very different than the public face of the industry. It isn't easy to make a film, and it must have been especially difficult in Canada in the late 1970s. Films involve tens, if not hundreds, of people. Many have incompatible desires, motivations and personalities. Especially crucial are the financiers and the on-screen talent, as if either drops out or becomes undependable at any stage while the film is in production, it could jeopardize the whole affair, either necessitating extensive reshoots or abandoning the film altogether.

So it's not surprising that Hollywood North focuses on those kinds of relationships. The result is an excellent film that is both hilarious and tragic at the same time. The script is flawless and the performances are top notch. This is a must-see for any budding filmmaker and anyone with a serious interest in the craft of film-making. It should also be more than entertaining for any viewer with a modicum of intelligence and a sense of humor.

A 10 out of 10 from me.