One Week (2008/I)

Director:

Michael McGowan

Writer:

Michael McGowan (writer)

Release Date:

6 March 2009 (Canada)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

What would you do?

Plot:

Chronicles the motorcycle trip of Ben Tyler as he rides from Toronto to Tofino, British Columbia. Ben stops at landmarks that are both iconic and idiosyncratic on his quest to find meaning in his life. |

Plot Keywords:

Motorcycle | Landmark | Motorcycle Accident | Breaking The Fourth Wall | Time As Title

Cast

Joshua Jackson	...	Ben
Liane Balaban	...	Samantha Pierce
Campbell Scott	...	Narrator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ryan Allen	...	Orderly
Jim Annan	...	John
Chris Benson	...	Mayor
Jodi Brooks	...	Nurse Forrester
Caroline Cave	...	Nancy Tyler
Jim Codrington	...	Pharmacist
Gord Downie	...	Biker
Kyle Fairlie	...	Oscar
Colin Fox	...	Father O'Neill
Ulla Friis	...	Steffi
Chief Leonard George	...	First Nations Singer (as Leonard George)
Emm Gryner	...	Tracey
Gabriel Hogan	...	Derek Vincent
Deirdre Kirby	...	Mrs. Bell
Grace Lynn Kung
Michaela Mann	...	Waitress
Gage Munroe	...	Young Ben
Chad Nobert	...	Badlands Tour Guide
Joel Plaskett	...	Busker
David Reale	...	Pete
Fiona Reid	...	Mary
Ryan Reid	...	Max
Chuck Shamata	...	Gerald
Marco Soriano	...	Concierge
Peter Spence	...	Doctor
Jane Spidell	...	Fran
Marc Strange	...	Art Carey
Richard Waugh	...	Baseball Coach

Also Known As:

Sept Jours (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

Canada:94 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Mulmur Feed Co.

Trivia:

The Stanley Cup is adorned with small plaques of the players and staff of each championship team. The plaque Ben kisses is that of the 1966-67 Toronto Maple Leafs, which is referenced earlier in the film as a the beginning of a notorious championship dry spell for Maple Leaf hockey fans.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Mile "0" of the TCH is not at a dock in Tofino, BC. It is in Victoria, BC at Beacon Hill Park.

Quotes:

Narrator: When you get those rare moments of clarity, those flashes when the universe makes sense, you try desperately to hold on to them. They are the life boats for the darker times, when the vastness of it all, the incomprehensible nature of life is completely illusive. So the question becomes, or should have been all a long...
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Manufactured Landscapes (2006)

Soundtrack:

Imaginary Bars

Pure Canadian Gem

In my opinion, One Week is one of the best Canadian films to date. I enjoyed it even more so, than Men with Brooms (which is saying a lot).

I loved taking the journey with Ben. The beautiful scenery (which as a Canadian I take for granted) added so much to the trip. Along with a narrator, who adds it a bit more depth to the plot, as we find how Ben touches various lives along the way.

Ben's story in itself is both sad and heart-warming. For those weary of a sad ending, don't be - You will leave the theatre happy and inspired.

I will gladly recommend this movie to all my fellow Canucks and anyone else in the world.