Canadian Bacon
June. 08,1995 PGThe U.S. President, low in the opinion polls, gets talked into raising his popularity by trying to start a cold war with Canada.
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The Age of Commercialism
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
I love this movie. It cracks me up every time I watch it. One of the things I think is funny is the fact that so many Canadians appear in it--although they could be walking undetected among us Americans! The idea of Canadians' massing along the border, preparing to invade the US, is hilariously depicted by the "news media," trying to whip up anti-Canadian feeling. And, Alan Alda as the vacillating politician, with Rip Torn as his Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were perfect! I enjoyed hearing the two Mounted Policemen debating about how to end a sentence without using a preposition. Their Canadian accent is more noticeable in that scene than in most others. In real life, it is interesting to consider how-different we are, even though we have so many apparent similarities. Only the Australians or Israelis are more like us Americans than are the Canadians. Yet, we are different. The scary thing is how realistic the idea of creating an enemy, where one doesn't exist may have turned out to be, as in the alleged "weapons of mass destruction" that motivated the invasion of Iraq.
More was to be expected quite frankly from this Michael Moore political satire, poking fun at American society and politics. The movie did of course had its funny moments but the story was quite poorly done.Sorry Mr. Moore but the storytelling within this movie is just below average. Michael Moore obviously tried to make a comedy in a silly style but he just never goes all the way, presumably because he probably was too afraid his message wouldn't come across then. He also tries too hard to make the movie kick against several political issues, for which Moore is of course well known. It however doesn't always work out in this movie and it feels too forced. It also isn't always a good movie to watch since the way the main plot-line is told is highly unlikely. It feels like a too big coincidence all that Sheriff Bud B. Boomer and friends just happen to be involved in basically every aspect handled within the movie. This concept works in often lots of comedies but just not "Canadian Bacon" because of its quite messy storytelling. It made the movie painful to watch at times.What made the movie still perfectly watchable for me was its cast. John Candy, Alan Alda, Rhea Perlman, Kevin Pollak, Rip Torn, Kevin J. O'Connor, Bill Nunn, G.D. Spradlin, James Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, this movie has a true amazing comedy cast. They really uplifted the movie in my viewing experience. This was John Candy's last released movie and even though its not his best role out of his career, it's still a worthy one.It's silly concept and story also makes this movie worthwhile to watch in parts. It's of course quite funny to have a story involving America creating a sort of new cold war this time with Canadia, in order for the president to get reelected. It's even funnier to notice some parallels to the real world this present day and the Bush administration. So saying this movie is completely ineffective won't be fair. It also does some good job at times poking fun of American society, as well as the Canadian and all of their stereotypes. Of course Moore mostly kicks against the gun control, something he did of course much better and more effective later on in his documentary "Bowling for Columbine", for which he won an Oscar.It's a watchable enough film, though you probably can't help ending up being slightly disappointed with it.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
With "Sicko" in the theaters, it brings us back to another one of Michael Moore's movies: "Canadian Bacon". This one portrays the US president (Alan Alda) trying to raise his approval ratings by starting a war with Canada; after all, every president needs to be famous for at least one military adventure. As one might expect, the movie trashes both the US (we look like a bunch of jingoistic whack-job ignoramuses) and Canada (for some reason, nothing upsets them); although you have to admit, our northern neighbor really looks better.John Candy - himself a Canadian - plays a police chief leading an invasion into Canada, first to throw garbage into a Toronto park, then to rescue a fellow officer (Rhea Perlman) accidentally left there. But it's just great how they show the government using the whole thing to make the people hate another country. A TV commercial says: "Canadians! They walk among us! Alex Trebek! Michael J. Fox!" These sorts of movies will always remain relevant as long as warmongers exist. And anyway, Michael Moore has plenty of reasons to like Canada (national health care, they don't invade other countries, and more). Probably most of all, "Canadian Bacon" goes to show what we lost when John Candy died (too bad that his last movie was the god-awful "Wagons East"). Also starring Kevin Pollak, Wallace Shawn, and brief appearances by Moore himself as a right-wing yahoo, and by Dan Aykroyd (another Canadian) as a cop.
Before Wag the Dog, Michael Moore gave us this quirky film about a President that uses an invasion of Canada to boost his popularity.Adam Sandler lovers should tune in to see how comedy is really done with John Candy and Rhea Perlman. It is a clever spoof on Americans ignorance of Canadians, and the rest of the World for that matter. The jokes will not hit you over the head for the most part. You really have to pay attention, and you still won't get most of them until you are better educated about Canadians. I married one, so I have an advantage. :-) This satire shows the genius of Michael Moore and it is a shame that the concept was ripped off by South Park creators.