Wilby Wonderful (2004)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Daniel MacIvor

Writer:

Daniel MacIvor (writer)

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Everybody gets a second chance.

Plot:

A day-in-the-life dark comedy concerning a group of islanders, their respective secrets, and one man's plan to kill himself quietly.

Plot Keywords:

Dark Comedy | Suicide Attempt | Corrupt Cop | Infidelity | Conspiracy

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

James Allodi	...	Dan Jarvis
Maury Chaykin	...	Mayor Brent Fisher
Paul Gross	...	Buddy French
Rebecca Jenkins	...	Sandra Anderson
Sandra Oh	...	Carol French
Ellen Page	...	Emily Anderson
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Duck MacDonald
Daniel MacIvor	...	Stan Lastman
Kathryn MacLellan	...	Deena
Mary Ellen MacLean	...	Irene
Susannah Hoffman	...	Elaine Fisher
Marcella Grimaux	...	Mackenzie Fisher
Caleb Langille	...	Taylor
Terri Sanderson	...	Reporter
Chris Saunderson	...	Photographer

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Picton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Palpable Productions

Trivia:

Paul Gross' two children Hannah and Jack Gross appear in the background of the movie.

Quotes:

Buddy French: I like Mark Twain. You know what else he said? "Faith is believing something you know isn't true."

Soundtrack:

Give Me The Chance To Fall

Underwritten

The best thing this has going for it is the mood. The quiet evocation of a small island/town is pretty much dead on, with the slightly shabby businesses, people with small-scale ambitions, and hidden strings connecting everyone and everything. There are also some excellent performances, especially Sandra Oh, Rebecca Jenkins, and Callum Keith Rennie (for once showing his awkward, charming side rather than playing another psychopath).

There's both too much and too little going on, if that's possible. The various plot threads wander around before finally getting to what turns out to be the main plot. By that time, there have been a few too many scenes of people walking around while the soundtrack music plays. Some of the characters take too long to register, as well. The one who might be the most important, Dan Jarvis (the suicidal, soon-to-be-outed video store owner), never really registers at all--he never amounts to much of anything besides vague melancholy.

I don't blame the actors, really.....the ones we don't know well enough simply haven't had enough dialogue to let us know them. Fewer subplots and a little less wistful scenery montage would have helped the through-line considerably.

Put most simply, this has too much atmosphere to be a Plot Film and too much plot to be an Atmosphere Film. Not that it would ever have a chance to happen, but I think Wilby would have worked much better as a series.