Wilby Wonderful (2004)

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

Director:

Daniel MacIvor

Writer:

Daniel MacIvor

Stars:

James Allodi, Maury Chaykin, Paul Gross

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Hoffmann	...	Elaine Fisher
Marcella Grimaux	...	Mackenzie Fisher
Caleb Langille	...	Taylor
Terri Sanderson	...	Reporter
Chris Saunderson	...	Photographer

Storyline

Wilby is the name of a small island in the Canadian Maritimes and the name of the main town located on the island. According to residents, there are two types of people who live on Wilby: islanders (people who were born on Wilby) and non-islanders. Among the townsfolk of Wilby are: single mom and recently returned islander Sandra Anderson, who was known as the girl in town with the reputation, something that has not changed in her adult years; Sandra's teen-aged daughter, Emily, who doesn't want to end up like her mother but can only think about making out with her new boyfriend; Buddy French, the local police officer who is having unspoken marital problems with his non-islander wife, Carol, the town realtor whose controlling behavior is pushing her and others around her on the verge of a nervous breakdown; the Mayor, Brent Fisher, who is secretly planning for his life post politics; dyslexic Duck McDonald, the town handyman; and recently separated non-islander Dan Jarvis who, because...

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Plot Keywords:

island | canadian | police officer | mayor | dark comedy | 

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Taglines:

Everybody gets a second chance.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (Spain)

Filming Locations:

Picton, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Da Da Kamera, Palpable Productions, Téléfilm Canada

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Quotes

Duck MacDonald: Aren't you your mother's daughter.

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Crazy Credits

Skippy Johnson, Head of Security

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Soundtracks

"Statement"
Performed by Reg Vermue (as Gentleman Reg)
Written by Reg Vermue
Courtesy of Three Gut Records

User Reviews

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.