Geraldine's Fortune (2004)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

John N. Smith

Writers:

Tim Burns (written by)
Michel Tremblay (play)

Release Date:

22 October 2004 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Geraldine Elmhurst Liddle - Deen to her friends - is up against five other contestants for the $2 million...

Plot Keywords:

Contestant | Elderly Woman In Wheelchair | Domestic Violence | Canada | Smoker

Cast

Jane Curtin	...	Geraldine Liddle
Mary Walsh	...	Rose Owen
Matt Frewer	...	Cameron Geary
Sheila McCarthy	...	Tina Larose
Peter MacNeill	...	Henry Liddle
Monique Mercure	...	Olive Larose
Marina Orsini	...	Cilla
Pascale Montpetit	...	Diede Murphy
Jennifer Morehouse	...	Greta Jones
Patrick McKenna	...	Louie Owen
Nicole Maillet	...	Linda Liddle
Tori Mitchell	...	Luara Larose
Dylan Smith	...	Josh Fisher
Marie-Aude Doyon	...	Candida
Claire Brosseau	...	Make-Up Girl

Also Known As:

Geraldine's Fortune (Canada: English title)
La fortune de Géraldine (Canada: French title) (TV title)
Piggy Bank Blues (Canada: English title) (working title)
Tough Luck (Canada: English title) (working title)

Runtime:

Canada:93 min (Ontario) | Argentina:93 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Cité-Amérique

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Olive Larose: Coca-Cola.

Movie Connections:

References "The National" (1970)

Soundtrack:

The Glory of Love

Poor-scripting ruins potential 'sleeper' comedy

Rented DVD on promises of light comedy with a plain-jane (pardon the pun) Canadian town backdrop, featuring Jane Curtin, a fabulous SNL player (but very under-rated). This satiric story had elements of fine comedy: quirky, large-as-life characters, and problems/conflicts lifted from almost any (somewhat dysfunctional) family with a 'small-town' setting. Sadly, there is a fine line between 'satiric' and 'mean-spirited'. Interactions between the characters become increasingly toxic, aided by airing of deep-rooted conflicts and a free flow of booze.

The language becomes profane and nasty. This is no longer light-hearted fun with a message and a mix of family drama -- this is just unpleasant. We turned it off. Who to blame? Well, the Scriptwriter puts it on paper - the Director tries to bring it to life. It looks like they just don't know their stuff.

Oddly, British producers seem to pull off this kind of humor with apparent ease, allowing older actresses and less-glamorous performers to flesh out some real characters, and tell a great story -- in short, to act. Why isn't it done on this continent very well?