One Week (2008/I)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

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 motorcycle Ben travels with is a 1973 Norton 850 Commando.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: We see Ben enter Saskatchewan from Manitoba and then go to Kipling which is a side trip north of the TCH. We next see his cycle dying on the side of the highway after making a side trip to see the desert Camel. The problem is the camel (Sarah) is in Glenboro, Manitoba. This would have been over a 320 km reverse trip for Ben to make. Unlikely he would have taken this 6-7 hour round trip detour when he could have easily driven south of the TCH on his way to SK.

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:

Ricky Come Home

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.