First of all, this is not a cerebral coming-of-age film. It is a gentle, funny glimpse of life in a 1960s Canadian small-town family. Think "The Wonder Years" without the American suburban setting. This story's opening is, like the American show, narrated by the protagonist as a grown man.
The boundaries of Peter Piper's world are those of a 9 year-old boy. He, like many of us did at his age, tries to understand what adults are really saying. His concerns are those of a kid, not some preternaturally gifted man-child. His family is no weirder than many,and no saner than most.
Peter (Cody Serpa) is the youngest in a family of girls. His mother (Cheryl Wilson) is run ragged working two jobs while trying to look after a family which includes foster children. She is really only seen in brief vignettes, rushing off to her second job slinging fries. Peter's father (comedian Mike MacDonald) is a mechanic and factory worker who, in Peter's words "works the graveyard ship". When asked whether his dad sees "the dead guys", Peter shrugs, "yeah". Hovering over Peter's shoulder is the image of his big brother, Eric, a Korean Conflict jet-pilot hero, still worshipped by Peter's dad.
The family is not well off and Peter's mother outfits him in hand- me-downs from his sisters out of a misplaced sense of thrift. So Peter is very much the outsider at school. He becomes friends with Sam Cardinal, a Native foster child, played brilliantly by Simon Baker. They see in each other kindred spirits who are both forced out of their comfortable fantasy worlds to interact with the world as seen through the newly nascent patriotism of Canada's 1967 Centennial (cue Bobby Gimby's "Caaaanaandaaaa, 1 little, 2 little, 3 Canadians...").
The story develops towards Peter and Sam's ultimate goal: to build a one-person rocket to the moon. Peter plans to be a hero like Eric.
The denouement that follows the climactic rocket launch leaves us laughing at the neighbourhood bullies and satisfied that the two boys will work out just fine.
The boundaries of Peter Piper's world are those of a 9 year-old boy. He, like many of us did at his age, tries to understand what adults are really saying. His concerns are those of a kid, not some preternaturally gifted man-child. His family is no weirder than many,and no saner than most.
Peter (Cody Serpa) is the youngest in a family of girls. His mother (Cheryl Wilson) is run ragged working two jobs while trying to look after a family which includes foster children. She is really only seen in brief vignettes, rushing off to her second job slinging fries. Peter's father (comedian Mike MacDonald) is a mechanic and factory worker who, in Peter's words "works the graveyard ship". When asked whether his dad sees "the dead guys", Peter shrugs, "yeah". Hovering over Peter's shoulder is the image of his big brother, Eric, a Korean Conflict jet-pilot hero, still worshipped by Peter's dad.
The family is not well off and Peter's mother outfits him in hand- me-downs from his sisters out of a misplaced sense of thrift. So Peter is very much the outsider at school. He becomes friends with Sam Cardinal, a Native foster child, played brilliantly by Simon Baker. They see in each other kindred spirits who are both forced out of their comfortable fantasy worlds to interact with the world as seen through the newly nascent patriotism of Canada's 1967 Centennial (cue Bobby Gimby's "Caaaanaandaaaa, 1 little, 2 little, 3 Canadians...").
The story develops towards Peter and Sam's ultimate goal: to build a one-person rocket to the moon. Peter plans to be a hero like Eric.
The denouement that follows the climactic rocket launch leaves us laughing at the neighbourhood bullies and satisfied that the two boys will work out just fine.