Duct Tape Forever (2002) User Reviews

This Movie Is Worth Seeing If You Enjoy Red Green

[LL-9 · 7/10 · 12 April 2002]

This movie is very easy to review: if you already like "The Red Green Show", then you'll like this film -- if you don't like Red Green, this movie isn't for you.

Writer and star, Steve Smith, stays true to his TV show's premise with this movie, determined to give his fans exactly what they expect from him. Call this movie "Possum Lodge Goes On a Road Trip" and you've pretty much nailed the short description.

So it's slapstick, absurd humour, a dash of dry wit, and general goofiness all around, with Smith ably assisted by all of Possum Lodge's usual suspects. Patrick McKenna (as nerdy cousin Harold) tops the most-wanted list, with Graham Greene as explosion-happy Edgar stealing a few scenes as well. Bob Bainborough is solid as Dalton, Peter Keleghan is hilariously demented as Ranger Gord -- and Melissa DiMarco manages to make what could've been just the "I'm the movie's recurrent sexy girl" role into something more, something with a comedic payoff -- something I won't spoil here.

Honestly, there are a lot of talented people here, supporting what is essentially a very light, goofy entertainment. If you're okay with this style of comedy, you'll appreciate what they do.

Canadian viewers will no doubt have fun spotting various Canadian entertainers in often-clever cameo roles throughout the film.

The movie even dips into a little bit of character development in the last act, shedding some light on the reason behind Red's constant repartee with his manic nephew Harold. This segment is well-played, and it adds a bit of unexpected depth to the movie -- but it doesn't divert from the film's comedic momentum for very long, so Red Green fans needn't worry overmuch.

"Duct Tape Forever" is a good film for what it is -- it plays out exactly the way a fan of "The Red Green Show" would expect. If you like Red Green, then you'll like this film. If you don't "get" Red, then chances are, you won't "get" this movie either. I'm sure there's a Peter Greenaway retrospective playing at a rep house somewhere for you ... :-)

Good for a laugh but not enough!

[ChibiAnna · 7/10 · 10 January 2005]

I want to say that I watched this movie and it was cool. However, I may have voted too high for it, in retrospect, because I like its parent show.

Harold is great up until the very end, which is very out of character. The deal with the rich guy - I forget his name - is the sort of Tacked-On Surprise Ending (tm) that we can really do without, and the flying goose to the tune of the 'Blue Danube' is just silly.

Also: the female cop had no character whatsoever. Somebody fix that! Honestly - I know she was only there for eye candy, but... the Red Green show seems to have some deal with no-girls-allowed, so if they actually let one (gasp!) on camera, couldn't they do better?

Exactly What to Expect from Red Green

[plantersworts · 7/10 · 22 June 2002]

This is a good film, but not great. Like I said, this is exactly what to expect from Red Green. I'm a fan of his show and basically his whole cast shows up for the film. I'm not one to explain everything but if you have a spare two hours rent this film!!! I guarantee if you sit back, all critical things aside, you will enjoy yourselves and the film for what it is worth.

"Jolly good fun..."

[Juansmith · 7/10 · 21 October 2002]

When I saw this movie, I had actually only seen the show twice. I joined a group of friends who told me that Steve "Red Green" Smith would be there at the theater to personally introduce the movie. So there I went... Even walked away with an autographed roll of duct tape.

Going into the movie, I didn't really know what to expect. The Red Green Show, while ingenious in its own way, would need the potential for some serious story expansion for the film to succeed. As Steve put it, "Decide how you feel about this movie before you see it."

This bit of comic relief not withstanding, this film was a very enjoyable buddy-picture. The plot is fairly standard fare, with the wealthy, megalomaniacal nemesis with 'mommy' issues who's looking to remove the lodge to develop the land, and the residents of said lodge making a last-ditch move to save it.

Harold... Was quite annoying. And in that aspect, the actor is no doubt quite talented. If you don't like the antics of an Urkel-type... Bring some earplugs.

Lots of good fun, if you don't need all-too serious of a plot. Now where's that duct tape...

You should at least find it handy

[Jeff M.-3 · 11 January 2003]

The US premiere of "Duct Tape Forever" was on Iowa Public

Television Jan. 11, in tribute to the contributions Iowans give to

PBS. This is how I got to see the movie. The idea of Possum

Lodge enthused about shooting for third place in a duct tape

competition is exactly what you would expect the cast of "The Red

Green Show" to do.

I was a bit disappointed that the regulars of the show didn't get

much action in the movie - Red and Harold are the stars. Harold

learns a little about himself and - well, to say what he gets at the

end would be a spoiler. I wondered about the idea of a full movie

without little self-contained clips interspersed throughout the show

• the show itself is structured kind of like "Sesame Street" used to

be - but it worked pretty well.

Although I'm disappointed that the supporting cast didn't get to

shine as much as I would like, this movie does what it promises,

which isn't much. If you don't know about the show, you might

have a problem with it, but then again, you just may learn why it's

so endearing.

7/10, and keep your stick on the ice.

For a Red Green Movie this is very sad

[eched · 7/10 · 4 July 2005]

If this did not have the name Red Green duct taped onto it then I would have likely liked it a bit more, but since it does have that name in there this movie was a let down. I am a massive fan of the show. It is a comedic masterpiece.

But this movie on the other hand, is not. Now, it does a lot of neat little things like having Harold get the girl in the end and be the hero. Hey! This Red Green has a girl in it! Shocking ain't it! Don't all go crazy yet though. She's only in it for like ten minutes and says two words. No big deal.

Now, it was funny, very funny, in spots. That's the problem. The TV show was none stop in the laughs, but this baby slows down in spots and takes its good old time. You'll laugh pretty hard, but then for a while nothing will happen, and I mean nothing. Also, one joke was painful to watch. One guy gets electrocuted and well, it just ain't funny.

That, and the score is by far the worst score I have ever heard. Like the music really stands out, badly.

Then again Harold and Red get a bit more of a back story and like I said it was very funny in spots, it just ain't as good as the show. 7 out of 10. Well, that's not that bad eh.

Lovably stupid ...........

[merklekranz · 5/10 · 7 February 2014]

It's hard not to like the lovably stupid characters in this lovably stupid movie. Do not expect to increase your knowledge about duct tape. in fact do not expect to increase your knowledge about anything. Instead, put your brain on auto pilot, and simply go with the flow. "Duct Tape Forever" is the type of movie that makes you feel good because your existence is less pathetic than the Possum Lodge losers. The idea to raise $10,000 to save the lodge comes down to either entering a duct tape contest or perhaps selling road kill on the internet. You get the idea immediately that you will not be witnessing great cinema, but the giant duct tape goose is intriguing, and several of the scenes quite funny. - MERK

Red Green is a genius, up there with Einstein and Newton

[Raleon · 10/10 · 11 May 2002]

I should admit that I wasn't that much of a fan of the Red Green Show before I saw the movie, but now I watch the show a lot. Steve Smith is one of Canada's classics, along with pretty much all the actors which were ever on the show or movie. I was a bit disappointed that Rick Green wasn't in it as Bill, but that didn't keep me from enjoying the movie. There was not anything that I remember feeling disappointed or unsatisfied about, and I agree that it is a must for fans of Red Green, but those who don't 'get' the humour of the Red Green Show probably won't enjoy it- in which case I should give some healthy advice: Lighten Up! And one last thing I learned from this film: never leave your keys in the ignition when you step outside of your car.

A sound waste of film. . .

[eewee · 1/10 · 21 February 2003]

Steve Smith has finally run a fairly weak series right into the ground with this movie. Poor actors thrashing a horrible script pretty much sums this one up. Two hours of your life you'll never get back! Go get a root canal instead - you'll enjoy it more.

If You Hated It, You're Not a Fan of the Show. Period.

[roofpig13 · 9/10 · 29 August 2007]

I don't normally write these, but I just watched the movie again last night and came here today, only to find a disgustingly negative review of the movie. Everyone is entitled to their opinion - hence my being able to write this - but I honestly don't understand how someone who is a self-proclaimed fan of the show can be that negative of the big screen debut.

I'm happy to say that I actually saw this in the theater. My parents and I, being huge fans of the show, drove from upstate New York into Canada to the nearest theater playing (about a 2 hour drive). I wasn't disappointed at all.

The script was exactly what I expected - all the usual Red Green-isms and Harold-isms, a few good lines from the supporting characters, and a healthy dose of heart mixed in. The physical comedy was... well, physical comedy! You either like it or you don't.

Granted, the plot was a little forced, but I didn't see the movie to see plot. I saw the movie to see my beloved Red Green characters on the big screen making me laugh. Upon repeated watching, I still laugh hard.

On a side note, my wife, who was only superficially familiar with show, loves the movie to no end. So it does extend to those not familiar with the show, even if it's in a small way.

Sure, it has it's problems, but it beats the pants off of most comedies being pumped out by Hollywood these days.

Dance 10, looks 3

[Anne_Sharp · 3/10 · 15 August 2002]

Essentially this is a dreadful film with a few features that may or may not redeem it for you, depending on how much you want them to. In "opening up" "The Red Green Show" for the big screen, the filmmakers jettisoned the rustic charm carefully honed over a decade's worth of episodes set in and around Possum Lodge in favor of a blandly-photographed "road movie" with a ghastly faux-Hollywood "big" musical score and profoundly boring storyline that's not embellished with enough good gags to make it as entertaining as even the most mediocre episode of the TV series.

Having devised a plotline that keeps most of the members of Possum Lodge offscreen for most of the film and requires virtually everyone concerned to be despicably mean to the loveable Harold (who's the hero of the film, the usually affably crusty Red being relegated in this incarnation to nothing more than the role of head Harold abuser), the only performers who really get to shine are Patrick McKenna and Peter Keleghan as Harold and Ranger Gord, who deliver satisfyingly large-screen versions of their small-screen characters.

Thank goodness for PBS!

[super marauder · 9/10 · 16 January 2003]

Being this never came to my local theater, I figured that I would have to wait for it to come out on video. As luck would have it, out local PBS station played it, and I loved it.

Red, and his buddies are trying to save Possum Lodge by winning third place in a duct tape contest. Of course, the fun was getting to the contest. I was a little disappointed though that some of the characters that I like weren't in it, like Hap, the ferry boat captain who is the biggest liar one could meet, or Douggie, the guy who thought his monster truck is a symbol of his manhood.

That aside, I enjoyed it very much. Like the t.v. show, it is a good poke of fun of the male ego.

Amazing--All things Considered

[Methodless_Man · 10/10 · 12 July 2003]

More often than not..... Excuse me, MUCH more often than not, a TV show that has been turned into a movie is a complete failure, Red Green had an even larger challenge because the show had so many daily segments that couldn't be thrown into the movie (e.g. Handyman's corner) however he uses his genius to throw in the same concepts into the movie. It was pretty nice on plot and hilarious. Been a while since I laughed that hard at a movie.

The one thing this movie fails to do at no fault of its own or anybody elses is appeal as greatly to the non-watching audience (of the TV series), and had it tried to be more sucessful in that aspect the entire movie would have failed in every way. Sure there was some lost potential revenue, however the Red Green fans should have loved it.

If you watch the show, you cannot hate this movie. Many TV shows that become movies SUCK, sometimes this ruins the show too cough...cough...Power Rangers...Cough... Excuse me there. LMAO.

It was good because Red Green stayed in character for the movie and didn't make a new personality for the movie. Same goes for the rest of Possum Lodge.

Good supplement to the TV show

[tlso1987 · 8/10 · 16 May 2011]

I enjoy watching The Red Green Show, and when I found out the cast made a movie, I was curious to see how it held up. Movies adapted from 5-minute sketch comedies have a reputation for spreading their routine too thin. Red Green benefits in having a large ensemble to draw on, and the antics of the other famed Possum Lakers break up the plot at intervals.

The gist of the story is that a land developer is demanding compensation for his limo that fell into a sinkhole outside the lodge. While the gang finds it fishy that a limo would be driving anywhere within 10 miles of the lodge, Harold comes up with a plan to enter a duct tape sculpture contest with a third-place prize large enough to pay their obligation.

It's a goofy movie, and while occasionally the actors still seem to have their TV-hamminess stuck on, the film is broken up to give different members of the cast a spotlight - highlights including scenes with Mike, Edgar, and Ranger Gord. While it does deviate a little from the show for some dramatic tension, it does so with Red's wry commentary and never feels terribly forced or out of place.

If you're a fan of the show, approach this as more of an extended outing with the gang than something that's really theatrical in scope. There's a little more budget (but not much), a little more story (again), but it's an enjoyable break from the norm of the series overall.

Despite occasional stumbles, this is a highly amusing film, more so than I expected!

[Beta_Gallinger · 8/10 · 15 June 2008]

I was not familiar with "The Red Green Show", a long-running Canadian TV series, right when it started out in 1991, since I was only around five years old at the time, but became familiar with it a few years later, and watched it quite a bit for a while. However, I'm sure I haven't seen the vast majority of the episodes, and I didn't know about this movie based on the show until a few years after its release. I have finally watched it after six years, and since I hadn't seen any episodes of the show in a while, I wasn't sure what I would currently think of the Red Green humour. Also, looking at its rating here, I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised!

Robert Stiles is a big-shot executive who comes to Possum Lodge in his limousine, but when he arrives on the property, his vehicle gets stuck in a sinkhole! With some effort, the lodge members manage to get the limo out of that hole, but it goes right from there into the lake! Stiles sues Possum Lodge for the damage, and the members are found guilty by the judge! They will have to pay $10,000 within the next ten days, or else the lodge will be shut down! The lodge members then think of ways they could make that much money, and Red Green's nephew, Harold, informs the others about a duct tape sculpture contest taking place in the United States, where whoever comes in third will win the exact amount of money they need! After the lodge members are finished making a duct tape goose sculpture, Red, Harold, and Dalton Humphrey set out with it. However, Stiles is determined to have Possum Lodge shut down, and he has Sheriff Tompkins and Deputy Dawn on his side! So, on the way to the contest, the Sheriff and Deputy will make the trip more difficult, as they try to stop them from making it in time!

"The Red Green Show" is partially sketch comedy and partially a sitcom, and I wondered how turning the formula from that to a full-length story would work out. Movies based on TV shows sometimes don't work out too well, and I wouldn't have been surprised if "Duct Tape Forever" turned out to be an example of that. Fortunately, it didn't. The characters may not be able to carry the humour consistently throughout, but they usually do, and it's usually quite amusing, sometimes even hilarious! The main characters here are usually a big part of the humour, especially Harold with his usual goofy antics. The film also features a lot of slapstick to add laughs, and the bizarre things the characters from Possum Lodge on the road do to try and outsmart their enemies are sometimes very funny! Personally, I found that the film gets better after a while, eventually goes downhill a bit a while after that, but then picks up again.

Some may think "Duct Tape Forever" was a poor attempt to bring the characters from "The Red Green Show" to the movie format, but if you ask me, it worked, and this 2002 Canadian comedy is underrated. Yes, it is pretty silly, maybe more so than the show, but it's silly in a fun way. The premise may not be the greatest ever written, but this is a comedy, and there are plenty of laughs make up for it. The next thing I will say may not mean anything to most people, but for me it was interesting hearing Harold talk about James Bond, just after I watched a bunch of early Bond films! Anyway, if you're not a "Red Green Show" fan, then I doubt there's anything for you in this movie, but if you are a fan, you may still find "Duct Tape Forever" inferior, and that it doesn't work as well as a movie, but I can't see why you wouldn't find any amusement in it at all.

irony forever!

[jbryanc · 8/10 · 25 January 2003]

This is a Canadian movie. Canadians will understand this comment, no other nationality will. They're striving for Third Prize in the duct tape contest because Third prize absolutely suits their needs. This has been the canadian credo in countless Olympics and other international convocations. The script is banal because, well, ever seen the Red Green Show?...comedy thrives on the banal. While the TV show is often hilarious, the movie is kind of in the Bob and Ray tradition: "If this gets any funnier I might actually laugh out loud." As Canadians we don't understand why other countries find our humour funny. But, witness SCTV; the overwhelming Canadian content of Saturday Night Live, plus the fact that there is not a single sitcom without a Canadian star or Writer and you see what I mean. This is a Canadian movie.

fewer pluses than the TV show

[KDWms · 8/10 · 14 April 2003]

I probably - for a couple of reasons - gave this flick a higher rating than it deserved. First, I used to (past tense) enjoy The Red Green (TV) Show immensely; and second, most (if not all) US residents who receive TV via dish (big or small) - because of technological changes - can no longer see it. Therefore, it's been awhile since I've had a "hit" of Red Green. This movie filled that need. I agree with other commenters who say that TV show enthusiasts will enjoy this film most; show haters or non-watchers will find it less appealing. Unlike the thirty minutes on TV, this picture's location is mostly EXternal, and, being longer, requires that the "up" times be farther apart so that they can be sensibly tied together (as much as these wacky characters CAN be sensible). Many of them are here. But I, too, would have preferred more screen time for THEM and less for Harold, who - don't get me wrong - is great, but in a smaller dose. The plot is followable enough: Possum Lodge property generates a $10,000.00 fine, and, if not paid timely, will be put to public bid for that amount. There's a wheeler-dealer (occasionally quite juvenile) who's eyeing it for his development plans. But the lodge members COULD meet all requirements IF they win at least third place in a Minnesota contest, which is, simply, a judging of the best creation using the substance that is the moneyless Handymens' best friend - duct tape. For me, it was a prime example of "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" - words, I think, of another Canadian, eh?

Character Details

[JoSyr · 9/10 · 22 September 2002]

Character details as directed by Eric Till and costume designed by talented Minda Johnson indicate a very well thought out film. Why it hasn't received as much press as Canadian made 'Men With Brooms' is really quite unfortunate. I highly recommend this original comedy.