Down the Road Again (2011)

Recently retired and living in Vancouver, Pete is estranged from his old life in Eastern Canada until he is brought back to Toronto and Nova Scotia by the news that his old best friend, Joey, has died.

Director:

Donald Shebib (as Don Shebib)

Writer:

Donald Shebib (as Don Shebib)

Stars:

Doug McGrath, Kathleen Robertson, Anthony Lemke

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Doug McGrath	...	Pete McGraw
Kathleen Robertson	...	Betty-Jo Mayle
Anthony Lemke	...	Matt Burns
Jayne Eastwood	...	Betty Mayle
Cayle Chernin	...	Selina
Tedde Moore	...	Annie Burns
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kristin Adams	...	Legal Secretary
John Cleland	...	Sammy
Neil Crone	...	Jimmy
Elva Mai Hoover	...	Housekeeper
Shawn Lawrence	...	Sammy
Gene Mack	...	Lenny
Dwight McFee	...	Billy
Stephen Eric McIntyre	...	Mechanic
Sam Moses	...	Mike

Storyline

The sequel to the Canadian classic Goin' Down the Road (1970) picks up forty years later when Pete is on the cusp of retirement from his job as postie. Pete has been living in Vancouver, disconnected from his old life and friendships. On the verge of his retirement, Pete receives a call from an acquaintance of his somewhat estranged best friend, Joey. Pete learns that Joey is facing surgery for cancer. Days later, Pete is paid a visit from Joey's pal and Pete is given a package as he learns of Joey's demise. Joey has sent Pete the urn containing his ashes, 3 letters, money and the plea that Pete fulfill his final wishes. Instead of peaceful retirement, gardening and dreaming of a more creative life, Pete instead finds himself on the road again in the old Chevy. This road trip is a true adventure and each letter, a clue as to what will happen next. From the grave, Joey dictates Pete's next steps and ultimately changes the course of his life. First stop is Toronto where Pete is to find ...

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Plot Keywords:

2010s | pool hall | pool table | letter | beach | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Is the sequel to Goin' Down The Road featuring many of the same cast 40 years later.

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Connections

Follows Goin' Down the Road (1970)

User Reviews

Like Meeting Up With Old Friends 40 Years Later

Such a wonderful movie. I saw "Goin' Down the Road" decades ago and it made a big impression on me. I was a young man, about the same age as "Pete" and "Joey", when I first saw it. At first I thought it was a documentary as it was filmed in black and white and seemed totally unrehearsed. All these years after the fact, I can still recall the huge influx of young men from the East coast, into Ontario, during the 1960s. Most of them were fine fellows, who worked hard and loved to party. Some of them quickly became disillusioned with Ontario and moved restlessly on to the next promised land, the West Coast. Others remained in Ontario, put down roots, raised families and lived out their lives here. The rest simply didn't acclimate to the huge difference between life in Ontario and life in the Maritimes and eventually, returned to the East coast, disappointed, but happy that they gave it a try. I never failed to watch the original movie when I came across it, often in the wee hours of the morning. Invariably, I enjoyed the story immensely, but I was always left wondering what happened to the two restless young men who were so skillfully played by Doug McGrath and the late Paul Bradley. I was delighted when I stumbled across "Down the Road Again" while I was channel hopping a few months ago. I had no idea that a follow up to the original movie had been made. I found "Goin Down the Road" originally while I was channel hopping, so my discovery of the sequel, in exactly the same way, forty years later, was very appropriate. I enjoyed the sequel so much that I tried to find an email address for Doug McGrath, just so I could send him a short note to tell him what a great job he and the rest of the cast did and how much I loved both movies. I always felt a vague sense of sadness when I saw the two young men leaving Toronto and heading West at the end of the first movie. Happily, this final instalment answered most of the questions that were raised in the first movie. As I watched it, I felt like I was meeting up with some old friends from my distant youth and finding out how their lives had turned out.

Details

Official Sites:

Union Pictures [Canada]

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 2011 (Canada)

Filming Locations:

Caledon, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Triptych Media, Union Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color