Fido

source: Fido

I am writing in response to the poster who had questions about Telefilm's support of the film. I am actually the producer who spoke to your friend at the Q&A. I apologize if what I said was confusing. What I said was that 66% of our financing came from Canadian sources - only half of that was Telefilm - approximately 33% of the total budget. Another 33% came from other Canadian sources including our Canadian distributor,Canadian equity investors and tax credits. The final 34% of the budget came from sources outside Canada including sales to the United States and several other countries around the world. I hope this clarifies things. Sorry for any confusion or concern that my comments created.

When you see the cover of the DVD you're convinced this is some Class B cheesy cheapie, a film made for $1,000 in somebody's backyard. Wrong! This is quality material and really good. It's a comedy and a clever one at that. It also is very touching in spots, with a nice spot of kindness. The production values are very good (this looks excellent), the actors are known, the film's direction and sets are great. It's amazing. Who would have thought? Carrie-Ann Moss, playing against-type, is terrific, as"Helen Robinson," the June Cleaver-like wife; Billy Connolly is great as the grunting good-hearted zombie "Fido;" Tim Blake Nelson ("Mr. Theopolis") is a hoot is the neighbor with the sexy zombie girlfriend "Tammy," and Henry Czerny and Dylan Baker as dads (check) are excellent, too K'Sun Ray as young "Timmy Robinson," shouldn't be overlooked, either. In fact, he probably has more lines in the movie than anyone. If I explain the story it will sound so stupid that few of you would watch it. You'll just have to take the word of the people here who liked it and found it to be a very, very pleasant surprise. You need a dark sense of humor, though; an appreciation of the absurd.

I'm really impressed by Fido. It's funny, satirical, and even delightful at times. The references to "Lassie" fame are funny but respectful. The characters are intelligent when they need to be and tweaked just enough that they don't have to reach for laughs. The production value allows the audience to buy into the camp style even though it's in the spirit of satire. I don't think there is a single weak performance in the whole cast. K'Sun Ray delivers a performance that rivals that of the adults in the picture. Billy Connelly manages to be funny without even saying a word. Last, but not least, it's a breath of fresh air to see Carrie-Anne Moss in a role so alien to Trinity. It does have some gore and tense periods; but it's more about comedy than suspense or horror. I'd definitely see it again, which isn't something I do a whole lot. I give it a 10 because even though it didn't change my life, it did everything it claimed it would; and all with some panache. Every moment was entertaining.

The fact that so many people rate this thing highly shows that really good writing is not appreciated anymore. Yes it was a good idea. Yes it's technically well done and the colors are nice to look at. But it's so totally BORING! It would have made a clever 10 minute skit perhaps. I tried to watch it twice, after about 10 minutes I fast forwarded thru it, stopping and hoping for something clever or funny, but no luck. I love horror, splatter, satire, zombies, etc. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH RENTING THIS. IT IS SIMPLY ROTTEN, LIKE A ZOMBIE. Take the time to watch some of the old Universal black and white movies, like Old Dark House, or any other classics. Learn to appreciate really good scripts. Maybe someday it'll be on HBO, test your patience by trying to sit thru it. AWFUL!!!

I was also on hand for the premiere in Toronto. This film was sort of a consolation when I thought I wouldn't be able to get in to see my first choice. Well, I was totally blown away. By the time I got to the theater I could remember little other than the basic plot of the movie (yes, I actually forgot who was even in it.) Terrific performances from the entire cast. Carrie-Anne Moss was great in a true departure from her days as Trinity. As for Billy Connolly, I think not since Chaplin has an actor played so brilliantly with no lines what-so-ever. The kids were also great. Definitely check this one out if you get the chance. And, by the way, I got to see my first choice anyway- and this was way better.

But I'll give it 2 stars because it has Carrie-Ann. I really wanted to like this movie. I like zombie movies. Add comedy, and how could it miss? Well, unfortunately I sat in the theater...waiting...waiting...waiting for something funny to appear on-screen. But it never came. If you're easily entertained and don't ask for much, "Fido" may suffice. But if you're looking for something a bit sharper, stay away. Not only that, but this film DRAGS on and on and on. The main zombie is kind of amusing in the beginning, but after awhile it gets tired. One of the things I didn't like was how "forced" this felt. The directing and acting performances just didn't click. I was bored and very disappointed with this. Don't get your hopes up for this film.

Truth be told.. I don't understand a thing about this movie, much less to enjoy the story. Maybe it's an acquired taste. Yeah I haven't watched Lassie, I haven't watched Shaun of The Dead as well, but Thank God I haven't watched those movies . It's a case of see-one-you-see-it-all . What's with the movie anyway? It's about a kid who has a pet, but not the four-legged kinda thing like cats & dogs, nor it is those cute flurry animals like rabbits & hamsters. No, none of that. The kid, Timmy, has a pale looking.. zombie as a pet! Her Mom acquired the zombie because she felt inadequate because their family was the only one left in the neighborhood who still haven't got a zombie as servant. Her husband opposed to the idea because he had a trauma of having to kill his 'zombie father' before. But she persisted & said that zombies can be a good servant and that they were absolutely harmless, especially with the Zoncom's invention in security collars designed to warned humans should there be a violent Zombies lurking around. At a press of a button and walla! the Zoncom's security people will capture the Zombies, to be taken to a jail. ( I guessed it was a jail, even though it look very much like a slaughterhouse). So the story goes that Timmy enjoyed the company with Fido, the zombie their family owned. One fine day, when playing catch, Fido 'accidentally' killed Mrs.Handerson. Why? I don't know really for sure, but my friend told me it's because it's what Zombies usually eat. I may not get a favorable response from other users, and I'm pretty sure that they'll be more people who disagree with what I said than those who will agree with me, but there's nothing much I can do about it. I'm just trying to tell this movie in my point of view. So there you have it. A score of 2/10.. A very high score I gave considering the low-budget feel to this movie, with characters that I can't seem to recognize and a storyline that seems to lost it's direction halfway through the movie.

This film takes place in the 1950s. According to this the dead (called zombies) have arisen to eat the living. However a company has developed a collar that, when put around the zombies neck, makes them docile and perfect servants. The Robinsons mom Helen (Carrie-Anne Moss), dad Bill (Dylan Baker) and son Timmy (K'Sun Ray) hire a zombie because everyone on their block already has one. Tim names the zombie Fido (Billy Connolly) and becomes friends with him. But his dad hates him and Timmy looses control of Fido and things go wrong. As you can see this is--among many other things--a takeoff on the "Lassie" series with Fido being a stand in for Lassie. Timmy was named that for a reason! Every single of the famous Lassie episodes are spun here. My favorite is when Timmy sends Fido off to get help before the zombies eat him! Also it's a satire of those 1950s Douglas Sirk films where everything is bright and colorful--but dark secrets are tearing people apart. The characters wear VERY bright 1950s clothes (Moss is always in a dress)--the furnishings, settings and cars especially are all 1950s in hyper bright colors. Even when the script becomes repetitious there's always something to look at. The script is good--but there are only so many Lassie jokes you can make. The melodramatics are kind of silly but the cast pulls it off. Everyone here is excellent and right on target. Even Connolly as an emotionless zombie does a good job. Moss is the best--playing each line for all its worth---but never going overboard. This isn't for everybody (of course). The satire may be lost on most people and the gore is pretty tame. The gore is done so casually and with happy music playing over it it's hard to take it seriously. So, for some people, this will really work. I give it an 8.

A year or so ago, I was watching the TV news when a story was broadcast about a zombie movie being filmed in my area. Since then I have paid particular attention to this movie called 'Fido' as it finished production and began playing at festivals. Two weeks ago Fido began playing in my local theater. And, just yesterday, I read a newspaper article which stated Fido is not attracting audiences in it's limited release, with the exception of our local theater. In fact, here it is outdrawing all other shows at The Paramount Theater, including 300. Of course, this makes sense as many locals want to see their city on screen or spot themselves roaming around in zombie make-up. And for any other locals who haven't seen Fido yet but are considering it, I can say there are many images on screen, from the school to city park to the forbidden zone, that you will recognize. In fact, they make the Okanagan Valley look beautiful. That's right beautiful scenery in a zombie movie! However, Fido itself is a very good movie. Yes, despite its flaws, it is better then most of the 20 other movies playing in my local market. Fido is best described as an episode of Lassie in which the collie has been replaced by a member of the undead. This is a clever premise. And the movie even goes further by taking advantage of the 1950's emphasize on conformity and playing up the cold-war paranoia which led to McCarthyism. Furthermore, it builds on the notion that zombies can be tamed or trained which George Romero first introduced in Day Of The Dead. K'Sun Ray plays a small town boy who's mother (Carrie-Ann Moss) longs for a zombie servant so she can be like all the other house wives on her block. However, his dad (Dylan Baker) is against the idea as he once had to kill his own 'zombie father'. Eventually, the family does acquire a zombie named 'Fido' (played by Billy Connolly), and adjusts to life with the undead. Billy Connolly was inspired casting. He is able to convey Fido's confusion, longing, hatred, and loyalty through only his eyes, lumbering body, and grunts. Connolly shows that he can play understated characters better than his outrageously comedic ones. This is his best role since Mrs. Brown. Fido follows in the footsteps of other recent zomcoms such as Shawn Of The Dead and Zombie Honeymoon. Being someone who appreciates Bruce Campbell and Misty Mundae movies more than Eli Roth and Jigsaw ones, I prefer humor over gore in my horror. However, I understand the criticism of those horror fans who feel there is not enough 'undead carnage' in Fido. Yet, I am sure patient viewers will be rewarded by the films gentle humor. The movie does break down in it's third act. It's as if the writers were so wrapped up in the cute premise of domesticated zombies in the 1950s, they forgot about the story arc. However, given my interest in horror comedies and my appreciation for seeing the neighborhood on screen, I rate Fido 9 out of 10.