Goin' Down the Road

source: Goin' Down the Road

Of course this is not a Hollywood film at all, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best from the New Hollywood era anyway. But unfortunately it seems like really one of the only truly decent movies that director Donald Shebib made, though he went to the same film school as some of the greatest directors of that era: UCLA, with fellow students Scorsese and Coppola among others. And like how Scorsese examined the minutiae of young Italian American life in New York in the early '70s in Mean Streets, Shebib gives the same microscopic examination of Atlantic Canadians living in Toronto circa 1970. It's strange how he says in the director's commentary of the DVD release of this movie that Heartaches was his best dramatic movie. My question is: How's that? Is that why no one talks about or remembers Heartaches and Going*(see note below) Down the Road is an all time classic? Is it because Going Down the Road is more of a comedy-drama than straight up drama? It doesn't matter because even if he may be a one-hit wonder (unfortunately even the follow-up Down the Road Again was pretty mediocre), it is a good hit, and one for the ages. It's a story that's obviously particularly appealing to Atlantic Canadians (such as myself) because it is rare to see our depiction in film at all never mind in such a true to life, and well known, presentation as this. But it's also a story for simply anyone who ever wanted to break out of some nowheresville, who refused to lay down and accept their oakie-dokie so-called fate—and it doesn't sentimentalize it or make any apologies in saying that doesn't always succeed. Some say it's the Canadian Citizen Kane. I don't know if that's supposed to be some kind of typically self-effacing hoser humour or what, but I would say in earnest that it could very well be the Canadian Midnight Cowboy in terms of its trailblazing North American film realism and grit, as well as having the similar theme of small-towner(s) coming to the big city with high hopes and dreams that come crashing down yet continue to persist anyway. It does stand up to those two films, yes even Kane in some ways, and it definitely was worthy enough to win the Oscar for best foreign film of 1970 like those two films one for best picture. But it really doesn't belong in any other film's shadow. It's one of a kind. It's definitely not just a generational film, relevant only for that time period. It's easily as relevant now as it was then; the phenomenon of Maritimers moving west (anywhere west) is going as strong as ever (I live here, I know), and you can bet that many of them are not going to find any gold at the end of the rainbow. I may be of a younger generation, but this movie relates to me and speaks to me more than about over 95% of anything that comes out today, especially mainstream stuff, and that's bitterly disappointing and desperately needs to change, and I think the time is ripe now for such a change. Anyone I've ever talked to about this movie around my age or otherwise have noted how true to life it is, still is. *note: The IMDb's spell corrector won't seem to allow me to correct "Going" to the form it's supposed to be in the title, which is inexplicable and extremely annoying but please be aware that I'm aware of that.

I discovered this film in a bargain bin on Blu-Ray with its sequel and I was immediately excited. This was my kind of film. Coming of age, Canadian, early 70's, and set in Toronto. I adore Toronto!! I was very excited to watch it. The film is extremely sad. I know that's the point but it really does bog you down with a sense of desperation and struggle so they definitely deserve kudos for capturing that hopelessness of these two men struggling to make it in a new world for them. I suppose what I expected was more Canadian-isms and more Toronto. Really the film could have been set practically anywhere with only a few fleeting shots of the beautiful city. The director uses many, many tight shots and close ups, I suppose to capture emotion but I feel like he loses out on showing some of the city they are trying to survive in. I found the characters very unlikable as people and really wasn't rooting for them in any big way. I found Peter to be pompous and obnoxious and the kind of person I would avoid in real life. The film desperately needs a hero, even an everyman, to connect with. I'm thinking that perhaps this absolutely captures the generation when it was made but watching it now it loses some of that steam significantly. Doug McGrath is good in the role if the point was to make him unlikable. I already mentioned what I thought of Peter but I kept waiting to find some redemption in him and there just isn't any. The best I can say is that he is definitely sad and forlorn and he makes you feel that emotion throughout. Paul Bradley is his best friend and he does well but his character follows Peter through just about anything for no reason. He is absolutely being dragged down by Peter's desperation and that makes him unlikable as well but I definitely wanted him to succeed more than Peter. The two of them together have decent chemistry though I feel like Bradley didn't get much depth to his character. Legendary Canadian actress Jayne Eastwood is also decent as Bradley's girlfriend and then wife. She doesn't get a lot of character development either but she serves her purpose well. The three of them together are good...not great...but definitely good. There is a possibility that when I think longer about this film or perhaps watch it again in the future that it might grow on me. It isn't poorly made at all, but its the furthest thing from what I would consider entertaining. This is a film about real life. Whether they're looking for work, struggling in their dumpy apartment, stealing to survive, browsing the record store, or just sitting smoking looking very forlorn this is a very sad existence to watch and it is the furthest thing from a happy film. The entire movie is simply sad, one of the saddest stories I've ever seen. Donald Shebib has a distinctive style in capturing this emotion and he does it very well. The gritty, indie style of the film will appeal to some and even the very gritty and unlikable leads might win you over in some way but for me this was a little bit of a miss and disappointing in more than one ways. I will watch the sequel...perhaps right after this...but its morbid curiosity at this point. I need to know if redemption finds these characters 40 years later. 6/10

After reading so many good reviews on this film and seeing an in-depth and up-to-date documentary with some of the cast members and Trailer Park Boys' writer/producer/director Mike Clattenburg I finally caught an airing of this film on the IFCC. It's more a drama than a comedy though you can't help but laugh at these poor guys. Pete and Joey are a pair of East Coast bumpkins who come to Toronto for a better life, but they now face a new series of hurdles as they try to fit in to the metropolis but only land a string of short term manufacturing jobs. Life gets tougher and eventually becomes worse as they drift through a period of structural unemployment. Cool to see the backdrop filming locations along the downtown Yonge/Dundas street corner and an old Loblaws sign. And when did grocery packers last wear bowties? Then there's a cameo with Stompin' Tom Connors who looks almost exactly today as he did back then. Few copies of a DVD release but one must see the televised documentary (seen on Star! and the Drive-In Classics channel) to complete the whole story. Fans of The Trailer Park Boys TV series may enjoy this film for the story, though fans of the original cult horror hit Black Christmas, another Toronto filmed project that included Doug McGrath among the cast, may find Going' Down The Road interesting just to catch a glimpse of the city of Toronto, the way it was in the seventies.

I hated this film from the first time it was shown on CBC-TV. It reeked of Canada, featuring these anti-social east coast dorks who couldn't eat, talk or dress right. Pete and Joey smoked and drank more than any human beings alive and tried to class up the filthy walls in their seedy Toronto apartment with horrible cheesecake posters. When it comes to romance, they hook up with Jayne Eastwood, Canada's first lady of comedy. Nice choice, guys! These guys must have come out of the womb puffing on a Player's and if they haven't cracked open another brown stubby beer bottle, they're lovingly reminiscing about one. They even have one of those horrible Toronto Maple Leaf hockey calendars behind them in one scene. They taught a nation how to rip off their neighborhood record dealer and corner grocery store in 1970. I'd nursed my hatred for Going' Down The Road for 30 years, before seeing a DVD copy at my corner Giant Tiger. I tried to shove it under my shirt and walk out, but remembered times had changed. Instead, I bought it and found that it was a wonderfully crafted film, with a terrific story. I still love the SCTV satire of the film and its a shame the DVD couldn't contain both. I recommend seeing the film, before the SCTV parody.

Although most great directors concentrate on the visual aspect of motion film and use music as background noise, if used at all, there is much more to film than the visual aspect. The visual textures do make up most of the film, whether it be camera angles, colors, etc. But since the early 1900's film has been made with sound, so there is that angle as well. In this movie, Donald Shebib plays with all sorts of textures: the color, the visual, the audio, etc. The music is used in the foreground in places while the movie shows the story instead of constantly dragging it on and telling it. I also find that the soundtrack in a movie can sometimes ruin it by interrupting what the director sets up, but in this film it belongs. Of course, this just happens in some points of the movie, which is what makes it unique for the time. The rest of the movie involves a great story superbly acted out. My main point is the irony of this movie as the "great Canadian Classic" in that Donald Shebib included the music score purposely to link the parts of the movie. I am reminded that in the sixties and up to the point of this movie, Canada had a poor music industry. Besides a few bands such as the Guess Who and Bruce Cochburn, radio stations would say they were "reaching into the beaver bin for some droppings" whenever they were forced to play a song from a Canadian band by Ottawa to promote the industry. Our film industry was just as poor. However, because of Ottawa pushing to promote our music industry we now have great bands like The Tragically Hip, The Headstones, Great Big Sea, so on and so forth, and the world recognizes them. However, look at our film industry: does the world recognize Guy Maddin? Does the whole country anticipate a new movie from Cronenberg or Egoyen? Does Bruce MacDonald get much recognition south of the border? And this is the Great Canadian Classic, how many people do you know that has seen it? This is a movie worth seeing by people of any country. But if only our film industry was supported like the music industry was, we could make movies even better than this.

A gritty and realistic portrayal of the Toronto in 1970, and the tale of two young men with "not a pot to p*** in", who come west from Nova Scotia in search of a better life, but who both end up just trying to survive. Easily one of the top 10 movies within the past 20 years that I have had the pleasure of viewing.

I stumbled upon this low budget Canadian movie while flipping channels, and although somewhat slow in areas, its grittiness and realism gripped my attention from beginning to end. At first it appeared to be a Canadian version of "Midnight Cowboy" which was released a year earlier, however as the movie progressed it became obvious that the story being told was different. The heros, Pete and Joey, are high school dropouts from the economically depressed east coast (Nova Scotia), who like so many others travel to the big city (Toronto), in search of a better life. Their enthusiasm is quickly dashed, and they settle into a series of minimum wage jobs, ranging from factory work to washing cars. As the underdogs I couldn't help routing for them, in particular Pete has aspirations for better jobs and dating classier women. However Joey's interest in Toronto's nightlife, working class women and constant beer drinking holds his friend back. Even an interviewer's candid comment "You need to get more education or go back home" does not provide the wake up call Pete needs. In the end Pete and Joey can't seem to help themselves. Although the main characters appeared to be in their 40's (both are heavy smokers), a decade or two too old for their roles, the acting, dialog, camera work, sound track and interactions with other bit characters worked very well together to distract the viewer from this fact. In particular the scenes of our heros hard at menial work and at play were extremely well done. All in all, a realistic drama and time capsule to the working class of Toronto in 1970, particularly interesting to Canadians, and lover's of dramas and foreign films.

Two complete yokels decide to go from the smalltown to the big city of Toronto. They are convinced that there will be nothing but a goldmine of opportunity there. These guys seem completely primed for failure from the beginning. Their eyes seem wider than a five year old. They seem to have no life experience or practicality. Every scene just verifies how beyond hopeless they are. After a very clumsy beginning the film does seem to settle down a bit and become more involving. The characters also become more distinct and grounded. You start to feel for them a little. Yet the film seems determined to make a strong message on the plight of the working class. It offers no let up and refuses to give the guys even a little break. Eventually it just gets too depressing. The wide open ending is even worse. It gives us no conclusion or character progression. The whole thing seems like a waste of time. Technically there is also problems. The lighting in nighttime shots and some indoor scenes is quite poor. The sound is muffled and the editing choppy. The acting is ok, but their thick Canadian accents could be a turn off to some. The dramatic vices are predictable and some of the segments seem overly protracted. The film is highly touted by some, but cannot live up to billing. A 1984 film called MOONLIGHTING starring Jeremy Irons works on the same type of theme, but is far far better.

This is the worst movie I have ever seen and it has nothing to with the fact that is "low budget" it has to do with its perception people have of people from the Maritimes in general. One can only watch this movie and understand why Toronto is so disliked by the rest of the country. As someone who grew up in Nova Scotia and have moved to Ontario I can assure you I have never painted a mural on my car or been on welfare, as people who watch this may be shocked to know, neither has anyone else I know. I sincerely hope our tax dollars didn't get invested in this tripe.