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Being Canadian (Film) Review

 
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BeingCanadian_v11_300px
BeingCanadian_v11_300px

 
At A Glance...
 

Genre: ,
 
Director:
 
Age Rating:
 
Length: 90 minutes
 
Release Date: September 18, 2015
 
Final Score
 
 
 
 
 
4/ 5


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We liked?


A humorous and informative look at Canada, including tons of celebrity interviews.

Not so much?


The personal journey bit feels a bit forced at times.


Final Fiendish Findings?

“Who out there knows anything about Canada? Anyone?” Being Canadian – what does it even mean to be a Canadian? It’s a valid question, as much of America (and the world) seems to know very little about our overly polite neighbors to the north. It’s a question that director Rob Cohen sought to answer in […]

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Posted September 15, 2015 by

 
Full Fiendish Findings?
 
 

“Who out there knows anything about Canada? Anyone?”

Being Canadian – what does it even mean to be a Canadian? It’s a valid question, as much of America (and the world) seems to know very little about our overly polite neighbors to the north. It’s a question that director Rob Cohen sought to answer in a whirlwind nine day trip through many notable parts of the country that culminated in a celebration of Canada Day. Along the way,Cohen spoke with ordinary Canadians and Americans, as well as a number of celebrities from both countries in order to lock down what it truly means to be Canadian. It’s a humorous look at an often ignored country, and it provides some really interesting history that most of us have never heard before.

Robert Cohen is a well known comedy writer, and he recruits quite a few of his famous friends – both Canadian and American – to help tell the story of Canada in the film. Being Canadian follows Cohen’s trip across the country, but it is also divided into questions. As Cohen explores his own thoughts about what it means to be Canadian, he asks a number of questions that many of us have wondered before, such as “what the hell is Canadian food?” or “why are Candaians so polite?”. These are rather subjective questions, to be sure, and Cohen asks them of a range of different people to get a better understanding of the Canadian experience, and this leads to some really humorous answers by everyone from some average Joe on the street to icons like William Shatner and Dan Akroyd.

Though Cohen himself is amusing through most of the film, it is these celebrity interviews that really make the documentary such an enjoyable watch. There are tons of instantly recognizable faces, all giving their thoughts on Canada as a whole, be it as a native themselves or as an outsider’s perspective – Seth Rogen, Ben Stiller, Kathy Griffin, Rush, and so many more. It is truly entertaining to watch them try to explain Canada’s mysteries in their own different ways. The questions are the truly entertaining bits of the film. Cohen’s journey across the country is interesting in its own rite, however it feels contrived at times, particularly towards the end as that aspect is played up more as time begins to run out. This is a movie more about Canadians themselves than Canada geographically, so the little bits of that that are shown seem a bit shoved in, even if they are brief.

Being Canadian is a truly entertaining documentary that seeks to get to the heart of what being a Canadian is all about. With tons of often hilarious interviews of both celebrities and everyday citizens, it offers a humorous look inside an often overlooked country.


Amy

 
U.S. Senior Editor & Deputy EIC, @averyzoe on Twitter, mother of 5, gamer, reader, wife to @macanthony, and all-around bad-ass (no, not really)


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