Too much of a Canadian thing?

-OR-

A defense of Bon Cop, Bad Cop.

I had a very strange conversation with some film friends last night. It’s not like we picked up our discussion topic on the way in from left field or anything. We’d been talking about movies, something we’re wont to do. This conversation wasn’t really all that different from dozens of others we’d had.

And then it went completely and totally off the rails.

I mentioned Severance (which I’ve talked about before) as a movie that they should see. I figure it’s a good example of the direction we should be taking Canadian film, a direction that was exemplified by Bon Cop, Bad Cop (I know I forgot to mention it in my previous post, but I’m doing my best to make up for it now!).

Only one problem. They’d never seen Bon Cop, Bad Cop. Even worse they had no DESIRE to see it (at least until I’d recommended it). The problem? It was “too Canadian.”

Why would they want to go see a movie that rams its Canadian-ness down their throat?

I’d never even considered this. When I got home last night I skipped around the intertubes, looking for similar feelings about BCBC, and, lo and behold, there are lots of people who feel the same way.

It’s a reaction that confuses the hell out of me. When I saw the trailer for Bon Cop I thought “Hey! That looks like a pretty sweet buddy cop movie!” It had gunfights, chases, explosions…everything a cop movie needs. But the one thing I didn’t feel was that it was ramming its Canadian credentials down my throat.

Sure. It starred an English speaking cop and a French speaking cop who happened to be investigating a body found on the border between Ontario and Quebec. That’s the story. It is what it is.

What’s wrong with that? Why does the fact that it’s identifiable as being set in Canada make it bad? Why does the fact that it’s a bilingual film lower your desire to see it? Is there an inherent problem with a movie that’s identifiably Canadian?

BCBC has more in common with Lethal Weapon than some creatively starved, commercially unviable, NFB flick from the seventies. Watching the trailer I saw more cop clichés than Canadian clichés. So what’s the problem?

If this exact same story took place in Europe would people have the same reaction? If the body had been found mid-way through the Chunnel, if it was an Englishman and a Frenchman that were called to investigate, would that be okay? Or would it be too “European Union?”

Why is Canadian Culture taboo? Why do we hate ourselves so much?

Talk about a fucked up national identity….

Alright. Calm down. Let’s try to get this back on track…

Ultimately what it came down to was how free are we to tell our stories. My friends don’t want to be forced into just telling “Canadian Stories.” As a writer I sympathize. I don’t want to have to write about hockey playing beavers who love maple syrup all the time. I like to think that the stories I write are universal. I hope that whoever winds up listening will find them relevant whether they’re from Vancouver or Vietnam (this post probably being a notable exception).

The way in which people determine what is and what’s not CanCon is screwed up. Forget points, forget having to set your story in Montreal, forget having to show off the Maple Leaf X number of times. Forget all of that.

If it’s made by Canadian creatives it’s Canadian. Period. End of story.

That’s what my friends were trying to say. That’s what they were trying to get at (at least I certainly hope that’s what they were trying to get at).

That’s the paradigm shift those in power need to undergo. But that’s not all that needs to change.

We, the general public, aren’t off the hook. We need to re-evaluate how we look at content. It’s time to throw out the pre-conception that “if it’s Canadian it must be bad.” It’s time we embrace good, quality, Canadian driven programming. Who cares if it’s obviously Canadian? Who cares if it takes place in small town Saskatchewan (Corner Gas)? Who cares if it’s set in a trailer park (Trailer Park Boys)?

It’s about damn time we chose what we watched based on the quality of the story, not how many times people say “eh!”

The story. The characters. That’s what’s important.

And if it’s a buddy cop movie, look past the fact that they’re from Ontario and Quebec. Look past the fact that they speak English and French. Look past the fact that it’s a “Canadian” movie.

Look past it and let yourself enjoy the rollicking good story that it is.

You won’t be disappointed.