Hi All,

If you only see one movie set in NL this year, this would be the one to see.

It is a remake of a French Canadian film and there is nothing really novel in the retelling.  Just transplant the action to a fictional fishing outport called Tickle Head.  Tickle Head is hoping for a Petrochemical byproduct reclamation plant and to get one they need a permanent doctor.

By twists and turns that are not unusual in such a small province a down on his luck plastic surgeon is sent for a month to Tickle Head and the race is on to get the Doc to fall in love with Tickle Head and agree to become the town Doctor.

It plays gently to Newfounland stereo types for certain and yet it does capture wonderfully the character of many a Newfoundlander and while the comedy is very subtle my wife, son and I found ourselves laughing at familiar sayings.

It tugs at some heart strings.  A rant by the lead about what else comes with Welfare cheques (the money lasts about 15 days but the shame lasts forever) is a sentiment I heard often from many who took buy-outs for their fishing quotas.

A lightly comedic film full of deception and redemption.

And when the jig finally is up and the doctor has the whole scheme laid out before him he rightly challenges the ring leader over the whole fraudulent plan and the betrayal of trust.

It is a powerful moment which plays on the ringleaders own guilt.  Push comes to shove and the ringleader admits to being dishonest and then he lays out why and his own desperation for his beloved community.  it is a moment that passes all too quickly but one the doctor is now completely capable of understanding.  He signs on and the plant is built and the community survives.

Brendan Gleeson is marvelous as Murray French.

Kelowna's own Taylor Kitsch who has had some difficulty with the big screen lately (John Carter and Battleship) gives a very vulnerable performance as the troubled but naive Doctor who is completely taken in by the plan cooked up by Murray.

Gordon Pinsent is his curmudgeonly, lovable self who impresses Murray by admitting he has never, ever gone to town (outport slap at St. John's).

Mark Critch, Mary Walsh and Cathy Jones of This Hour Has 22 Minutes Fame provide fairly strong supporting roles.  Critch and Jones less for laughs than Walsh.

The best part of the plan is knowing that the Doctor loves Cricket the community sets out to learn how to play and build a pitch in an attempt to convince the Doctor that Tickle Head is his kind of place.

Critch gets to play the straight in a series of misunderstandings (he is thinking about the insect not the game) and Mary Walsh and a friend are charged with making the Cricket uniforms.

We are gonna need a lot of whites says she and everything white gets pressed into service including some pinks that don't quite bleach white enough.  Pinsent in Cricket whites fashioned from an old table cloth is a hilarious site.

A very pleasant and clean movie.  Well save for the scenes inside a waste sorting plant in St. John's, that was pretty filthy.

Grace and peace to you.

John