Before I dive in to what promises to be a riveting read, I would like to wish you all a happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope your weekend was full of green food and drink, jolly music, and joy! And to those of you who have saved all your partying for a Monday evening…well, good luck with that.
Now, on to the main event…curling! That’s right; I am referring to the not-quite-classic-but-pretty-enjoyable film Men with Brooms! I must admit that my curling knowledge and understanding consists of half-heartedly watching muted daytime Olympic coverage of the sport while smirking and making sarcastic comments, but even so I began this movie with an open mind.
The story begins with a death. Against a beautiful Canadian wilderness backdrop, while fishing a granite curling stone out of a lake, we see the narrator of the film, Donald Foley (played by James B. Douglas) die immediately following a heart attack. As his family and friends gather to say goodbye, they discover that Donald’s dying wish was for his mismatched, failed curling team to come together and compete once again. As the old teammates reunite we learn about the various struggles in their personal lives that have brought them all to this point.
As the offbeat group begins to consider competition once again, their reluctant leader
Chris Cutter (played by Paul Gross) realizes the one thing they are missing is a coach. With some hesitation, he requests the aid of gruff curling expert Gordon Cutter (portrayed by Leslie Nielsen) who also happens to be Chris’ father. Despite the rocky relationship that father and son share, Gordon joins the team. Amidst several comical practice routines, the men begin to get a handle on their personal and athletic affairs and come together to enter into the big bonspiel to win the Golden Broom trophy (I know what this sounds like, but it actually has nothing to do with wizards or quidditch).
Even with a bit of a rocky (haha) start in the competition, the slightly awkward but loveable team takes everyone by surprise and conquers all, fulfilling the dying wish of their late coach and mentor Donald. Overall, Men with Brooms is a funny, heartwarming tale, and you are guaranteed to learn at least a little about curling, whether you wanted to or not. What more could you ask for in a Canadian sports comedy? Until next time.
Men with Brooms, 2002, rated R
Starring Paul Gross, Leslie Nielsen, James. B. Douglas
Directed by Paul Gross
Written by Paul Gross, John Krizanc, Paul Quarrington
-Jess D (guest film reviewer)
