waydowntown

waydowntown
Directed by Gary Burns
Produced by Gary Burns
Shirley Vercruysse
Written by Gary Burns
James Martin
Starring Fab Filippo
Don McKellar
Marya Delver
Michelle Beaudoin
Music by John Abram
Distributed by United States:
HomeVision
Lot 47 Films
Canada:
Odeon Films
Alliance Atlantis
CTV
Telefilm Canada
Australia:
Madman Entertainment
Release dates
September 10, 2000
Running time
87 min.
Language English
Budget $700,000 CAD (estimated)

waydowntown is a film directed by Gary Burns, released in 2000 which explores office driven culture. The film takes place in Calgary, Alberta, where many downtown buildings are connected by a network of skywalks called Plus 15. As a result, the hustle and bustle of the main street has been replaced by recirculated air, food courts, and fluorescent lights. This is the setting for Burns' sardonic comedy about Canadian corporate culture.

Plot

The film centres on a group of colleagues in downtown Calgary, Alberta, who bet a month's salary on who can last the longest without going outside. The film takes place over one lunch hour during the course of the month-long competition. The dark comedy often uses surrealism to achieve its goals.

The cast includes Fab Filippo, Don McKellar, Marya Delver and Michelle Beaudoin.

The film's title is derived from a particular form of suicide where one smashes the (non-openable) window of one's high-rise office and then jumps through. Many people go "downtown", but such folks go "waydowntown". In the movie, one of the characters has accumulated a 2-litre pop bottle full of marbles in the hopes of breaking his window.

Cast

Production

The majority of the film was shot in TD Square, the Calgary Eaton Centre, and Bankers Hall. The company's offices are situated in the TD Canada Trust Tower. The low-budget film was shot on digital and later transferred to 35 mm.

Reception

The film as of May 1, 2009 has a 70% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Most critics praise the satirical elements, casting, and plot. Others find the film to be humourless, incomplete, and the plot to be too nonsensical and uninteresting.[1]

Trivia

See also

References


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