One Week

If there is ever a film that embodies Canada, One Week is definitely that film. It was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to see this film, and now I am glad that I finally got the chance.

The film starts off with Ben Tyler, played by Joshua Jackson (Dawson’s creek, Fringe), in the doctor’s office. He is informed that he has stage four cancer and that there is no timetable for when he can die. When he tells his fiancée , played by Liane Balaban( Last Chance Harvey, Definitely Maybe), she instantly insists that he do whatever treatment possible but instead, Ben informs her that rather then take the treatment, he is going on a road trip to western Canada with the motorcycle he had just bought because he isn’t ready to become a patient yet.

What follows is Ben’s journey Across Canada. From Toronto to Vancouver, Ben visits tons of landmarks along the way. Ben has this fascination with “world’s biggest” things so he stops to see plenty of these landmarks. At one point, the Stanley Cup even makes a special appearance in the film. Throughout the trip Ben has several epiphanies and starts putting his life in to perspective.

Right off the top, I’m going to take a page from a typical review of Daniel’s reviews and marvel at the use of scenery. The locations were stunning. This movie shows some of Canada’s great landmarks. The visuals of Ben on his motorcycle with the great Canadian landscape in the background is what made this film great. I have never seen a movie show more of a conscious effort to utilize the location of filming more than this film. The way they used Canada to tell the story was amazing.

The acting is perfect for this film. Joshua Jackson does a stellar job as the main character in this film. He hits the emotional parts and the serious parts equally well. Liane Balaban did what she needed to do as the caring fiancée. The one problem I had with the film is the narrator in the film. The voice was about as dull as you can get. In my opinion they should’ve went with like a Tim Robbins or Samuel L Jackson.

I have to say this film is great and I absolutely loved it. It is far and away the best Canadian film I have ever seen. Everything in this film is Canadian. The actors, the music, and even the landscape are all Canadian. It is such a great movie. The ending could’ve been better, but it wasn’t that bad. Whatever you do, see this film. Rent it, buy it. If your Canadian, it’s a must see.