Scott Speedman (l) and Wes Bentley are fantastic in the effortlessly unique comedy Weirdsville
If I described some of the things that occur in Weirdsville, it would sound upsetting and grotesque. It isn’t. This film is a marvellous little comedy, containing unexpected delights that a synopsis couldn’t hope to communicate.
Royce (Wes Bentley) and Dexter (Scott Speedman) are in trouble. They owe money to dangerous gangsters and are being pursued by a Satanic cult. And you thought you had problems. The hapless duo aren’t exactly innocent victims in either case (they used up a large stash of drugs they were supposed to sell and interrupted a Satanic ritual while trying to dispose of a dead body), but somehow, we can’t help rooting for these likable losers. Even the villains, though despicable, show signs of humanity and are all the more interesting for it.
The above description barely covers the first 20 minutes of the film, but to give any more of the story away would be to rob the viewer of the many offbeat surprises Weirdsville has to offer. Suffice to say that Royce and Dexter encounter more challenges as the day goes on, ranging from the unlikely to the downright surreal.
Bentley and Speedman make a fantastic comic duo, playing off one another perfectly and conveying a mixture of patience, frustration and affection that suggests a long-established friendship. The supporting cast is terrific, with Greg Bryk as a pompous cult leader, Raoul Bhaneja as a gangster and curling enthusiast, and the diminutive Jordan Prentice as Martin, a tiny but tough mall security guard who quickly becomes an audience favourite with his take-no-shit attitude and enthusiasm for medieval weaponry. It helps that writer Willem Wennekers endows his creations with interests, motivations, dreams and quirks that set them apart from the tired stock characters of so many other films.
Despite the outwardly grim subject matter, Weirdsville has a refreshingly optimistic worldview. This is a world in which awful things may happen, but seemingly miraculous strokes of luck and opportunities for redemption occur just as randomly and suddenly.
Plenty of Canadian films have tried too hard to achieve a so-called “Canadian” feel, while others have failed by trying too hard to ape Hollywood. Weirdsville neatly avoids both pitfalls and is simply effortlessly unique. Telefilm Canada supported this production, and I, for one, am delighted with how well my tax dollars have been spent here. More, please!
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