The Wife and I went to the Spectrum Theatre on a recent Saturday night. I knew little about any of the movies, so we opted for the film down from four showings per day to two, The Grand Seduction.
From the IMDB description:
“The small harbor of Tickle Cove [probably Newfoundland, Canada] is in dire need of a doctor so that the town can land a contract to secure a factory which will save the town from financial ruin. Village resident Murray French (Brandon Gleeson) leads the search, and when he finds Dr. Paul Lewis (Taylor Kitsch) he employs – along with the whole town – tactics to seduce the doctor to stay permanently.”
This film is an English language remake of the French-Canadian Seducing Doctor Lewis (2003), originally called “La grande séduction”. Here’s a trailer of the current movie.
It takes a bit to set up the premise, but eventually, there are lots of laughs, coming from these folks who are looking for meaning in their life that work used to provide. We enjoyed it quite a bit and related to many of the characters. It also provided an interesting parallel about the value of honesty.
Gleeson is a versatile actor who often plays the heavy. Kitsch is best known for the acclaimed TV series Friday Night Lights. The last movie in which I saw Gordon Pinsent, who played Simon, Murray’s aide de camp, was in the very different Away from Her (2006).
The reviewers were mixed on this, 61% positive in Rotten Tomatoes. One of the negative reviews read, “Loved Local Hero? Charmed by Waking Ned Devine? Then go watch Local Hero and Waking Ned Devine.” Funny that, because right as the movie ended, this woman sitting right behind us said, “It was good but not as good as Ned Devine.” I did see that quirky film 15 years ago, and liked it fine, but don’t remember it well enough to make the comparison.
Don’t know that you need to run out to your local theater to see it – if you can even find it – but it’s worth at least a rental. Here’s a video review that doesn’t reveal too much.
