Music
Review: This Movie Is Broken
by Allan Tong
June 17, 2010
Playing Thursday, June 17 at NXNE
This long-anticipated docu-drama centering around Broken Social Scene’s 2009 Toronto concert is a disappointment.
Sure, the concert footage is exciting. It was shot at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre last July when garbage collectors and other city workers went on strike and wouldn’t ferry thousands of fans to BSS’ gig on Toronto Island. So, the band gave a free show at the lakefront venue instead.
Director Bruce McDonald concocted a fictitious story about two young lovers who go to the show and quarrel. Problem us the characters are paper-thin and their actions feel contrived. None of their story is convincing, and the film loses steam whenever we leave the concert to cut to them. A fine filmmaker (Pontypool, Hard Core Logo), McDonald is capable of far better storytelling than this.
Still, This Movie Is Broken is worth seeing on the big screen for the concert footage. Feist, Jason Collett, Emily Haines and Kevin Drew deliver tremendous performances. You ache to see more of them whenever the film cuts to the lovers story. If nothing else, audiences can relive that BSS show which will now live on in this film.
Watch the trailer:
Tags: Music, broken social scene, Bruce McDonald, Emily Haines, Feist, Harbourfront, Jason Collett, Kevin Drew, NXNE
