Eh?

That's basically my Canadian response after watching One Week, because I'm not sure what I'm suppose to feel. I don't want to give anything away, though. Maybe we're suppose to reflect on the value of life, just like Ben, the main character.

The story begins with Ben (Joshua Jackson) discovering that he has terminal cancer. Even if he goes for surgery, he has a 10% rate of recovery, according to his doctor. The film shows us it has a sense of humour, as we get a quick fantasy sequence of Ben shooting himself in the head, while listening to the doctor. We're also introduced to a third person narrator, (Campbell Scott) who occasionally likes to make witty remarks throughout the film.

So, what's Ben to do? Well, he wants adventure. I would too, if I was told I had maybe a few years left to live. On the way home, he buys a motorcycle, and soon enough, he leaves his home in Toronto, along with his fiancée and family, to go west. Where west? He has no clue. It appears to me he's only going west because a Tim Hortons coffee cup told him to. But I guess it's the adventure that counts, right?

As Ben travels, we get lots of nice Canadian scenery and music. Everyone he meets is nice to him, and always gives him some kind of meaning to his quest. Unlike Christopher from Into the Wild, Ben at least stays in contact with someone from Toronto, and he doesn't live off the land. The narrator occasionally mentions him looking for Grumps, a character from a kids' book. It's suppose to be metaphorical, like Ben's looking for meaning in his life or something.

I was liking this movie up to a point where it started to feel rather phony. I felt more like I was reading a script, with coincidental plot points simply to try and hold the viewer's interest. I can believe that Ben randomly finds the Stanley Cup in a hockey arena, but if you multiply a significant moment like that by six, I realize I'm supposed to suspend my disbelief. Sorry, I can do that for a wild action movie, but not for a down-to-Earth movie like this. Other scenes like the narration when Ben meets a nice person, stuff he randomly sees like a happy bride and groom, and the screen-fades-to-black-but-there's-more ending don't help, either. It's too bad because the scenery looks beautiful, the acting and dialogue are realistic, and I chuckled at the movie's humour. Ben is a likable person who just feels lost in his life, right now. Again, I'd sympathize if I had terminal cancer.

In my review for Toronto Stories, I mentioned one of the things I liked is that the characters' stories aren't sugarcoated. Unfortunately, that's what One Week feels like. It's a movie perfect for sale at a coffee shop, and that's not really my thing. To quote an IMDb reviewer, this movie is "Neither Fish Nor Fowl". It's merely an OK ride.

6/10

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