Men with Brooms (2002)

"It's not the size of the army, it's the fury of its onslaught."
Let me tell you, nothing gets me up like the sport of curling. I go nuts with the foam finger and the thunder stick whenever I tune in to a curling match. Just watching the 42-pound granite stone wending its way down the ice sheet, its course being affected by brooms, in an effort to get into the house and as close as it can to the button, well, it's just something that's fraught with intensity and poetry.

Okay, so I don't know what I'm talking about. Before this film, I knew nothing about curling. When I popped MEN WITH BROOMS in the dvd player, I was expecting something along the lines of [[ASIN:B0009HBPN0 Dodgeball - A True Underdog Story (Unrated Edition)]] or [[ASIN:B00005JPEV Balls of Fury]] since I figured curling to be as equally ignored and trivialized as dodgeball and table tennis are in these parts and would probably be also only televised on ESPN the Ocho. I did have a notion that MEN WITH BROOMS would be more clever and would resonate more. And it was, and it did. MEN WITH BROOMS is a winning Canadian picture, bolstered by a fine cast of Canadian actors, a sensitive yet hilarious story, and featuring as its centerpiece a sport which actually becomes interesting within the film's context, although I doubt I'll be going out of my way to cheer on this event in the Olympics.

The death of a kindly curling coach reunites his four messed-up proteges, including that sunuvacanadian Chris Cutter (Paul Gross). Chris, a gifted skip (curling team captain & strategist), had ten years ago abandoned his sport, his teammates, his tiny town of Long Bay, and his girlfriend, who happens to be Coach Foley's daughter and now an astronaut. The coach's last wish was for his remnants to be cremated and placed in a curling stone, and that stone be used to win the local curling tournament and regain the Golden Broom trophy. The rest of the film shows how Chris and his teammates (a drug dealer, a mortician, and a husband with a low sperm count) try to get their act together and do the dead guy proud. Also, there are beavers.

I've come to believe that whenever Paul Gross is involved in a project, that project instantly becomes credible and something worth experiencing. [[ASIN:B000A0GY0K Due South: Season One (4-DVD Digipack)]] and [[ASIN:B000FBFYKU Slings & Arrows - Season 1]] are two fine examples. I'm not sure how many people know of Paul Gross, but he's big and very bankable in maple leaf territory. And he's got large talent. Gross wears several hats in MEN WITH BROOMS. Here he acts, he writes, and he directs. He does all these well.

The picture enlists the services of striking actress Molly Parker and Gross's buddy Leslie Nielsen (of NAKED GUN fame and who guest-starred a bunch of times in DUE SOUTH), and they're invaluable. Molly soulfully plays Amy, the sister of Chris's ex-girlfriend, who for years has been secretly in love with Chris. Nielsen strays from typecasting and takes on the dark, ornery role of Chris's estranged dad and new coach. Basically, the cast is Canadian and therefore funny. The actors playing Chris's teammates are lovable and off the wall, from the clueless Eddie, to the henpecked Neil, to the shameless bon vivant Lennox. I also laughed at some of the stuff spouted by the game announcer amidst his beer-swilling ("That shot was impossible once - so, to do it again, mathematically, it's gotta be...twice as impossible!"). There were moments when I thought I was listening to Bob Eucker in MAJOR LEAGUE. Also worth a heads up: Canadian group The Tragically Hip provides two new songs, as well as a cameo appearance.

What is curling? I could say it resembles the game of shuffleboard, but then people might ask, "Well, and what's shuffleboard?" I've since learned that curling is also called the roaring game (nicknamed so for the sound the stone makes as it travels the breadth of the ice). The game possibly originates from Scotland in the 16th century (although that's all up for debate). The brooms? The sweeping of the brooms causes friction and heating on ice which helps to determine the stone's direction and speed. And regarding the rules and complexities of the game, I quote from the film: "Each team has 8 rocks. Each guy throws two. When all the rocks are thrown, whoever has their rock closest to the button, that team gets the points." See, simple (But, here we go again: "What's a button?"). Anyway, don't let the unfamiliar terminology or the initial inexplicability of curling stop you from watching this one. The movie does a good job of filling you in enough so that you can sit back and relax.

The bonus extras? Not much here. There's a 4 and a half minute interview with Paul Gross (in which he doesn't talk about this film but does go into what made him want to be an actor and he also touches on Due South), a 5 minute featurette, and the theatrical trailer. Also, there are outtakes during the end credits.

I might make fun of curling, but the film doesn't make the error of doing the same. MEN IN BROOMS is never less than sincere and affectionate in its treatment of the sport, which is wise because, apparently, Canadians are excellent curlers. I think this film is worth 4 stars: one, because it has Paul Gross; two, because I love underdog sports cinema; and three, because MEN WITH BROOMS is well-done, funny, quirky, and touching.

Now, if only there's a good sports film out there about shuffleboard.

CURLING?
Hard to believe you could make a fun, interesting, highly enjoyable and watchable movie about the sport of curling, but the very talented Paul Gross has done just that with MEN WITH BROOMS. A lot of good things come out of Canada besides maple syrup and Gross is right up there with the very best - can the man do anything wrong? DUE SOUTH was excellent and SLINGS AND ARROWS one the best shows I have ever seen on TV from just about anywhere! BROOMS isn't quite up to that standard but with an excellent cast including Leslie Nielson it is a one-off super ensemble piece that deserves a wider audience than I think it got when released. Go for it... enjoy, eh!!!

CURLING?
Hard to believe you could make a fun, interesting, highly enjoyable and watchable movie about the sport of curling, but the very talented Paul Gross has done just that with MEN WITH BROOMS. A lot of good things come out of Canada besides maple syrup and Gross is right up there with the very best - can the man do anything wrong? DUE SOUTH was excellent and SLINGS AND ARROWS one the best shows I have ever seen on TV from just about anywhere! BROOMS isn't quite up to that standard but with an excellent cast including Leslie Nielson it is a one-off super ensemble piece that deserves a wider audience than I think it got when released. Go for it... enjoy, eh!!!