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Paul Schrader’s films are some of the most divisive among fans and critics. His latest film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and is no exception. Oh, Canada is a movie with great performances and a unique story but ultimately has nothing to say. Read my Oh Canada review to find out why it’s my most disappointing movie of TIFF 2024.
Please note that the following Oh Canada review will not have any spoilers from the movie.
A Very Unique Metacontextual Premise
Oh, Canada tells the story of the life of a renowned documentary filmmaker, Leonard Fife (Richard Gere). Things get meta when the filmmaker agrees to a documentary of his life by his former students as an homage to his accomplishments. However, Fife uses the opportunity for something a lot more, cathartic.
Oh, Canada has a very innovative approach to telling a non-linear story, but one that also employs a lot of abstract elements that enhance the experience. For example, Jacob Elordi, who plays a younger Fife in flashback sequences, is sometimes replaced with an older Gere, still in the past. While it takes some getting used to, it works simply because of the curiously interesting performance from Gere. And that’s where this Oh Canada review shines.
Oh Canada Review Is Spoiler-Free
With a stellar cast, every performance in Oh, Canada is incredible. Gere gives what I think is one of his career-best performances. The veteran actor pulls out all the stops for a role that is raw, mysterious, and visceral. Gere infuses Fife with the aloof defiance of a man at the end of his rope, in more ways than one. Supporting him is Uma Thurman as Emma Fife, the supporting and loving wife of a man who is legendarily hard to love. While Thurman excels in strong, outspoken roles, I loved her vulnerability as a woman in a difficult position of having to support her husband, even while he gets antagonistic in his old age.
While Jacob Elordi is a fine actor, there’s not much to do for him here. And I struggle to recall if a young Richard Gere ever looked anything like Elordi. But Elordi’s performance itself is fine and taps into some emotional depth in certain sequences. Even Michael Imperioli is great here, with a limited role, but some great one-liners here and there.
Where It All Goes Wrong
While Oh, Canada has a lot going for it, such as the writing and performances all supporting a great premise, it doesn’t all come together in the execution. The story seemingly builds to a huge reveal that never comes. And the answers we do get feel anti-climactic to the larger story that was unfolding. There’s also an underlying purpose that feels well-defined in the beginning; the documentary is the narrative device that then unfolds through voice-over narration and flashbacks. However, things begin to get muddy as an additional narrator joins the story, and Fife’s overall arc feels underdeveloped.
Oh, Canada is worth a watch for its very unique storytelling approach that, while doesn’t entirely stick the landing, is still an innovative style to experience. The performances are wonderful and moving. However, the movie doesn’t end up coming together to give us anything new or profound. The performances are the main reasons to check out Oh, Canada.
Rating: C+
Oh, Canada premiered at TIFF 2024.
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Oh, Canada
Famed Canadian-American leftist documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife was one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam. Now in his late seventies, Fife is dying of cancer in Montreal and has agreed to a final interview in which he is determined to bare all his secrets at last, to demythologize his mythologized life.
Release Date: December 6, 2024
Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Richard Gere , Jacob Elordi , Uma Thurman
