One Week (2008)

This is another movie that if I did not have Netflix I most likely would have never seen. Having Netflix has led me to some really good movies like this one that I am so glad to have seen. This movie grabbed my attention with the opening scene so much so that I stopped it, called my wife in and asked her to watch it with me. I restarted it and not only did we enjoy watching it, but occasionally paused it to discuss the scene we had just watched.

Numerous times we laughed out loud during it and other times our eyes watered up. What a well told heart touching movie. Joshua Jackson did a great job in his role. I actually am one that thinks that Joshua Jackson, James Van Der Beek and Michelle Williams from the TV show Dawson's Creek are very good actors, though James has not been given the break he needs yet IMO. My wife and I both recommend this to others to watch and enjoy. Who knew there were so many statues in Canada? Another movie that I say "well done" and am glad to have spent some time to have watched it.

Fmovies: I totally loved this movie. The only thing that bugged me was that all of the "Saskatchewan" scenes were not actually filmed in Saskatchewan, so that was a bummer.I love Joshua Jackson and love the fact that he is Canadian. I thought it was a beautifully done movie that made me very proud to be Canadian.

I was expecting it to be intense and to a certain degree it was, but it was also funny, heart warming and inspiring.

I highly recommend this film to any Canadian who wants to see more of our beautiful country on film. And for anyone else in the world who wants to see how amazing and vast out country is.

I think that director Michael McGowan really loves his main character, Ben. Ben is beautifully played by Joshua Jackson, a part which requires him to react to a lot of things. Ben seems quiet about most things, but not necessarily content. When told that he has cancer and only a short time to live, he's suddenly a man on the cusp of something. It takes only a silly message under the rim of a Tim Horton's coffee cup - "Go west" - to set him in motion. For the first time in his life, he doesn't just fall back into something familiar and comfortable - he takes action. He rejects, at least for the time being, the virtual death of invasive cancer treatment, and goes on a quest for the life he's never really experienced. And when he runs out of "west", as he's afraid he'll do, he goes even further. The road trip in this movie is the road trip, ever further west, to a destination of the spirit. To others, it seems as if he's running away. But he's not. He's running toward something. When his girlfriend and family try to reel him in to safety, to "us", he resists. In a moment I silently cheered he cries out, in frustration, to his girlfriend: "It's not about us! It's about ME!" That may sound selfish, but it's not. It simply means that there are places where other people cannot go. One thing I liked about this film is its adult take on its subject matter. Although frequently funny, it is also contemplative and suggests that, without being ostentatiously heroic, our actions can inspire others. While I was watching the film I was thinking that if it was about only this and nothing else I would have been satisfied. But a film about a man who doesn't stop while it's still safe - but who goes all the way. That appeals to me on a personal level.

One Week fmovies. This is what I call a real gem. I have just finished watching this movie, and I'm still thinking so deeply about it. I'm a travel fanatic, what would I do if I were to find out what Ben finds out about his health and destiny? Probably just the same.

It's impossible not to think about "Into the wild" when watching this movie and make a comparison. Both film are great, in different ways though, this one is probably more into introspection, the story is more "pruned" when compared to the American movie, the characters met by the main man are different, calmer, probably less American.

I loved everything about this film: the landscapes, the message, the characters (Sam is a good and kind hearted girl which deserves better in her life, the families are described as warm and loving), the literary quotations, the music, everything.

A gem really not to be missed. And Canada, wait for me, I'll be travelling there some time in the future!

I had the privilege of being in the audience for the premiere screening of One Week last night in Toronto. As with many Canadian films, the lack of an appreciative audience was evident by many empty seats in Roy Thompson Hall. However, for those of us who were in attendance, we were treated to an incredibly funny (in a tragic way typical of many Canadian films) and touching film. Joshua Jackson (notably absent from the premiere), showed a great range and presented a complex, well-developed character. The scenery was beautiful and there were many Canadian touches to the film - the audience in particular seemed to enjoy the references to Tim Horton's and Canadian Tire. However, the story has a universal theme and will hopefully go on to be enjoyed by a wider audience from around the world.

I just arrived home from seeing this film and I am very glad I went. If you get a chance go see it, or rent it when it comes out on DVD, I highly recommend it. I feel that One Week manages to be a thoughtful yet crowd-pleasing examination of a somewhat cliché expression without being overbearing or preachy... there are also some very very funny moments. The film uses celebrations of Canada, ranging from quirky to touching, to help weave around and through the big question/quest. Is it uniquely Canadian? Well I think in many ways "Canadian" is a moving target, and the elements of Canadiana used in One Week are strongly tied into the traditional ideas of Canadiana - the defining role that the natural environment has played in the personal and collective development of the nation. The vastness, beauty and wildness, and the beckoning of the unknown. Scenery aside, no matter who you are the story is one of an emotional journey one that some may recognize more than others and that all can understand and appreciate. Having said that I think the internal reflections and questions the film poses will make it resonates especially well with those who have experienced solo travel.