Big News from Grand Rock

A story set in the decline of the newspaper in one of today's most dire outposts- the Canadian small town- it's not Citizen Kane. It's Big News from Grand Rock.

A small Canadian film on the film circuit, Big News from Grand Rock focuses on a small town newspaper that loses its main advertiser and comes to the brink of closure. The desperate editor, Leonard, looking for stories that will sell and coming up empty-handed, takes inspiration in the half-forgotten Bill Murray dud Larger than Life (1996) to fabricate a story. He soon begins ripping off films every week, and when one based on Extreme Measures (1996) draws in a big- city reporter, she quickly unravels the half-witted scheme.

Big News from Grand Rock offers some small, genuine laughs, often capturing what the news can be like in a small town. When one person just bought a lottery ticket and another sells squash, and when a class snake eat worms, you're into dull territory. One thing I noticed is that for a small-town newspaper, they have an unusually large staff of writers. Usually it's just one guy. Peter Keleghan, the most recognizable actor in the film to me, plays the resident dumb one, achieves a funny voice but doesn't offer much of his range. More on the down side, I wasn't impressed with the acting of our lead or the chemistry with the leading lady, whose inevitable sexual rendezvous seems tacked on. Still, this is an enjoyable little film.