Oh, Canada
- 2024
- 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
Leonard Fife, one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam, shares all his secrets to de-mythologize his mythologized life.Leonard Fife, one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam, shares all his secrets to de-mythologize his mythologized life.Leonard Fife, one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam, shares all his secrets to de-mythologize his mythologized life.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Jack elordi is the young leo fife, while richard gere is the older, grown up film maker. He's telling his story towards the end of his life, but it's very complicated. He admits to making mistakes, but he says he will tell the truth. Flashback to fife as a young man. So many decisions to be made. Going to war. Running a company. Leaving. Always leaving. But some of the stories get so strange, it's not clear what's true and what is just being mis-remembered. Maybe the lies about all the lies is the real story. And the fact that fife has cancer. He's quickly getting confused and feeble, and angry. It's interesting. And mostly good. The jumping forward and backward sometimes gets confusing. The amount of uncertainty and confusion will annoy some people. Many things are left to the viewer to resolve. Directed by paul schrader. Was nominated for first reformed. Story by russell banks.
10parisdv
I watched this at Cannes, at the film's premiere.
OH, CANADA is a highly original film by one of the masters of cinema, a real work of art. The film is beautifully made with a strong visual look. It features beautiful cinematography and great production design. The acting is strong, especially Richard Gere who plays the protagonist. He gives a terrific and memorable performance in the vein of Jack Nicholson in FIVE EASY PIECES- a complicated, not always likable but compelling character.
It may not be everyone's cup of tea but I think it is one of Paul Schrader's greatest achievements, and a gift to cinema lovers. Recommended.
OH, CANADA is a highly original film by one of the masters of cinema, a real work of art. The film is beautifully made with a strong visual look. It features beautiful cinematography and great production design. The acting is strong, especially Richard Gere who plays the protagonist. He gives a terrific and memorable performance in the vein of Jack Nicholson in FIVE EASY PIECES- a complicated, not always likable but compelling character.
It may not be everyone's cup of tea but I think it is one of Paul Schrader's greatest achievements, and a gift to cinema lovers. Recommended.
A movie about a selfish, fictionalised, elderly, frail, ill and once-heralded documentary filmmaker (played by Richard Gere), whose docs seem to have been all but forgotten bar the aficionados, agrees to an all-day interview to recount his life and career, and which the producer pitches as a means to re-establish his credentials for a new generation.
Sadly, it's nothing more than an ego trip for Gere, perhaps hoping this film will get him an Oscar nomination, which is risible given he can't act and is the same bland baloney sandwich in everything. Uma Thurman plays his wife and supposed muse but she has so little to do and say with such a two-dimensional character, it's inexplicable why she even bothered to do this. The same can be said of Michael Imperioli's role, and all those of All the other characters - they're nothing but shadows: no depth or complexity or shine.
Worse, the ploddingly insipid-sounding songs (reminiscent of Nick Drake but with none of the talent) as scene music/ambience are as dull as the script - or rather, the "pretentious literary drivel" as the filmmaker once accurately remarks of his own pathetic, early and failed attempt at being a novelist - and the tiresome, vacuous flashback scenes all pile one atop another to hammer home the same banal point: that Gere's character is utterly selfish, feckless and incredibly dull. Why anyone of the women in his life ever wanted to sleep with him, or spend time with him, is as incomprehensible as why anybody would want to speak with such a bland blancmange of a personality.
Unless you're looking for a cure for insomnia, or a good reason to throw/shout something at your screen while watching this, save yourself six hours of your life - ok, so it's 90 mins -but it Feels like six - and do something more meaningful instead, like watch Pity (2018), the brilliant foreign film by Babis Makridis.
Sadly, it's nothing more than an ego trip for Gere, perhaps hoping this film will get him an Oscar nomination, which is risible given he can't act and is the same bland baloney sandwich in everything. Uma Thurman plays his wife and supposed muse but she has so little to do and say with such a two-dimensional character, it's inexplicable why she even bothered to do this. The same can be said of Michael Imperioli's role, and all those of All the other characters - they're nothing but shadows: no depth or complexity or shine.
Worse, the ploddingly insipid-sounding songs (reminiscent of Nick Drake but with none of the talent) as scene music/ambience are as dull as the script - or rather, the "pretentious literary drivel" as the filmmaker once accurately remarks of his own pathetic, early and failed attempt at being a novelist - and the tiresome, vacuous flashback scenes all pile one atop another to hammer home the same banal point: that Gere's character is utterly selfish, feckless and incredibly dull. Why anyone of the women in his life ever wanted to sleep with him, or spend time with him, is as incomprehensible as why anybody would want to speak with such a bland blancmange of a personality.
Unless you're looking for a cure for insomnia, or a good reason to throw/shout something at your screen while watching this, save yourself six hours of your life - ok, so it's 90 mins -but it Feels like six - and do something more meaningful instead, like watch Pity (2018), the brilliant foreign film by Babis Makridis.
In dull & pretentious drama "Oh Canada" reknowned but dying Canada-based film-maker Richard Gere gives a deathbed account of his life (directed at wife Uma Thurman) featuring in flashback his younger self Jacob Elordi abandoning one then another wife (the latter with his baby son) before permanently crossing into Canada in '68 to dodge the Vietnam War draft. Prolific writer / director Paul Schrader has always been hit 'n' miss, and this absolute stinker is a DEFINITE miss (despite support from the likes of Michael Imperioli & Jake Weary). Gere btw falls asleep as he delivers his self-important monologue... and he will not have been alone. Excrutiating.
Perusing the reviews already on here regarding this movie. I notice there are a wide range of scores and views. Some giving it 8 or higher pronouncing it a work of genius. Where as others are giving it a 3 or less. Claiming it a bunch of pretentious rubbish.
Where do I stand? Hmm. I've just watched it and I am still digesting. It is possibly a movie to be watched several times to get the true meaning. Although I must admit there is no way I would sit through this film again. I'm pleased I have seen it but it certainly will not be going in my bag of films to watch again.
I'm going down the middle with a 5. That's possibly being too kind.
Where do I stand? Hmm. I've just watched it and I am still digesting. It is possibly a movie to be watched several times to get the true meaning. Although I must admit there is no way I would sit through this film again. I'm pleased I have seen it but it certainly will not be going in my bag of films to watch again.
I'm going down the middle with a 5. That's possibly being too kind.
Did you know
- TriviaSecond time that Paul Schrader has adapted one of Russell Banks' novels for the screen, following Affliction (1997).
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Project: Episode dated 28 March 2025 (2025)
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Канадець
- Filming locations
- Harriman, New York, USA(The scene that was filmed here is supposed to be a scene where the character played by Jacob Elordi, crosses over into Canada.)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $200,980
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $31,869
- Dec 8, 2024
- Gross worldwide
- $1,276,529
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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