Canadian Bacon

Plot synopsis:
Thousands of former employees are outraged with military businessman R.J. Hacker (G. D. Spradlin), who had closed down his weapons manufacturing plant, Hacker Dynamics. At a conference held at the former plant, he pins the blame for the shutdown of his business on the current President of the United States (Alan Alda), who has just arrived. The President defends his own belief that the future of the children is more important than war, which has caused major decline in his approval rating. After the conference, he expresses to confidantes General Dick Panzer (Rip Torn) and National Security Advisor Stuart Smiley (Kevin Pollak) his discontent about not having an enemy to engage in war. An attempted negotiation with Russian President Vladimir Kruschkin (Richard E. Council) to start a new cold war with Russia fails, and the President's suggestion of a war on international terrorism is deemed too absurd.
Serendipitously, American sheriff Bud Boomer (John Candy) offensively criticizes Canadian beer while attending a hockey game between the neighboring nations in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The ensuing brawl ends up on the news and catches Stuart's attention; Stuart, in turn, collects more information about Canada from a CIA agent named Gus (Brad Sullivan), who suggests Canada as their new enemy. Before long, television channels are littered with anti-Canada propaganda, which Boomer believes wholeheartedly. He prepares for war by distributing guns to his fellow sheriffs, including his girlfriend Honey (Rhea Perlman) and their friends Roy Boy (Kevin J. O'Connor) and Kabral Jabar (Bill Nunn). After they apprehend a group of Americans "dressed as Canadians" attempting to destroy a hydroelectric plant, despite Gus's protests, they sneak across the border to litter on Canadian lands, which leads to Honey being arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In a rescue attempt, Boomer, Roy Boy and Kabral sneak into a Canadian power plant and cause a countrywide blackout. When the President learns of this, he orders Boomer's immediate removal from Canada before it's too late.
Hacker, seeking revenge on the President for shutting down his business, uses a software program ("Hacker Hellstorm") to activate missile silos across the country. The President learns that the signal causing the activation of the silos originated from Canada, and summons Hacker. Hacker offers to sell a program to the President that can cancel out the Hellstorm — for $1 trillion. With only six minutes left, the President is trying to figure out what's going on. Stuart, fed up with the President being too busy to give Hacker the money, realizes that Hacker, getting up to leave, is the one controlling the silos, not Canada, and, after storming up, takes the operating codes from him required to stop the Hellstorm (accidentally killing Hacker in the process). The President orders Stuart's arrest, despite his protests that he is now able to give the codes to the President so they could deactivate the missiles which are aimed at Moscow. As the launch time approaches the President pleads with Canadian Prime Minister Clark MacDonald (Wallace Shawn) over the phone to stop the launch.
Meanwhile, Honey was taken to a mental hospital upon her capture and escaped all the way to the CN Tower. She discovers the central computer for the Hellstorm located at the top and destroys it with a machine gun, aborting the launch sequence. She then reunites with Boomer, who had tracked her to the Tower, and they return to the United States via a speedboat.
An ending montage reveals the characters' fates: Boomer realizes his dream of appearing on Cops; Honey has been named "Humanitarian of the Year", ironically by the National Rifle Association; The President was defeated in the next election by a large landslide and now hosts "Get Up, Cleveland"; Stuart served eight months in prison, but was pardoned by the new President; General Panzer committed suicide after learning that "Hogan's Heroes" was fictional; Gus was last spotted heading to Mexico; R.J. Hacker's body has been viewed daily at Republican National Headquarters; Kabral has become a hockey star, winning the Hart Memorial Trophy three years in a row; Roy Boy's whereabouts become unknown; and MacDonald is "still ruling with an iron fist."

Tags: satire

Review:
While it had some flaws, mostly in some incomplete development of themes and failing to make full use of the story's potential, this is a brilliantly funny satire that mostly succeeds wonderfully on many levels.The idea to have the US pick on Canada, internationally one of the world's least offensive and bellicose countries is itself brilliant.
This is wonderful satire on sensationalist news stations and their willingness to use information in a wildly inaccurate and misleading manner in order to rile people up.The film picks on everyone involved, Canadian and American alike.
It adds to the irony since one of the American's propaganda tools is that there are Canadian actors everywhere in the US as such integral parts of the American entertainment industry that they are taken for Americans, and lo and behold, here some are playing various people in this film.Some parts of the film were simply silly, with jokes that were more gags rather than actually furthering the satire and points of the movie, and this is a weak spot.
They were telling them about this hilarious movie called Canadian Bacon that did such a great job of making fun of how stupid and dumb Canadians are.Which only makes the movie better, because it is so obviously, once you are in the know, a satire of America and particularly it's arrogant/ignorant (take your pick) stereotypes of Canada.Truly, with every scathing review stating "This movie is a waste of time as it makes obvious stabs at Canada.
He knew the art of comedy...and it didn't have to be laced with profanity.One of the reviews suggest it is offensive to Canadians...what??????In the film Canadians are portrayed as polite, clean and somewhat naive...Americans are portrayed as violent, dirty and somewhat naive.For every joke aimed at Canadians is aimed back at Americans...that's what makes the film funny though...it is much like the actual relationship between the countries.For Canadians...hearing John Candy respond to the capital of Canada being Ottawa was priceless..."What do you think were stupid?", hilarious.
And it's especially timely to see the news anchors and "journalists" jumping on the hate-Canada bandwagon, because they still do that today, and seeing how ridiculous the arguments are against Canada makes one think about the dubious arguments made against other countries by our "journalists."Kevin Pollack is really funny, as is John Candy.
John Candy is actually Canadian, as almost anyone who knows who he is knows, and he really brought it out in this movie, just like in the old SCTV skits(that show needs to get on comedy central, in the time slot next to SNL.
My local cable puts it on Saturday nights at about 2 a.m. I can't believe it!) I loved some of the jokes in this movie, (though at times some of them weren't funny, and also were slow) and scenes like the campfire, the hockey game, and the part where a cop pulls them over in Canada(in which Dan Akyroyd did a cameo, he also was in a film back in '88 with John Candy called 'The Great Outdoors').
Moore's a genius.I thought the funniest moment was when the president called Clark MacDonald, the prime minister, to plead with him to shut off the Hacker Hellstorm, and was forced to speak stilted French with the prime minister's French-Canadian wife as the clock ticked down.Even if you can't see the irony in Americans not knowing that Ottawa's the capital of Canada, or the Americans being glad to leave the clean, non-odorous, Canada for the polluted, smoke-stack befouled America, didn't you chuckle a little when Honey looked out the hospital window and upon seeing a blizzard and a guy with a sled, exclaimed "Ottawa!" ?Oh, the "aboot" joke, IMHO, could have been left out, but the scene where Boomer was forced to add French translations of his illiterate English insults had me rolling on the floor.I even like Neil Young..
In fact his much acclaimed earlier film Roger & Me was all about his hometown and its unfortunate plight.With that out of the way I'd like to say that Michael Moore did a wonderful job capturing the humour in the quirky traits and differences that separate Canadians and Americans whether that be Canada's pride for hockey and their beer or America's ignorance of Canada as a whole.
The film is filled with funny little political hints and satire of the typical Moore fashion that helped make his last film Bowling For Columbine the best selling documentary of all time.
This movie is not a documentary but rather a witty story that brings forth the same concept of a president creating a fake conflict to boost poll ratings that Wagging The Dog was to later use more seriously.Some of the comments made in this film show eerie foreshadowing to what has happened in the world since it was produced.No matter what your motivation for watching this film you can expect to get the same formula of political commentary delivered with wit and humour that you get in all of Michael Moore's Films, TV Shows, and novels..
this movie started out good.the premise is funny and original.there are some very funny scenes.but about halfway through it loses steam.maybe it's because the novelty wore off and the jokes were no longer funny.Michael Moore directed this film and has a good cast to work with,including Alan Alda, Kevin Pollak,Rhea Perlman,Rip Torn and the late,great John Candy.the movie should have worked,and it does for awhile,like i said.i lost interest about halfway through,and by the time it was over,i was paying pretty much no attention to it.as a result,and based on the original premise and funny 1st half,the most i can give "Canadian Bacon" is 6/10..
Sort of like how you could see the style of the Wachowski Brothers in their 1996 film Bound, you can also see the developing style of Michael Moore in this early comedy, a ham-handed political lash at America as compared with our angelic neighbors to the north.
There are certainly a lot of things that we could learn from Canada about living among each other in peace, and Michael Moore wants everyone to know that, at the same time as he makes fun of their apparently childish approach to crime control.It's an occasionally clever political romp that is never laugh out loud funny and doesn't contain a single noteworthy performance, but I suppose it is interesting enough, if only as a curiosity piece about the early work of Michael Moore, who has made inarguably the most controversial and notorious political documentaries of all time with Bowling for Columbine and, even more, Fahrenheit 9/11.And, of course, Moore makes an appearance in the film as, well, as himself, really  a loudmouth political activist..
While this movie has its funny moments and a great cast, it gets bogged down at times because it appears the writers just couldn't think of enough topical humor to maintain this feature length film.
Using the media to stir up anti-Canadian feeling his popularity rises but a group of American citizens take it too far and prepare for invasion.Michael Moore is a rare talent and many of his programmes and films could be used as a model for anyone wanted to do satire and be both political and funny at the same time.
Most scenes with the President and his media war with Canada is really sharp and really funny  just like Moore at his best.However it's the rest of the film outside of this one point that fails.
However, most of the jokes, whether they're jabs at Canadians OR Americans, are simply not funny.Comedian John Candy, a Canadian, starred in "Canadian Bacon" as Bud Boomer.
R.I.P.A comedy movie about a war between America and Canada sounds like a good idea, but Trey Parker and Matt Stone did a MUCH, MUCH better job with it when they made "South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut"!
Funny, but typically anti-American Michael Moore movie.
John Candy is always funny to watch, but Michael Moore's anti-Americanism was really coming to the fore in this movie.
But their total combined time onscreen is less than five minutes.But all in all, it is not worth the hour and a half for the four or five laughs.In sum, if you share the liberal political philosophies of Michael Moore, you will enjoy the America bashing, and overall enjoy the movie more than others.
John Candy and his gang (there are lots of Canadians in the cast) are driving near Toronto (which they believe is the capital) in a garbage truck decorated with sprayed-on slogans like, "Canada Sucks," and "Eat my Drawers," and "USA All the Way." They are pulled over by a motorcycle cop (Dan Aykroyd) who politely asks Candy to step out of the vehicle, leads him to the side of the truck, points at the graffiti and asks, "What's wrong with this picture?" Candy begins to stutter and blame "the kids back in the garage," but Aykroyd cuts off his explanation and says he's not concerned about who put it there, but he IS concerned about "Les Quebecoise." Every sign in Canada must be printed both in English and in French, and he makes Candy spray a French version of the slogans on the truck.
Canadian Bacon will be remembered more as one of John Candy's last films than a brilliant satire.
As one might expect, the movie trashes both the US (we look like a bunch of jingoistic whack-job ignoramuses) and Canada (for some reason, nothing upsets them); although you have to admit, our northern neighbor really looks better.John Candy - himself a Canadian - plays a police chief leading an invasion into Canada, first to throw garbage into a Toronto park, then to rescue a fellow officer (Rhea Perlman) accidentally left there.
Yet I have not met a Canadian who has not found this movie extremely hilarious, you got to learn to laugh at yourselves!The story is that the American president (Alda) has shut down a bunch of weapon facilities leaving many jobless.
To understand this movie you have to know both countries and understand these stereotypes and just take it as a joke, it's a comedy calm down people!Go rent this movie if you are able to laugh at yourselves because it is a great film.
Canadian Bacon is an eccentric comedy, involving the names like John Candy, Alan Alda, Rhea Perlman and with cameos by James Belushi, and Dan Aykroyd.
The very Canadian John Candy delivers a terrific postmortem performance as US Gun-happy Sheriff Bud Boomer, which is about 1/3 the joke already, but he's matched with a great cast of supporting actors all of which really deliver the hilarious jokes and punches of this movie.
I once saw the ending of this movie on TV, and I laughed as never in my life (actually, I found it so good that I couldn't finish a little work I had to do and I almost get fired from my job).Later, I rented the whole movie, and it was great.The better thing with this movie is that the jokes, are original.For example, where have you seen a movie where there is a "resell of weapons", where people can take bazookas at 20$?Where have you seen a movie where Canadians are shown saying "sorry" when one pushed them?
Michael Moore's non-documentary political satire "Canadian Bacon" is the story of an unpopular president, who hopes to raise his numbers in the polls by declaring a cold war on Canada.
Although "Canadian Bacon" isn't nearly as good as any of Moore's documentaries, this film is a good political satire and stays true to his other films.
I feel like Michael Moore owes me an hour and a half of my life back.Moore needs to stick to doing documentaries because he obviously has no talent directing comedy.Not only was the film not funny, the production value was borderline home movie.While the premise wasn't bad the execution of it was terrible.
Canadian Bacon is just the kind of movie I was looking for when I went to the video store.The American President gains the public's support to start a war agains Canada.
The U.S. President (Alan Alda), low in the opinion polls, gets talked into raising his popularity by trying to start a cold war against Canada.Nathan Rabin in a 2009 review concluded, "After generating solid laughs during its first hour, Canadian Bacon falls apart in its third act," lamenting the film "was perceived as too lowbrow for the highbrows, and too highbrow for the lowbrows." While the film, in my opinion, never "falls apart", it does feel a bit uneven, with some parts being pretty funny and others not so much.
Americans along the border are whipped up into a frenzy, and John Candy (one of Canada's best comics of all time) and some of his friends end up volunteering as border patrol in Buffalo, and then they "invade" Canada.The movie starts off amazing and the premise is great but it goes off the wheels a bit once they go behind enemy lines.
The depiction of mounties and some ridiculousness taking place at the C.N. Tower are about what you would expect of how an American movie would depict Canada, but for the most part the jokes are all in good fun and the kind of thing that Canadians like me would laugh at.Overall a very enjoyable movie.
Among the good parts are the priceless cameo by Dan Aykroyd as an Canadian police officer who teaches sheriff Candy how things work in the country; the president quoting Bob Dylan minutes before almost getting blown up; Bill Nunn exposing why blacks are always put in second place, specially movie characters; the broadcast news anchor (Stanley Anderson) informing about the eminent war; Jim Belushi's cameo as a drunk reporter and Steven Wright's cameo.
Allan Alda's line, above, was one of the many times I laughed out loud -- my real test for a funny movie.What it is, is, an exaggeration of the exaggerated perception that (we think) Americans have about Canada -- the cleanliness, the politeness, the accent ootandabooot etc.
It cannot go unnoticed, of course, that John Candy, the American sheriff is/was very, very Canadian.Canadians, and Americans who know about Canada, should find this a funny movie worth their time..
So it works better as a comedy where we laugh at the movie, and maybe a bit at ourselvesBest scenes -* Hockey arena where Candy badmouths Canada, with no one getting upset - until he says their beer sucks.
This is a great satire that pokes fun at pretty much everything and anything: Canada and Canadians, the US and Americans, international relations, arms manufacturers, etc.
Candy was the perfect stereotype of the ugly American - loud, crude and totally ignorant of anything outside his own immediate circle (and pretty ignorant within that circle!) Pearlman and Alda were also quite good, and I enjoyed Bill Nunn as Deputy Kabral, another of Boomer's gang, who gripes about being determined to make Canadians "white." There was really no significant Canadian character in the movie, but a brilliant caricature by Dan Aykroyd as an Ontario police officer who pulls Boomer over while he's on his way to rescue Honey in Toronto to insist that the anti-Canadian slogans painted on his truck have to be in French as well to comply with Canadian language laws.I wouldn't say that this was outrageously funny but it was humorous throughout and completely enjoyable.
A number of Canadians appear in the cast, and there's some fun poked at the fact that the entertainment industry in the US is so dominated by Canadian actors (surely a plot from up north) and also at some Canadian singers (Ann Murray, Gordon Lightfoot.) There was also a very funny spoof of the tendency of US networks to over-dramatize everything that happens ("Operation Canadian Bacon" with a crossed out maple leaf being the backdrop for an outrageous anchorman, played by Stanley Anderson.) I was surprised to see that this was directed and written by Michael Moore - and in many ways I found this far more entertaining (and effective) than the quasi-documentaries/propaganda pieces he's now more famous for, although it's somewhat low rating makes me wonder if Americans can really understand and/or appreciate both the humour and the caricatures.
As is all Michael Moore movies, he has to tease politics, this time in Canadian Bacon.
No, this film isn't in the entire country of Canada, it focuses almost entirely on Niagara Falls part, though the introduction has a beautiful overview of Canadian/Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls.Kevin Pollack and John Candy each get a few laughs for this one, a good one to see if you want to know a little bit about the country up north..
Michael Moore's Canadian Bacon is a good whack at comedy that works.
One of your users indicated that Michael Moore is Canadian,Michael would like to be,but he is not.I find this movie a bit of the wall,but fairly accurate in its assessment of American knowledge of Canada.It seems we know more about our U.S.pals then they know about us.
You have to take this movie in it's true context,SATIRE.America for certain are very paranoid about any culture that does not measure up to their concept of morality.I find Mr.Moore did indeed do his homework from both sides of the border.Americans might not find it funny,because of the image of rednecks portrayed by of all things a Canadian!
One of the few movies that it probably doesn't matter whether on the big screen or at home on the VCR.Canadian Bacon stars John Candy as Sheriff Bud Boomer of Niagara Falls, New York.
While Michael Moore has become a pompous ass (see Team America for a response) his movie Canadian Bacon was and still is a great satire of America's ability to over react to media propaganda.
I had not seen the film in a few years but it was good to see John Candy one last time...and quite ironic that he played an American..