I like Movies: cinephile skewering comedy dares to takes the diss out of a "Canadian" movie

A first feature from Chandler Levack exposes the cloak of cinephilia, its judgements, and how we self-deprecate as filmmakers

I Like Movies, Canada, 2022, 99 mins | Comedy | Starring: Isaiah Lehtinen, Romina D’Ugo, Krista Bridges | Writer/Director: Chandler Levack | Prod. Co.: VHS Forever | Dist. by: Mongrel Media

Third from the left and far right are the film’s stars, Romina D’Ugo and Isaiah Lehtinen as Alana and Lawrence in Chandler Levack’s debut; I Like Movies, distributed by Mongrel Media.

Watched at TIFF Bell Lightbox opening night with the director, cast, co-producer, and editor in attendance for a post-show Q&A moderated by programmer Norm Wilner for a packed screening in Cinema 2 (one of the big ones).

For a Podcast read of this review click below

Ep. 005 - I Like Movies: cinephile skewering comedy charms in the age of DVDs

At the start of Chandler Levack’s I like Movies, during an argument in the car, Lawrence Kweller (Isaiah Lehtinen) tells his mom (Krista Bridges) that he wants to go to NYU because he doesn't want to be a Canadian filmmaker. Lawrence emphasizes the adjective for its pejorative slight. This line is a loaded one to hear in a Canadian film, especially to any Canuck with a few miles in the rearview.

Sure Going Down the Road, 1970, (Don Shebib), Shivers, 1975, (David Cronenberg), and Porky’s, 1981, (Bob Clarke) ushered in Toronto’s new wave of the ’80s: Egoyan, McDonald, McKellar, Podeswa, and Rozema; and today Cronenberg, Egoyan, and Polley receive International acclaim—yet, the line still carries a sting, especially when said in the context of a period piece set in the early aughts. It’s a line expected during a 12-step program for Hogtown cinephiles, not so much on the big screen at the Mecca for Canadian cinema, TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Perhaps being able to laugh at it now, collectively, in a theatre as large and as packed as this was on opening night, indicates filmmakers are aspiring beyond the one-week run at the Carlton, writing films in line with storytelling models that motivate audiences to purchase a ticket. Or perhaps Levack is at the vanguard of a refreshing new wave of Canadian filmmakers who aren’t shy of making a Canadian Lady Bird or Rushmore, touchstone films Levack revealed during the Q&A. I Like Movies is a film aspiring to an international canon that doesn’t require the suffix “North” to append Hollywood. It’s simply a good film, like any other.

I like Movies is the feature debut of writer/director Chandler Levack who worked as a film critic before moving behind the camera. Levack's keenly observed writing demonstrates a knack for revealing character and emotional stakes through her dialogue. The film is a brilliant character-led comedy relying heavily on verbal exchanges, highlighting its star, Isaiah Lehtinen’s formidable talent as a young actor in his debut feature role.

Star Isaiah Lehtinen’s sharp wit hits us full force from the get-go through Lawrence’s cultivated cinephile personality, which hides his insecurities. Lehtinen fully inhabits Lawrence with a seamless performance that carries the film across its run time. After listening to Lehtinen at the Q&A, it’s evident he possesses an uncanny alignment with Lawrence in this stunning debut, announcing himself a talent to watch.

Lehtinen’s flawless turn as Lawrence fulfills Levack’s vision of making her own Lady Bird or Rushmore, with a turn as magnetic as Ronan or Schwartzman respectively. Striving to create a film with the presence of those well-known characters requires, of course, just the right actor to pull it off. After auditioning 300 of them, she found her charismatic lead in Lehtinen, and we’ve found a new star.

Isaiah Lehtinen as Lawrence Kweller, a high school senior cinephile in Burlington, Ontario, circa the early aughts in Chandler Levack’s I Like Movies, distributed by Mongrel Media.

The film is set in the city of Burlington in the early aughts before the retail business of video rentals had completely tanked. From our vantage in the age of streaming, I Like Movies is an endearing visit back to a quaint time when the behavior of renting physical media forced us to have physical interactions. It could even be a survival job and a gateway to the subculture of cinephilia, interactions which today have largely become virtual through social media, further cloaking the cinephile from interacting with the outside world.

Young Lawrence of Burlington, a senior in high school, thinks his admission to NYU is a done deal based solely on his penchant for watching at least one movie a day. The fact that tuition costs $90K, which is likely double or more his single working mom’s annual salary, takes no foothold in Lawrence’s cinema-soaked brain. Encouraged to get a job, Lawrence applies to Sequels, a Blockbuster-type video store in a suburban strip mall, thinking he can save the requisite amount in a few months with a minimum-wage job.

Currently working through his Kubrickian Eyes Wide Shut obsession to welcome PTA’s Punch Drunk Love at a Cineplex near you, Lawrence thinks he can just talk cinema and be his charming self at his new job, imagining that customers will fawn over his deep knowledge of films and their directors. However, he doesn’t realize the burden his self-absorbed presence causes his new boss Alana (Romina D’Ugo), whom he begins to crush on. As he attempts to find a way to express his attraction, he learns that she has a showbiz backstory.

Later in the film, Lawrence’s pov gives way to Alana’s, who stages an emotive monologue opening his eyes to the realities of filmmaking. Levack’s actor-led approach allows D’Ugo to take the floor. It was revealed in the Q&A that D’Ugo worked out her own blocking for the scene, which she had already developed early on in her audition process. The scene is a wonderful actor-led moment that gave D’Ugo full reign to physicalize her work in a vulnerable yet commanding way.

Lawrence’s doe-eyed attraction triggers Alana’s people-pleasing nature. It forces her to realize she is even seeking approval from a high schooler. D’Ugo brings the tragic to the comedic where needed, grounding the film with her world-weary character. Alana steps out of her supporting role, having thus far served to highlight Lawrence’s low-level neurosis, in a move that edges close to breaking the fourth wall. She takes over the movie as her own for an effective monologue that serves to educate Lawrence on both the trials of pursuing work in the film industry and in particular, the jeopardies of being a woman in front of the camera. It is to Levack’s credit that she gives her character layering and depth in a role that would normally remain supporting only. While the moment borders on the didactic, it is to D’Ugo’s credit that she pulls it off with an emotional investment that makes it plausible.

Alana (Romina D’Ugo) is every teenage boy’s dream boss in a Burlington video store circa the early aughts, courtesy of Mongrel Media.

During the course of events, Lawrence is forced to come to terms with his cinephilia, presented almost as a diagnosable disorder in the film, serving as a means by which to judge others, specifically his best friend Matt (Percy Hynes White), in a charming turn, who urges Lawrence to let a girl (of all people!) (played by the whip-smart Eden Cupid) into their circle to help with the year-end video. Lawrence deems her lacking the requisite cred, thereby making himself superior. A rift that may prove irrevocable. Anyone who has ever indulged in movies to get through a difficult time or used film to shelter themselves from life’s challenges will relate to Lawrence’s journey. 

Lawrence (Isaiah Lehtinen) and Alana (Romina D’Ugo) sit outside the video store they work at in Burlington, Ontario, in Chandler Levack’s I Like Movies, distributed by Mongrel Media.

Great films have alchemy between the writing, directing, and performances, where the right actors in the right roles elevate a film beyond all its components, giving it that special magic. I Like Movies captures this magic, presenting a boon to Canadian cinema. Thanks to Levack’s witty script and well-realized film, we have reason to remove the pejorative slight when using our country to claim its filmmakers.

I Like Movies is an entertaining, charming, creative, funny, and affecting Canadian film featuring great performances. It’s not so much an ode to cinema as it is a sharp observational story about the unseen dangers of immersing yourself in one pursuit, in this case, movie-watching, and letting it become the filter of your life, or even its gatekeeper, insulating yourself from the world and using it to keep others out.

However, watching Levack’s film doesn’t run this risk. Instead, it draws you out with its enduring performances, tack sharp script, and endearing story, loading you up with infectious energy you’ll be dying to share with others. At least, that’s what this new Canadian comedic gem did for me. I suspect, if you’ve read this far, it may do the same for you.

Lawrence (Isaiah Lehtinen) lights up I Like Movies. No need to wait for the rental, the film is now playing across Canada in a theatre near you, courtesy of Mongrel Media.

Rating

4/5

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