Pour Toujours Les Canadiens
Doc said:
Any movie starring Claude Legault & Jean Lapointe should be a good one! I heard on L'Attaque a 5' last night that it was a very good movie. I can't wait to see it.
Well my buddy called me late in the PM yesterday to tell me we could go to catch the premier of Pour Toujours Les Canadiens at the Bell Center in a private loge. So there was no way I could say no!
Well it was nothing like I expected it to be. Not knowing anything about the movie, I expected it, from the title, to be a documentary about the history of hockey's greatest team. And while it did include a lot of the teams history it was done within the body of a family style dramatic film that would have been right at home with a Disney logo at the beginning. It's a story about a young boy in need of a kidney transplant, an older boy who is a hockey player dealing with the pressures of playing for a new team and parents who have little time for him due to their own jobs, and how they all come together as friends due to their love of hockey and the habs. That's a very simplified synopsis of the film.
It's a great family film and very enjoyable for adults who have a love of hockey and the habs. I heard some of the critics say that it wasn't a great movie, and I don't think they really understood the idea of the film. But opinions differ and while it was not the best movie I've seen in my life, I really enjoyed it.
The entire Canadiens team was there and I wonder how they felt when the crowd cheered during scenes with Koivu and Kovalev playing for the habs. If nothing else, they should have learned something about the rich history of Montreal's favourite sports team and the love this city has for the team and players. Seeing the Richards, Roy, Dryden, Plante, Lafleur, Gainey, and all the rest of the team's legends and the crowd's response to them hopefully had an effect on the new members of the team.
Is it a great movie, no it isn't. But it is a touching film that I'm sure made everyone in attendance smile and we all cheered in the end. Formula film? Sure it is. But it's a great one that everyone will enjoy if they have at least half a heart. And I saw many wiping their eyes at the end of the movie.
Besides...according to the movie, the habs were in the Stanley Cup final last year against the Wings and that alone made it worth watching for the sci-fi factor!
And Saku spoke French!
The film was followed by the entire cast being introduced in person to a rousing round of applause. A totally enjoyable evening.
By the way, the movie was shown on the giant HD scoreboard and it was amazing. It was also broadcast to the HD sceens in the loge but I turned it off as it was a distraction. I heard today that it set a Guiness record for the largest audience for a movie premier.
It was definitely a different movie experience seeing it at the Bell Center.
Recommended.