Canadian Bacon (1995)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Michael Moore

Writer (WGA):

Michael Moore (written by)

Release Date:

22 September 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

It Gets Lonely at the Top, When There's No More Butt to Kick.

Plot:

The U.S. President, low in the opinion polls, gets talked into raising his popularity by trying to start a cold war against Canada.

Plot Keywords:

Niagara Falls | U.S. President | Canada | Special Forces | Food In Title

Cast

John Candy	...	Sheriff Bud Boomer
Alan Alda	...	President of the United States
Rhea Perlman	...	Honey
Kevin Pollak	...	Stu Smiley
Rip Torn	...	General Dick Panzer
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Roy Boy
Bill Nunn	...	Kabral
G.D. Spradlin	...	R. J. Hacker (as G. D. Spradlin)
Steven Wright	...	Niagara Mountie
James Belushi	...	Charles Jackal (as Jim Belushi)
Brad Sullivan	...	Gus
Stanley Anderson	...	Edwin S. Simon
Richard Council	...	Russian President
Wallace Shawn	...	Canadian Prime Minister
Michael Copeman	...	Panzer's Aide

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language and violence.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG (NO. 33582) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Buffalo, New York, USA

Company:

Dog Eat Dog Films

Trivia:

One of the odd little "inside" jokes is the title: "Canadian Bacon" is an American term. According to the American Pork Producers Association, the name was coined to designate that style of bacon which was, many years ago, imported from Canada because such a cut was not produced in the U.S. at the time. Canadians generally call such bacon "back bacon".

Goofs:

Continuity: Sheriff Boomer sprays French translations onto the side of his truck. In the next shot, the truck has only English.

Quotes:

R.J. Hacker, President of Hacker Dynamics: Here he is now. The man that a thin majority of you chose to be the president of the United States.

Movie Connections:

References "Hogan's Heroes" (1965)

Soundtrack:

High Hopes

The joke is on you...

I don't usually write reviews, but I feel compelled. Just read through the user comments on Canadian Bacon here and I'm chuckleing. Not only is this movie subtly hilarious, its nearly perfect as so many people are only contributing to the joke.

I recall sitting in a hostel in Switzerland on a trip across Europe, and listening to two American guys drinking and talking to two Austrailians. 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. That country should be insulted and the joke gets old." No, the joke only gets better with every American reviewer who doesn't get it, pushing it that much closer to a truly inspired masterpiece.