Review of This Movie Is Broken (2010) by Jen M — 22 Nov 2011

If this is an example of the current state of Indie filmmaking in Canada, things are worse than I thought.

Movies like Dazed and Confused, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and This is Spinal Tap celebrate music and how a specific time's culture is influenced by it. There's so much that can be done, particularly if the subject involves teens all flocking to see a band they all like. Lots of room for character development, lots of room to examine a band's impact on a group of people.

Not so in the case of Bruce McDonald's This Movie Is Broken. The film focuses on the band Broken Social Scene, a popular Indie band that hails from Toronto. The setting is 2009, amidst a garbage strike that plagued the city for weeks. Because of this strike, Broken Social Scene had to cancel a show, but decided they'd still perform for free by the Harbourfront. This is the background for a cliche love story that offers very little insight into anything about romance. Bruno wakes up next to Caroline, a one night stand that he hopes he'll be able to turn into a full out relationship, since he's had a crush on her for a long time. She leaves for France tomorrow, so he has one night to convince her to stay. Hmm, I've seen this movie countless times.

Now the problem is that the movie is too focused on showing the band's concert that it forgets about the story. The resolution happens, and you couldn't care less.

Also, a movie based on a band should suggest why this band is important enough to have their own film. I don't like Kiss, but I was able to enjoy them in Detroit Rock City. I'm not a fan of hip hop, but 8 Mile was great. Broken Social Scene, to me, is mediocre at best, but this movie does nothing to celebrate the band's impact on the Indie scene in Toronto (which is massive), or anything at all that makes you appreciate these artists.

This movie is broken all right. And it'll be too difficult to fix. Just avoid it.