Vancouver’s the star of ‘Gone Green’
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, May 3, 2007
“God, I love Vancouver,” says one of the characters in “Everything’s Gone Green,” an engaging post-slacker comedy that doubles as a valentine to the metropolis of British Columbia.
The film is an original screenplay by Douglas Coupland, the bard of Vancouver who helped define an era with his novel “Generation X.” It’s rife with wry observations about our 21st century times, and full of Vancouver-specific commentary.
The plot revolves around 30ish Ryan (Paulo Costanzo), who’s suddenly displaced when his girlfriend kicks him out. He gets a break when his brother sets him up as manager of a giant new condo complex, which is empty because an expected flood of Hong Kong emigres hasn’t happened yet.
Ryan lands a job editing a lottery magazine – who knew there were such things? – which brings him to the attention of a shady operator (JR Bourne) with a money-laundering scheme. Sadly, Ryan happens to have a crush on this guy’s girlfriend (Steph Song). Or maybe it’s not so sad.
Other characters drift in and out. It’s that kind of movie – it drifts, rather than forges ahead. Very Canadian.
Coupland scatters some good gags throughout, like the fact that economics have inspired Ryan’s parents to open a marijuana franchise as part of his buddy’s pot empire. There’s a critique of society’s adoration of money and beauty beneath the surface of the story. Or sometimes right on the surface.
Director Paul Fox serves the material well, especially a dreamlike sequence where briefcase-wielding businessmen move in slow motion toward a whale that has beached itself on a Vancouver inlet.
Paulo Costanzo, from the TV show “Joey,” makes a solid hero for these doings, and JR Bourne is uncannily contemptible as a wannabe Donald Trump.
The movie makes jokes about Vancouver impersonating other cities as a much-used filmmaking hub for movies and TV. Finally Vancouver plays itself in this one, and it gives a splendid performance.
A scene from “Everything’s Gone Green.”
