''Beauty Day'' is a 2011 Canadian documentary film written and directed by

Jay Cheel Jay Cheel (born ) is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, editor and podcaster. Career He is mainly known for directing the feature-length documentary '' Beauty Day'', and short film ''Cooking With Gerry – Episode #2: Poutine'' that premiered at ...

. It features the life and work of Ralph Zavadil whose '' Cap'n Video'' series on a community cable channel consisted of outlandish stunts which resembled those seen in the later '' Jackass'' series. Zavadil also discusses aspects of his personal life, such as working at the local GM plant, and his family which were affected by his

drinking problem Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...

Scenes

Zavadil began his ''Cap'n Video'' series on St. Catharines,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

cable channel 10 in 1990. One such incident involved an attempt at an "instant razor" where Zavadil applied combustible liquid on his face then set it on fire. The film begins with a clip of Zavadil's most notorious stunt in which he attempted to dive into a covered swimming pool from a ladder. The ladder was unstable and his jump resulted in a head-first landing on the concrete deck. Zavadil then fell onto the pool's cover and nearly drowned as it sank until a neighbor came by and saved him. Zavadil fractured his neck as a result requiring a six-month recovery. The news of the failed stunt received attention from various international television shows. ''Cap'n Video'' was cancelled in 1995 following a controversial Easter-themed episode in which Zavadil licked off chocolate sauce that was applied to a dog. The episode also featured a rabbit hung from a

bungee cord Bungee cords equipped with metal hooks A bungee cord (sometimes spelled bungle; also known as a shock cord) is an elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usually covered in a woven cotton or polypropylene sheath. The ...

. These scenes prompted criticism from viewers and the local Humane Society. The documentary includes interview footage with Zavadil and excerpts from his ''Cap'n Video'' series. Other interview subjects include his mother (Barbara Zavadil) and his former girlfriend (Nancy Dewar). The film's title is based on Zavadil's recurring use of the phrase, "It's going to be a beauty day".

Reception

''Beauty Day'' received average reviews from Postmedia, ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' and Sun Media/QMI.

References

External links

*
''Beauty Day''
at Films We Like * {{IMDb title, 1922555 2011 films Canadian documentary films 2011 documentary films Documentary films about television Films shot in Ontario 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films English-language documentary films