''Hostage for a Day'' is a 1994 Canadian

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

John Candy John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' seri ...

, in his only directorial effort. Though the film is also billed as "starring" Candy, he in fact plays only a minor role, as a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n hostage taker. Produced with a mostly Canadian cast, the film was released one month after Candy's death.

Plot

Forty one year old copy shop worker Warren Kooey begins having a

mid-life crisis A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 40 to 60 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's grow ...

. His plans are to take a trip to the state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

, but his plans are derailed after his wife drains his entire bank account (approximately $40,000) to pay for a remodelling job by famous home builder and blond, long haired Italian heartthrob "Hondo." In order to recuperate his money Kooey decides to pose as being held hostage by an imaginary Russian terrorist, and calls the

SWAT Team In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

on himself in an effort to extort $50,000 (to Kooey's disappointment, the incompetent SWAT team has suffered major budget cuts). Things take a turn for the worse, when Russian terrorist Yuri Petrovich takes Kooey hostage.

Cast

External links

* 1994 films 1994 comedy films Canadian crime comedy films English-language Canadian films Films directed by John Candy Midlife crisis films Films about kidnapping Films with screenplays by PJ Torokvei 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films Fox network original films {{1990s-comedy-film-stub