''My American Cousin'' is a Canadian drama film, released in 1985. Written and directed by

Sandy Wilson Alexander Galbraith "Sandy" Wilson (19 May 1924 – 27 August 2014) was an English composer and lyricist, best known for his musical '' The Boy Friend'' (1953). Biography Wilson was born in Sale, Cheshire, England, and was educated at Harrow ...

based on her own childhood, the film stars

Margaret Langrick Margaret Langrick (born 1971) is a Canadians, Canadian writer and retired actress. She is now known as Maggie Langrick, and is the CEO of the publishing company Wonderwell. Filmography Films *''My American Cousin'' (1985) as Sandy Wilcox *''Ha ...

as Sandy Wilcox, a

preteen Preadolescence is a stage of human development following middle childhood and preceding adolescence.New Oxford American Dictionary. 2nd Edition. 2005. Oxford University Press. It commonly ends with the beginning of puberty. Preadolescence is c ...

girl growing up on a ranch in rural

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

in the late 1950s. Sandy's longing to be treated as an adult is roused even further when her older

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

cousin Butch Walker (

John Wildman John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

) comes for a visit. The cast also includes

Richard Donat Richard Donat (born 1 June 1941) is a Canadian actor, known for his work in Canadian and American television. He is well known for playing the character Vince Teagues in the Canadian–American TV series, '' Haven''. Donat is the younger brot ...

, Jane Mortifee,

Babz Chula Babz Chula (born Barbara Ellen Zuckerman; circa 1946 – May 7, 2010) was an American-born Canadian actress. Chula spent her early childhood in the working-class neighbourhood of Jamaica, N.Y., but her widowed mother, Abby Zuckerman, a bookin ...

and

Camille Henderson Camille Henderson is a Canadian pop singer. She played the role of Shirley in Sandy Wilson's 1985 Canadian film ''My American Cousin''. She went on to become part of the Vancouver-based pop group West End Girls from 1991 to 1993. Following her ...

. A 2006 On Screen! documentary about the film featured interviews with director Sandy Wilson and leading actress Margaret Langrick. The sequel to this film, ''

American Boyfriends ''American Boyfriends'' is a 1989 Canadian comedy-drama film written and directed by Sandy Wilson and starring Margaret Langrick, John Wildman, Jason Blicker, Liisa Repo-Martell, and Delia Breit. It is the sequel to ''My American Cousin'' (19 ...

'', was released in 1989.

Awards

''My American Cousin'' won six awards at the

7th Genie Awards The 7th Genie Awards were held March 20, 1986, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to honour achievements in Canadian film in 1985. The ceremony was co-hosted by Leslie Nielsen and Catherine Mary Stewart."Genie hosts announced". ''Toronto Star'' ...

, including Best Picture, Best Director (Wilson), Best Original Screenplay (Wilson), Best Actor (Wildman), Best Actress (Langrick) and Best Film Editing ( Haida Paul). The film was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Donat), Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design, but did not win those awards.

External links

* 1985 films English-language Canadian films Best Picture Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners 1980s coming-of-age drama films Canadian coming-of-age drama films Films set in British Columbia 1980s biographical drama films Canadian biographical drama films Films about Canada–United States relations American Playhouse 1985 drama films Films directed by Sandy Wilson Films shot in British Columbia 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films {{1980s-Canada-film-stub