''Old Stock'' is a 2012 Canadian romantic comedy-drama film, directed by
James Genn.
[Scott A. Gray]
"Old Stock, James Genn"
''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', May 30, 2013.
The film stars
Noah Reid as Stock Burton, a young man who has spent two years acting as if he were already elderly, living with his grandfather Harold (
Danny Wells) in a retirement home, to escape the disapproval of the community after having been unwittingly responsible for an accident that disrupted his high school graduating
prom. One day he meets and connects with Patti (
Melanie Leishman), a woman who is teaching dance classes at the senior's home as
community service after being found guilty of
pyromania, who may finally provide the impetus for Stock to move out of the retirement home and start living life as a young man again.
[Linda Barnard, "Dramedy can't bridge generation gap". '']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 ...
'', May 31, 2023.
Cast
Production
''Old Stock'' had a three-week shoot with several scenes filmed November 2011 in
Orangeville at a real retirement home, the Lord Dufferin Centre.
Distribution
The film premiered at the 2012
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, before going into commercial release in 2013.
[
]
Critical response
Geoff Pevere of ''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 ...
'' rated the film 2.5 stars, writing that "populated with winningly eccentric personalities (the odd-couple pairing of Reid and Leishman is especially appealing, in a mutually maladroit kind of way), chuckle-tickling one-liners and a universal conviction in the abiding but redeemable silliness of the human condition, Old Stock is an amiably warm celebration. Wear it like one of Stock's sweater vests and stand for the national anthem."
Linda Barnard of 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 ...
'' was more negative, writing that the film's blending of comedic and dramatic tones didn't mesh, and concluding that "with a nod to John Hughes, director James Genn makes the best of what is clearly a limited budget. But Dane Clark's script is too twee and sitcom-like for its own good."[
For '']Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', Scott Gray rated the film six out of ten, writing that "having something real to say about the uselessness of dwelling in the past or allowing oneself to become paralyzed by guilt over a random act of life is only enhanced by consistent, often subtle performances and Genn's use of forced-perspective to reinforce the supporting theme of encroaching modernity."[
]
Awards
The film received three Canadian Comedy Award
The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000.
The ...
nominations at the 15th Canadian Comedy Awards
The 15th Canadian Comedy Awards, presented by the Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence (CCFE), honoured the best live, television, film, and Internet comedy of 2013. The awards ceremony was hosted by Tom Green and held at the Ottawa Little ...
in 2014, for Best Feature Film, Best Direction in a Feature (James Genn) and Best Writing in a Feature (Dane Clark).
Dave Genn received a Leo Award nomination for Best Musical Score in a Feature Length Drama in 2013.
Dane Clark's screenplay for the film was a Praxis Screenwriting Competition Winner.["Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart Toronto indie filmmakers: People 2013 to Watch" by Leslie Scrivener, '']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 ...
'' (30 Dec, 2012) Retrieved from
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 2112219
2012 films
2012 comedy films
Canadian romantic comedy films
English-language Canadian films
2010s Canadian films
Canadian Film Centre films