''FUBAR'' is a 2002 Canadian film directed by
Michael Dowse
Michael Dowse (born April 19, 1973) is a Canadian director.
Life and career
Born in London, Ontario, to Irish parents, he was trained as a film editor. His first full-length movie, '' FUBAR'' was shot on a digital camera with a tiny budget, but ...
and written by
Dave Lawrence, Michael Dowse and Paul Spence, following the lives of two lifelong friends and
head-bangers, Terry Cahill and Dean Murdoch. ''FUBAR'' debuted at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
. Since its release, it has gained a cult status in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, particularly in
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada†...
.
''FUBAR'' was filmed and set in and around
Calgary, Alberta
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...
, and was filmed entirely with digital cinematography on a
Canon XL1 and a shoestring budget that required Dave Lawrence to max out his credit card and caused his dad to refinance their family home in order to complete the movie.
''FUBAR'' features characters created by
Dave Lawrence and Paul Spence that they developed based on the head-banger subculture. Terry Cahill, one of the main characters of the film played by Lawrence was based on a character Lawrence created at
Loose Moose Theatre
The Loose Moose Theatre Company (LMTC), is a theater company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was co-founded in 1977, by Keith Johnstone and Mel Tonken. LMTC has an international reputation for developing the theatrical style of improvisati ...
in the mid-90s. Many people featured in the movie (including the fist-fighters) were bystanders, who thought that the filmmakers were shooting a documentary on the common man. ''FUBAR'' did not have a set script, only a rough outline from which the actors improvised.
Plot
''FUBAR'' is the story of two lifelong friends, Terry Cahill (Dave Lawrence) and Dean Murdoch (Paul Spence), who have grown up together:
shotgunning their first beers, forming their first
garage band
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
, and growing the great Canadian
mullet known as "
Hockey Hair
The mullet is a hairstyle in which the hair is cut shorter at the front, top and sides, but is longer at the back.
Etymology
According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', use of the term ''mullet'' to describe this hairstyle was "apparently ...
". The lives of these Alberta
everymen are brought to the big screen by documentarian Farrel Mitchner (Gordon Skilling), a young director who decides to take a look at Terry and Dean through a lens, exploring the depths of their friendship, the fragility of life, growing up gracefully, and the art and science of drinking beer "like a man".
Their lives are complicated by a snubbing by their "party leader" Troy, better known as Tron (Andrew Sparacino). When Farrel discovers that Dean is hiding a serious case of
testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility.
Risk factors include an u ...
, the wheels are set in motion for Dean to seek
treatment from Dr. S.C. Lim (Dr. S.C. Lim). With Dean's last weekend before surgery approaching, Terry decides to take Dean, Farrel and the film crew
camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...
. Things take an unexpected turn by the third day, and Terry and Dean must cope with further tragedy.
Cast
Reception
''FUBAR'' received mixed reviews. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
it has an approval rating of 55% based on reviews from 11 critics, with an average rating of 6.0/10.
Paul Dale of ''The List'' gave it 3 out of 5 and wrote: "The gloriously stupid levels of debauchery reached in this film will have a strange resonance for anyone who lived through the Thatcherite bedsit stinkfest that was pre-Acid House Britain."
Kevin N. Laforest of the ''Montreal Film Journal'' compared the film to ''
This is Spinal Tap
''This Is Spinal Tap'' (also known as ''This Is Spınal Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi'') is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Christopher Guest, M ...
'' "only with more pathetic protagonists- and funnier!"
''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' gave it 2 out 5.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack album, ''FUBAR: The Album'', was released in 2003. The album includes songs from The New Pornographers, Chixdiggit and Sloan.
Sequel
After the success of ''FUBAR'', its sequel, ''
FUBAR 2: Balls to the Wall'', secured a $4-million budget based only on the scriptment marking the first time ever Telefilm Canada green lit a film without a complete script.
Filmed in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
and
Fort Saskatchewan
Fort Saskatchewan is a city along the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Edmonton, the provincial capital. It is part of the Edmonton census metropolitan area and one of 24 municipalities that constitute the Edmo ...
, Alberta, the plot involves Terry and Dean moving to Fort McMurray to earn easy money in the oil patch. Similar to the first ''FUBAR'' film, the dialogue was improvised but the budget was significantly larger than the first film. The sequel was the first Canadian film to premier at the Midnight Madness slot at the 2010
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 9, 2010. The film was released throughout Canada on October 1, 2010.
The sequel was well received. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
it has a 90% rating based on reviews from 10 critics.
Television series
On February 10, 2017,
Rogers Media
Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, ...
and
VICE Studios Canada announced an eight-episode television series,
''FUBAR: Age of Computer'', that continued the legacy of the original ''FUBAR'' films. The series captured the experiences of Terry Cahill, played by Dave Lawrence, and Dean Murdoch, played by Paul Spence, exploring the internet for the first time. The show features real-life interactions with various experts and influencers online. ''
FUBAR: Age of Computer'' was inspired by Dave Lawrence's character, Terry.
The series was filmed in
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
, and premiered on November 3, 2017, and aired on
Viceland
Viceland (stylized in all caps), and Vice TV in the United States, are brands used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland launched on February 29, 2016, with two branded cable channels; the American version (rebra ...
and
CityTV
Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The licence of the original Citytv station, granted the callsign of CITY-TV by the CRTC on November 25, 1971 to Cable Television Ass ...
In 2022, TNT FUBAR was released and is aired through the streaming site Swearnet. This series showcases Terry Cahill, played by
Dave Lawrence, as he is living back home in Calgary, Alberta. He is joined by his cousin Shank played by North Darling and his wife Trish, played by Terra Hazelton. The series shows Terry renting out Shank’s basement, his attempted divorce from his wife Trish and a misunderstanding with a multi-level marketing scheme that leads Terry to Bret Hart, played by Bret Hart.
Mobile game
On January 8, 2020, Kano Applications Inc. announced the worldwide launch of new mobile game, ''Fubar: Just Give'r'', developed in collaboration with East Side Games and BT Productions. This narrative clicker idle game available on
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
and
Android picks up where the movies left off with all new storylines and exciting weekly events. Players will join the iconic ''FUBAR'' (film) duo, Terry and Deaner, and help them as they embark on a quest to beat the World Record for Longest Party Streak.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fubar
2002 films
2000s English-language films
English-language Canadian films
Canadian comedy films
Canadian mockumentary films
Films directed by Michael Dowse
2002 comedy films
Films set in Calgary
Films shot in Calgary
2002 directorial debut films
Culture of Calgary
2000s Canadian films