''Sorry for Your Loss'' is a Canadian

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

film, directed by Collin Friesen and released in 2018.Andrew Parker
"Review: Sorry for Your Loss"
''

TheGATE.ca TheGATE.ca, referred to as ''The GATE'', is a Canadian online entertainment website that reports on movies, television, music, video games, leisure travel and events, with reviews, news, and interviews. Launched in November 2000, The GATE is owned ...

'', May 30, 2019. The film stars

Justin Bartha Justin Lee Bartha (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor, known for his roles as Riley Poole in the ''National Treasure'' film series, Doug Billings in ''The Hangover'' trilogy, and David Sawyer in the NBC comedy series '' The New Normal''. ...

as Ken Wall, a frustrated marketing executive who is ambivalent about the fact that his wife Lori (

Inbar Lavi Inbar Lavi ( he, ענבר לביא, born October 27, 1986) is an actress. She is known for portraying Raviva on the 2012 MTV series '' Underemployed'', Vee on the 2014 Fox television series '' Gang Related'', and Sheba on the Fox series '' Pr ...

) has just given birth to their first child. When he receives news that his father has died, he travels home to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

for the funeral with hopes of inheriting money he can use to quit his job and pursue his dream of opening his own gastropub, only to learn upon arrival that his father's will stipulates that he will only inherit the money if he successfully scatters his father's ashes in the middle of

IG Field IG Field (formerly Investors Group Field) is an outdoor stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The stadium, which opened in 2013, is located on the University of Manitoba campus next to University Stadium. Owned by Triple B Stadium Inc., a consortium ...

. The cast also includes

Bruce Greenwood Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He is known for his role as the American president John F. Kennedy in '' Thirteen Days,'' for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion ...

as Jeff Steadman, the executor of Ken's father's will;

Kevin McDonald Kevin Hamilton McDonald (born May 16, 1961) is a Canadian actor, voice actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television and film productions, most notably th ...

as Ken's father's lawyer Vince Kendall; and

Lolita Davidovich Lolita Davidovich ( sr-Latn, Lolita Davidović, italic=unset; born July 15, 1961) is a Canadian-born film and television actress, best known for portraying Blaze Starr in the 1989 film '' Blaze'', for which she received a Chicago Film Critics As ...

as Ken's mother Eve. Sandrine Holt and

Darrin Rose Darrin Rose (born Darrin Rowsell) is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He was host of the Canadian remake of ''Match Game'' in 2012–15, and played Bill the bartender on the sitcom Mr. D for eight seasons. Early life Born in ...

also appear in supporting roles. The film was shot in Winnipeg in 2017, and premiered at the

Calgary International Film Festival The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a film festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, in late September and early October. CIFF is the largest international film festival in Alberta and the sixth largest in Canada. The Festival's ...

in 2018. It opened commercially in May 2019.

Critical response

Andrew Parker of ''

'' gave the film a mixed review, writing that "''Sorry for Your Loss'' is the kind of movie where one can see that the actors are seasoned and well directed, but that not much thought was put into how the film itself should function visually or emotionally." He praised the main performances, writing that "whenever Bartha is paired alongside Greenwood or Lavi (which is thankfully frequent), ''Sorry for Your Loss'' gives a hint of what this could’ve been like with a more thoroughly workshopped script." For ''Original Cin'', Jim Slotek wrote that "In ''Sorry for Your Loss'', a pretty sizable character transformation must happen in the course of 90 minutes. '' A Christmas Carol'' notwithstanding, it’s hard to imagine any single experience, no matter how transformative, that can turn you from someone who is “dead inside” to someone who stops and smells the roses. It’s pure expediency, and a bit of a character cheat, rendering the ending unsatisfying and too neat. That said, ''Sorry for Your Loss'' is an entertaining, banter-filled take on the straight-line from our parents to ourselves, one that grows on you after viewing.Jim Slotek
"Sorry for Your Loss: A darkly humorous mid-life crisis movie that's more than the sum of its neuroses"
''Original Cin'', May 30, 2019.

Awards

The film received three Canadian Comedy Award nominations at the

19th Canadian Comedy Awards The 19th Canadian Comedy Awards honoured the best live, television, film, and Internet comedy of 2018. Canadian Comedy Awards, also known as Beavers, were awarded in 22 categories, determined by votes from the public and industry members. The aw ...

in 2019, for Best Feature Film, Best Performance in a Feature Film (Greenwood) and Best Writing in a Feature Film (Friesen).

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title 2018 films 2018 comedy films Canadian black comedy films English-language Canadian films Films set in Winnipeg Films shot in Winnipeg 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films