''South of Wawa'' is a 1991 Canadian

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 ...

. It was written by

Lori Lansens Lori Lansens is a Canadian novelist and screenwriter.Judy Stoffman, "Toronto writer signs big U.S. deal ; Lori Lansens' novel tells of descendants of runaway slaves". ''Toronto Star'', April 10, 2002. Profile Lansens, a successful screenwriter, ...

and directed by Robert Boyd."Film Review: South of Wawa". ''

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 ...

'', April 24, 1992. The film stars

Rebecca Jenkins Rebecca Jenkins (born 1959) is a Canadian actress and singer. Acting She had starring roles in the 1990s CBC series '' Black Harbour'', and the films '' Bye Bye Blues'', '' Marion Bridge'', '' Wilby Wonderful'', ''Whole New Thing'', '' South o ...

as Lizette, a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage who organizes a road trip with her coworker Cheryl Ann (

Catherine Fitch Catherine Fitch is a Canadian actress.Christopher Harris, "Catherine Fitch, hailed by critics for her performance in South of Wawa, says she used to be 'a bit like' the character she portrayed: 'I could look inside and see a real person there'". '' ...

) to see

Dan Hill Daniel Grafton Hill IV (born 3 June 1954) is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. He had two major international hits with his songs " Sometimes When We Touch" and "Can't We Try", a duet with Vonda Shepard, as well as a number of other charti ...

in concert. Although the film's title alludes to the

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Pro ...

town of Wawa, the film is actually set in the Western Ontario town of Stayner. The film was released on VHS in 1995 in Canada by Cineplex Odeon, but as of April 19, 2010, a DVD of the film has yet to be announced.

Plot

Lizette acquires four front-row tickets to the Dan Hill concert in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Ontario - one for her, one for her husband, Terry ( Scott Renderer), one for Simon ( Andrew Miller), and one for Simon's date. At the very last minute, Simon's date cancels and the group decides to invite Cheryl Ann to fill the seat. Cheryl Ann becomes a memorable character not far into the film. She is eager, possesses an open attitude, and has a positive outlook on life no matter what comes at her. Her mother is dying, and she wishes to bring her to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

for treatment from a "miracle man." Her car sometimes doesn't start and most of the time she ends up walking all the way to her job with Lizette at the donut shop. Despite the unfortunate events she is constantly victim to, Cheryl Ann sees the good in everything. Lizette wants nothing more but to escape their small town of Stayner and everything in it, including her coworker Cheryl Ann. So when she receives the news that Cheryl Ann will be joining the group for the trip, she is anything but amused. The problem is that Simon will not go on the trip without a date, and Terry will not go without Simon. Both men would rather stay in town and attend the local hockey game, however Lizette wants this trip to be a success and therefore allows Cheryl Ann to come along. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the evening does not go according to plan and the friends must examine their relationships with each other and others in town.

Cast

as Cheryl Ann *

as Lizette * Scott Renderer as Terry * Andrew Miller as Simon * Samantha Langevin as Helen * Stuart Clow as Cam *

Dawn Greenhalgh Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...

as Donna * Elias Zarou as Joe * Stephanie Forder as Darlene *

George Touliatos George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

as Serge * Michael Gencher as John "The Polack" * Alyson Court as Shannon * Mark Wilson as Sgt. Tom Goodie * Helen Hughes as Mrs. Deneau * Elena Kudaba as Gramma Soplinski

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack includes songs by

Cowboy Junkies Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminse ...

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz. A two ...

, Lyle Lovett and

Lee Aaron Lee Aaron (born Karen Lynn Greening; July 21, 1962) is a Canadian rock singer. She had several hits in the 1980s and early 1990s, such as "Metal Queen", "Whatcha Do to My Body", and "Sex with Love". Early life Aaron was born as Karen Lynn Green ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:South Of Wawa 1991 films English-language Canadian films Canadian comedy films Films set in Ontario 1991 comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films