Remember that slew of eccentric and charming British comedies in the 80’s and 90’s that included Local Hero, Waking Ned Devine and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain? The Grand Seduction aims to do the very same thing for Canada. It’s a light and frothy comedy that follows the oddball residents of a tiny harbor in the Maritimes. These types of film can easily go overboard on quirkiness, but director Don McKellar gets the tone just right and the end result is enchanting.
Though this effort is a remake of a French-Canadian film from several years back, its story bears strong similarities to the above titles. Once a busy harbor, Tickle Cove now finds its many residents struggling and on welfare. But desperate local Murray French (Brendan Gleeson) has a plan. He hopes to entice a company to build an oil repurposing refinery nearby, saving both his community and his marriage. However, securing the contract requires a permanent town doctor. When young city MD named Lewis (Taylor Kitsch) gets caught with drugs in his possession by an ex-Tickle Cove resident, the physician agrees to spend a month in the harbor to avoid charges. Naturally, French exploits the opportunity to manipulate Lewis into signing a contract.
This set-up leads to plenty of low-key laughs as numerous tricks are improvised by locals to entice the doctor into thinking he’s entered a perfect community. These include faking a passion for Indian cuisine as well as the sport of Cricket. In all, these are hobbies the residents have little knowledge or interest in. And there are other silly touches that add lots of humor to the story.
As expected, Gleeson is excellent in the role of French, maintaining a charismatic gleefulness that transcends his character’s devious actions. He also gets the chance to express his frustration at being out of work and the impact it has on his marriage. Kitsch is also quite likable as the troubled doctor, gaining a lot of audience sympathy as a man being duped by just about everyone he knows. But among the chuckles there’s a intriguingly bittersweet flavor. These characters are being forced into making decisions not based on ethics, but simple survival.
Despite their actions, the unified group mentality of all but one of the residents adds to the good will, and everyone has a part to play in the scam. The performers playing the area natives also deserve great credit for being quirky without feeling inauthentic. A comic highlight includes a subplot features a young local who is forced to act as if he is a fan of jazz fusion – his exasperated expressions while having to pretend to enjoy the music are highly amusing. In all, it’s a difficult line to walk, but even the supporting cast seem to manage it with ease.
Admittedly, this story is very simple and there aren’t any big twists, revelations or great surprises. However, it’s beautifully shot and the characters are engaging enough that this sweet confection goes down very smoothly. The Grand Seduction is peculiar in the best possible sense, a surprisingly effective low-key comedy that should leave many viewers with a smile on their face.