Everything’s Gone Green

With its abundance of quirky characters and emphasis on distinctly Canadian elements, Everything’s Gone Green is instantly recognizable as a product of novelist-turned-screenwriter Douglas Coupland’s fertile imagination. And although the movie eventually abandons its free-wheeling, off-kilter tone in favor of something that’s far more conventional, there’s simply no denying the effectiveness of this decidedly unconventional world (ie asked what she’d like to be when she grows up, a little girl replies, “a trophy wife”). The storyline revolves around a likeable slacker (played by Paulo Costanzo) who’s having problems finding his place in life, and discovers temporary respite in a purely platonic friendship with a personable set dresser named Ming (Steph Song). For a while, Everything’s Gone Green feels like Canada’s answer to Garden State; both films share a similarly quirky vibe and follow an aimless yet unusually introspective protagonist as he attempts to make sense of his life. Director Paul Fox does a nice job of infusing Coupland’s script with appropriate bursts of style, while the film’s various performances are engaging and charismatic (Costanzo is just about perfect in the central role). But there comes a point at which the plot becomes a bit more intrusive than one would like, as Coupland stresses a whole host of unusual elements – eg a lottery scheme, marijuana grow-ops, etc – and essentially relegates the easy charm of the film’s opening hour to the backburner. But that’s an awfully minor complaint for a movie that is otherwise thoroughly engaging and distinctly truthful.

*** out of ****