Perfectly Normal (1990)

5/10

SnoopyStyle18 July 2018

Renzo Parachi (Michael Riley) is a quiet introvert working at the brewery under Charlie Glesby who coaches the employees in an amateur hockey league where Renzo is the goalie. He is alone after the death of his mother. He drives his father's cab during his off hours. One night, he picks up Alonzo Turner (Robbie Coltrane) in the cab and is forced to bring home the passed-out talkative drunk. He rents out his mother's room to Alonzo for the money to build his dream house. Denise works at the rink and is taken with the quiet goalie. Alonzo decides to start a lavish Italian restaurant with money found in Renzo's mother's record collection. He convinces Renzo to be the cross-dressing opera-singing headliner.

I didn't laugh. This quirky Canadian indie has a lot weird little touches. I like the characters. I love Coltrane and Riley. I simply didn't laugh. It's an odd little film and some of it is quite memorable. Riley doesn't fit the quiet type and Coltrane could be much funnier. The writing needs actual jokes. It's quirky without being funny. Some may enjoy it for some light fun. I'm somewhat blah about this.

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5/10

thankfully, anything but

mjneu5926 December 2010

Everyone should expect that in a film called 'Perfectly Normal' no one actually is, and sure enough, the dull routine of everyman Michael Riley is upended by an amiable, overweight con artist (Robbie Coltrane), who before long is coaxing Riley out of his sociopathic shell and into a dress to sing an aria from Bellini's 'Norma' at an opera-themed restaurant. The film obviously wants to be eccentric and unpredictable, but the effort only makes it look strained, although director Yves Simoneau tries hard to juice up the scenario with enough camera tricks to make even Spike Lee dizzy. There's an irrelevant romantic subplot, and the restaurant scheme is just plain silly, but any movie mixing opera and ice hockey can't be all bad. Simoneau shows some genuine affection for his characters (Riley and Coltrane together resemble a New Wave Laurel and Hardy), but in the end the film delivers exactly what the title promises: an offbeat but unexceptional comedy.

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It's, like, a movie, eh?

MattBin4 January 2000

Oh, so you want to see a *Canadian* film. Say, something set in a beer factory, and maybe in a hockey rink too. And something about "tiny, fizzy" little dreams, all going unfulfilled. And maybe add an American character who has big, bold, huge dreams, and imposes them on the main character. The only Canadian content that could possibly be added would be a cameo by Paul Henderson.

Also, you can see the Sam's on Yonge street in Toronto in one of the shots. Does it get any better than this?

No, it doesn't. This film rivals Hard Core Logo for Canadian content. So, like, see it. It's cool, eh?

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1/10

Appallingly awful

rps-29 December 2001

If IMDb ever needed a ZERO category for a film, this is it. Voting ONE is to heap unwarranted praise on this trite and pretentious effort. The silver wasted in the emulsion would have gone to far better use in dental fillings. Oh, it undoubtedly was a hit at the Toronto Film Festival as the beautiful people oohed and aahed at its daring innovation and creative groundbreaking. Yeah. Right. Acceptable words fail me. Would the BRAVO channel have shown this were it not required to meet Canadian content regulations? Would it even have been made if its perpetrators had not been able to feed at the public trough. We do some things very well in this odd country of ours. Making movies is not one of them!

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10/10

Perfectly Normal is Perfect

dingram-12 February 2006

This movie is brilliant.

If you like thoughtfully paced humor in the vein of Bill Forsythe (Comfort and Joy) this movie is for you. Great cast, great screen play...and deft humor.

It is the story of Renzo Parachi (Michael Riley), who leads a dull and quite life...and likes it that way. He works at the local brewery's bottling plant and plays goalie for the company hockey team. He also drives a cab at night, where he picks up a fare who will change his life - Robbie Coltrane as Alonzo Turner.

Within minutes Alonzo has insinuated himself into Renzo's life...and suddenly this quiet, unassuming man discovers that everyone wants something from him. His boss at the factory will do anything to transform the hockey team into winners...the girl at the ice rink will do anything for his chastity...and Lonzo will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

A move not to be missed. Unfortunately, and criminally, it is not available on DVD in the U.S. Yet Ishtar is. Go figure.

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10/10

a hilarious canadian movie

lynzee-322 June 2000

If you're looking for a fun movie that will make you laugh, this is it.

Michael Riley gives a great performance as an ordinary guy who works at two hum-drum jobs and lives a pretty boring life. Robbie Coltrane comes into his life and changes it for the creative better. As always, Coltrane is over-the-top with his portrayal of a failed, but always hopeful restauranteur. The dialogue is witty especially from Kristina Nichol, who has a minor, but standout role. Eugene Lipinski, who also wrote the original story and co-wrote the screenplay, gives a hilarious performance as the jealous, slightly-psycho 'Hopeless.' Kenneth Welsh is equally funny as the obsessed-to-win hockey coach and boss.

The list of memorable performances goes on. The cinematography involves unique camera shots that are creative beyond what I've ever seen.

Definitely, a must see. I give it a 10 and a spot on my favorite movies of all time list.

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9/10

A well-done Canadian film. Who woulda thunk it?

wschnack29 November 2003

Yves Simoneau uses the stereotypes of Canada, the beer factory, the hockey rink, the snow-covered wilderness, as his setting to examine its relationship with its bombastic neighbor to the south. But instead of a heavy geopolitical study it's actually a hoot. He throws in opera and cross-dressing for fun, and Robbie Coltrane gives a fabulous performance that almost steals the show. Yet the entire cast hits their notes well, with the smaller parts especially shining. Beautifully shot, it's a gem of a film.

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10/10

A perfect film

dingram-19 August 2004

If you like slow, stylish, cynically heart-warming humor...this movie is for you. This isn't sleepless in seattle or when harry met sally. This is a brilliantly conceived, written, directed and acted masterpiece that exalts the multifaceted idiosyncrasies of the great white north, combining it with a deft touch of the quieter side of British humor.

It combines my love of humor, hockey and music in a tale of romance and transformation that is smart, rather than sickly sweet.

Kenneth Walsh is great as the no-holds-barred coach that will fake cancer to motivate his team. Michael Riley gives a performance even more subdued and complex than Bud Cort in Harold and Maude. And Robbie Coltrane is a hugely under-appreciated comic talent - the John Candy of Great Britain.

I seldom gush over a movie...but this one hit the spot.

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8/10

Dinner Theatre

Deviant Booger12 September 2002

I really don't know what to say about this film that could help someone understand it. I think this film stands for what is good and fun about Canadian cinema, like 'Paint Cans' stands for what is bad and awful about Canadian cinema. Not that I didn't like 'Paint Cans'. I haven't seen this film for quit some time either. So if you come across it somewhere, pick it up, I have a feeling that it is a rare find. Those more contemporary film buffs out there may be impressed to find Mr. Coltrane playing an American visitor (most recently starring in the Hughes Bros. 'From Hell' and 'Harry Potter', who is actually a Brit with a very stellar international career). This film is just a plain good time. And for anyone really in touch with Canadian film culture, this thing has its finger on the pulse of quirky. FORE!

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9/10

Twister from north of the 49th

Dreamer114 June 2004

You want conventional? Forget it! This film is for those who love a delightfully skewed view on life, in this case the so-called life of one Renzo Parachi. After the death of his mother, into his life comes a whirlwind of a well-meaning shyster in the form of Alonzo Turner (aka Robbie Coltrane), at once turning his life upside-down while simultaneously bringing out the inner opera-loving Renzo. This film ranks as one of my favourite films because of its delightfully skewed world that at the same time holds true to itself. Renzo can never be considered an everyman but, if we're honest, we can maybe hear an echo from somewhere within.

Well acted, well written, well shot and edited. If you're looking for formula comedy, you'd better off with some other film. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the ride.

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10/10

A Brilliant Hybrid -- a hilarious -- believe me -- opera-hockey movie

thomas-bergbusch23 March 2007

This wonderful comedy deserves to be widely viewed; very funny, and one of the few films ever to film hockey the way those who love it really experience it. Few films have ever better represented upper Canadian humour. Riley and Coltrane have a wonderful chemistry, and the one-liners are side-splitting. Kenneth Walsh as the putatively dying coach is classic. Contrary to the LES BOYS films, this movie actually captures the look and feel of beer-league hockey. It also deals very funnily with the stress of working on the line (in this case at a beer-bottling plant), of the difficulty of dealing with assembly line production that just keeps on coming. I would recommend this film to anyone!

TB

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8/10

A Near Perfect Obscure Canadian Movie

eric26200315 October 2008

Warning: Spoilers

Though a very few people know about this hidden gem, "Perfectly Normal" is one of those comedies that can make you laugh, and at the same time adds a high profile depth of humanity to it, making it both entertaining and inspiring at the same time. It's a shame that this movie is so obscure and so overlooked because it deserves at least one look just for all-time sakes.

Michael Riley plays the leading role as Renzo Parachi who works in a beer bottle factory and volunteers as a hockey goalie with his company's pathetic hockey team during the day and works as a cab driver at night. Renzo seems satisfied with his ordinary predictable lifestyle. His life takes a shift for the better as he picks up a con-artist named Alonzo Turner (Robbie Coltrane)who persuades Renzo to cash in his late mother's inheritance into an Italian Restaurant in which the crew must dress like opera characters and to entertain the customers with a floor show.

Okay, so it's nowhere close to winning a Genie award, but the numerous subplots are what makes this zany comedy remarkably funny which is very similar to the more successful comedies like "Comfort and Joy" and "Lost in Translation". I can hardly wait till it comes out on DVD, it ones of those movies on my A-list.

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