Patrick Huard

Two men who are trying to sell a life in uniform to young people fall victim to their own wrath in this allegorical drama. Paul (Patrick Huard) is a successful advertising executive with one of the top agencies in Canada. Paul lands a lucrative new client -- the Canadian Ministry of National Defense, who are eager to retire their long-time slogan "There's No Life Like It." However, Paul is informed that the Ministry of Defense wants their new campaign in just nine days; Paul brings in a promising new adman, Gilles (Dan Bigras), to help him, but as the days wear on, their mutual creative block grows into an enmity between the men that devolves into violence. Les Guerriers was written and directed by Québecoise actor and filmmaker Micheline Lanctôt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

French Canadian director Denys Arcand pushes the boundaries of the mockumentary with Stardom, the tale of a fictional neophyte supermodel (Jessica Pare) told entirely through clips of her appearances on talk shows, television interviews, and documentaries. Originally titled 15 Moments, Stardom begins its portrait at a women's hockey game in the nether regions of Ontario, Canada. When the team's formidable teenage forward Tina (Pare) pulls her helmet off, letting her brunette tresses fly, a bystander snaps a photo, and Tina soon becomes the buzz at the country's hottest fashion houses. Her rise through the industry, however, is plagued by advances from older men with sundry motives: a smitten French photographer (Charles Berling), a smarmy entrepreneur (Dan Aykroyd), the Canadian Ambassador to the U.N. (Frank Langella), and a slick promoter (Thomas Gibson, the latter half of TV's Dharma and Greg). Stardom was the closing film at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, marking the first time in over 50 years that a Canadian production was chosen for such an honor; it would go on to open the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival before its theatrical premiere. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Canada's favorite cinematic hockey team returns in this slick, fast-paced comedy that features some of Quebec's most popular film and television stars. The film's 1997 predecessor grossed more money than any other French-Canadian film. The sequel begins as Les Boys, a championship amateur Montreal hockey team, flies to France to participate in an international competition in the alpine village of Chamonix. This time, rather than focusing on the team's on-ice hijinks, director Louis Saia spends the first part of the story on the characters as they attempt to cope with the cultural differences between themselves and the native French while also taking time to explore the romances between team lothario Bob and a local girl, and Coach Stan who involves himself with Violette, the owner of a local bistro. The on-ice action picks up when the tournament begins, and Les Boys promptly lose to a rag-tag West African team. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Unemployed and strapped with the responsibility of a family to feed, Dominique is forced to pretend he is a homosexual so he can get a good job working with a gay antique dealer. This Canadian comedy follows him as he tries to orient himself into the gay subculture while his wife is on vacation. Fortunately, his best friend is around to pretend to be his boyfriend and bolster his spirits. When Dominique's wife returns and discovers gay-themed items around the house, including a whole closet full of clothing for the nightclubs, she immediately jumps to conclusions and throws Dominique out. After that, poor confused Dominique begins seriously questioning his sexuality until the beautiful Rose shows up to set him straight. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide