Rémy Girard

An unexpected discovery in the kitchen trap of a condemned Montreal house proves the catalyst for a madcap journey into the past in this comedy that proves old homes can still contain a few shocking surprises. Upon exploring a typical Montreal house that is about to be razed, a curious building inspector finds more than he ever bargained for and immediately phones the landlord. Later, as the pair sits tight in waiting for the police to arrive, the viewer is taken on a frantic voyage through the past fifteen years of eccentric tenants and strange goings on. It seems that everyone who has even lived in this home has had their fair share of quirks, and from the jobless man with a million excuses for his lack of employment to the wannabe parents seeking a suitable sperm donor, the couple that misplaced a valuable painting, the retired boxer who challenged his boyfriend's daughter to a playful bout of sparring, and the thief who plotted out the robbery of his own apartment, there's no telling how this curious item ended up where it did. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Roy Dupuis stars as the first professional hockey player to score 50 goals in one season in director Charles Biname's docudrama tracing the life of Canadian sports legend Maurice "The Rocket" Richard. As a 17-year-old boy, Quebec native Richard labored the day away in a Montreal factory before lacing up his skates and hitting the ice. Richard's dream was to someday play on the national hockey league, and after years of hard work he eventually made that fantasy a reality. But Richard would accomplish much more than simply earning a spot on the biggest league in the country; his passion for the game eventually propelled him to become one of the most beloved players in hockey history. In 1955, when Richard was suspended for deliberately injuring another athlete on the ice, the outrage that erupted would culminate in the notorious riot at the Montreal forum. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director Denys Arcand revisits the situations and relationships that informed his international breakthrough The Decline of the American Empire with this dialogue-driven character study. Set 17 years after Decline, The Barbarian Invasions, like its predecessor, examines the varying politics -- economic, personal, and sexual -- at play among an aging group of friends, lovers, and ex-spouses. This time around, leads Remy (Rémy Girard) and Louise (Dorothee Berryman) are divorced, with their son Sebastien (Stéphane Rousseau) living in capitalist splendor in London. But the slightly estranged family is brought together by Remy's losing battle with terminal cancer, and the hedonistic, ex-radical father and straight-laced son have to overcome their differences. Along the way, Remy waxes nostalgic with many of the same pals who made up the dinner party of the first film. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

This Canadian hockey comedy broke box-office records in Canada. Stan (Remy Girard) runs the blue-collar tavern Chez Stan and also coaches Les Boys, an ineffectual amateur hockey team of bar-room buddies. Gambling debts lead to a risky game in which Stan will lose Chez Stan to mob boss Meo (Pierre Lebeau) if Les Boys are defeated by Meo's team of heavyweight thugs. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

As she approaches her 40th year, all Viv wants is to have a baby. But despite her many efforts with her husband Paul, she cannot conceive. One day, they meet a mysterious immigrant who pleads for their help. Unable to turn away from his need, Viv brings the poor Markus home. Paul too feels pity and offers Markus food and a place to stay until his life gets better. Meanwhile, Viv struggles harder to get pregnant. Unfortunately, Paul, who is not sure he wants a family so late in life, is hedging. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

On her 35th birthday the very single Lucie awakens to hear the ticking of her biological clock. With a little prodding from her meddlesome mother, she decides that she will find a suitable man and father in three months or bust. This fast paced and genuinely funny French Canadian comedy chronicles her quest, one that proves the old adage about kissing many toads (each one with greater faults than the last) before finding the prince who has been under her nose all along. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This Canadian drama is based upon a true story and presents an interesting look into Acadian history and culture. (The Acadians are the French-speaking people who live in eastern Canada's Maritime Provinces.) It was filmed in the historic village of Caraquet. After a young man with no legs mysteriously washes upon the shores of Baie Ste-Marie, Nova Scotia, he is adopted by Jean Nicholas, a former Corsican, and Julitte, his out-spoken Acadian wife. They call the strange, but handsome boy Jerome. While his story is important, most of the film focuses upon the troubled relationship between Jean and Julitte. Because Jean is a foreigner, he is outcast in the community; he takes out the resulting rage upon his wife. They are also frustrated because they remain childless. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

To a non-French speaker, the word La Pagaille looks charming, elegant, even tidy. However, it means "a mess," and a mess is just what the happily divorced Martin gets into when he and his ex-wife Brigitte, the mother of his children, rekindle their long-dormant relationship and announce that they intend to move back in together. Not only do the children find this whole thing confusing, but the husband's and the wife's lovers are equally befuddled. Add to that the need for Martin to meet Brigitte's lover and vice-versa, and you have the beginnings of a mess. When it begins to seem to Brigitte's former lover that he has offended the Muslims with a book he translated and he is slated for death, the whole thing grows yet more complicated. In this comedy, this list only scratches the surface of the messes these people must confront. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

It is Christmas Eve, and it's snowing hard. For reasons of his own, Pouliot (Claude Blanchard) tells his two friends (Guy Thauvette and Marcel Leboef) that he won't join them in their attempt to rob a department store. After some discussion, the two (who are brothers) go ahead with their planned theft. They have been followed by a radio reporter (Denis Bouchard), who is aware of the whole scheme. When one of them is caught by the police as they leave the scene of the crime, having killed someone in the confusion, the reporter suggests that the remaining thief take him hostage - at his radio station. Once they are ensconced at the radio station, they are beseiged by advertisers insisting that they interrupt their live-crime broadcast with ads, since everybody is listening to it. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A modern-day Passion Play becomes a reenactment of the life and death of Jesus Christ in more ways than one with this critically acclaimed drama from Quebec filmmaker Denys Arcand. Lothaire Bluteau stars as Daniel Coloumbe, an intense young actor in Montreal who is hired by church fathers to restage and update the city's annual Passion Play, which over the course of the past 40 years has begun to seem hidebound. Daniel hires a group of struggling young actors that become devoted to him and his creative vision as he devises an extremely avant-garde production that takes Christ's rebellious teachings literally. Revolving around set pieces reflecting passages from Christ's life rather than a traditional re-creation of events, Daniel's revisionist work also incorporates blasphemous ideas about his subject, questioning his true nature. Daniel's play is a critical smash and wows mesmerized audiences, but greatly disturbed church officials order the labor of love dismantled. Real life begins imitating biblical events as the actors become cast-outs and Daniel smashes up an audition in which the actress portraying his Mary Magdalene (Catherine Wilkening) is asked to disrobe by a prurient producer. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Immigrants from Quebec travel to the Eastern United States to work for French industrialists in this historical drama. Gratien Gelinas plays a venerable Quebecois who recalls in 1988 the era from 1907 to 1920 in a series of flashbacks. He compares the modern computer age with the steadily growing industrial era of the early 20th century. An all-star cast of French and Canadian thespians participate in this miniseries as the Quebecois deal with love, life, politics, and war. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A rousing "he said/she said" endeavor, The Decline of the American Empire begins by separating the boys from the girls. Preparing a gourmet dinner, four male intellectuals begin trading stories of their sexual experiences. At the same time, four well-read women, all working out in a gym, exchange their own tales from the love front. The film is set in the lofty circles of academia, a world well known to Canadian director Denys Arcand. The anecdotes related herein are based on actual events in the lives of Arcand's professorial friends. There's nothing bookish, however, about the subject matter of the stories themselves, which ranges from mild philandering to S & M. The Decline of the American Empire was the winner of eight Canadian Genie awards (that's the above-the-border equivalent of the Oscar), including Best Picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide