FUBAR: The Movie

FUBAR is a 2002 mockumentary film, directed by Michael Dowse, based on the lives of two lifelong friends and head-bangers living out their lives, constantly drinking beer. It first debuted at the Sundance Film Festival where it won the award as the Official Selection of the Festival. Since its release, it has gained critical acclaim and a cult status in North America, but especially within Western Canada. It was both filmed and set in and around Calgary and outlying areas in the Canadian province of Alberta.

It was filmed entirely with digital cinematography, on a shoestring budget that required many involved with the project to max out their credit cards in order to complete the movie (according to an interview on their official website).

FUBAR features characters partly based on a comedy routine performed by David Lawrence and Paul Spence that they developed based on the head-banger subculture.

Plot

FUBAR is the story of two lifelong friends, Terry (David Lawrence) and Dean (Paul Spence), who have grown up together: Shotgunning their first beers, forming their first garage band, and growing the great Canadian mullet known as "hockey hair". The lives of these Alberta Everymen are brought to the big screen by documentarian Farrel Mitchener (Gordon Skilling) in an exploration of the depths of friendship, the fragility of life, growing up gracefully, and the art and science of drinking beer "like a man".

The movie has been described as a mockumentary, not merely a comedy, with part of its story dealing with dramatic and life changing events in the lives of the main characters.

The movie is notable for introducing several phrases and slang words from the local head-banger and hoser culture of Western Canada into the wider English vocabulary, such as "Give'r".

Cast

Role	Actor
Dean Murdoch	Paul Spence
Terry Cahill	David Lawrence
Farrel Mitchener	Gordon Skilling
Trixie Anderson	Tracey Lawrence
Chastity Murdoch	Sage Lawrence
Dr. S.C. Lim	Himself
Ron Miller	Jim Lawrence
Troy (Tron) McRae	Andrew Sparacino
Laurie D'Amour	Herself
Fist Fighter #1	Cameron Swirka

Trivia

• Many of the people featured in the movie (including the fist-fighters) were bystanders who thought that the filmmakers were shooting a documentary on the Common man.
• Fubar debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in the 'Park City at Midnight' category, which previously launched such films as The Blair Witch Project.
• In the first few minutes of the film, a clip from the infamous Brocket 99 tape can be heard playing in the background.
• Dr. S.C. Lim played himself in the film as Dean's doctor. Lim actually is Michael Dowse's doctor.
• The word "fuck" is said 274 times in the movie. See also: List of films ordered by uses of the word "fuck".
• David Lawrence, Paul Spence, and S.C. Lim also appear in Michael Dowse's movie, It's All Gone Pete Tong.
• Terry and Dean are featured in the Michael Dowse-directed music video "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism" for The New Pornographers

Soundtrack

See FUBAR: The Album

External links

• Official Website
• Rotten Tomatoes Page
• Brocket 99 Website
• MAACP Radio Interview with Michael Dowse

References

• Slone, M. Story Synopsis written by Mark Slone.