Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
'The Grand Seduction' Is Cute But Doesn't Make It Past Second Base
When we caught the description to The Grand Seduction, a remake of the 2003 French-Canadian film La Grande Séduction (Seducing Doctor Lewis), we'll admit that wanted to see it for one reason alone: Taylor Kitsch. The actor, who we fondly remember as smoldering bad boy Tim Riggins on Friday Night Lights, co-stars with veteran Irish actor Brendan Gleeson in the little indie film about a dying Newfoundland fishing village in need of a resident doctor.
The movie (like his other current project the HBO movie The Normal Heart) is a little different choice for Kitsch in his post-FNL career, who jumped immediately to big-budget action flicks John Carter and Battleship. While The Grand Seduction is a cute, innocuous and entertaining comedy, we can’t help but compare the town-foolery to 1998’s Waking Ned Devine (in our opinion, a superior film). But what's worse is that our boy Kitsch's character comes off as a pretty dumb dude for a plastic surgeon.
The quaint fishing village of Tickle Head isn't quite what it used to be, as romanticized by lifelong grizzled resident Murray French (Brendan Gleeson in a fine performance). Most of the men are out of work and wait for the monthly welfare checks to piss away at the local pub. Murray is shaken out of this purgatory when his wife moves out of the village for work "in town." He's finally moved to do something—bring her back home and bring jobs back to the harbor. He learns that there’s a chance to woo a plastics recycling company to build their factory at Tickle Head, but one requirement is that the town have its own doctor.
We meet Dr. Paul Lewis (Kitsch) at the airport as he's traveling through security with a huge cricket tournament trophy in tow. His bags are searched by a guard, who happens to be Tickle Head's former mayor. When he finds the doctor's personal stash of cocaine, the security guard makes him an offer—serve penance for a month as the doctor in the harbor village or go to jail. He picks the former, and the townsfolk, led by self-appointed mayor Murray—now have 30 days for "the grand seduction."
Support for LAist comes from
The script, written by Mike Dowse and Ken Scott, does offer a number of laugh out loud moments, as the entire village woos the good doctor, from feigning a cricket match at his arrival to describing Tickle Head as “cocaine friendly.” Since there’s no cell reception, they tap into the doctor’s landline, and the local women transcribe all his calls, mostly between him and his unseen fiancee—and you can see where that’s headed.
Lewis is falling for the town; he thinks there’s just something peaceful and magical about the place. But seriously, wouldn’t you get just a little suspicious when the town pub’s nightly specials are carrot soup, a sandwich as well as your favorite Indian dish lamb dhansak, especially right after you told your girlfriend how much you missed it? Or why you keep finding $5 pound notes at the same place on the dock? Or how everyone in town just loves cricket (over hockey...in Canada).
The Grand Seduction is largely just another a romantic comedy, only this time, it’s between a town and the doctor. Things unravel when Murray feels guilty about lying to Lewis—to the point where he makes up a dead son (it's here that the film becomes a little maudlin.) Like any average rom-com, there’s a little-too-neat of a happy ending; so unfortunately, The Grand Seduction doesn’t make it much past second base with us.
The Grand Seduction is now playing at The Landmark in West Los Angeles and the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in New York.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist