Waydowntown (2000) User Reviews

Simply amazing...

[winstonsmith_84 · 8/10 · 19 August 2001]

This movie was hilarious! Simply put, it is purely great humour. Practically anyone will like this movie for it's many very realistic characters who all seem to go insane! This movie sits somewhere between reality and fantasy, for it uses both aspects in a beautiful way, somehow finding a perfect point between the two.

It's about these people who make a bet that they will not go outside of this connected office building complex in the heart of downtown CITYX which looks sorta like Calgary. Anyhow, it shows their lives, interactions, and trying to live a human life in the strange box they call home... It makes for a weird, but interesting scenario, and the main character's ant-farm clearly parallels the film's main scenario.

This film not only has excellent acting, but the directing was great too. The script was intelligent and well written, and everything about this movie screams WELL DONE! I mean, for the small little Canadian budget they had, they did excellent! I wouldn't be surprised if this movie becomes an underground classic. Or gets rereleased by a bigger company to rake in the dough at the box office.... frankly, I am surprised how little anyone knows about this movie. Well... See this movie if you havn't yet! It is not to be missed! I reccommend to all, for you will all love this movie. SEE IT!

P.S.

Oh, and the superhero scenes are just awesome! You'll know what I mean! *L* :) Ahh, just thinking about this movie makes me want to start laughing, it's the funniest thing I've seen ever..... in a movie at least. Watch and enjoy. Don't miss it!

Tom is an OFFICE SUPERHERO!!!

[smakawhat · 8/10 · 23 January 2001]

The film starts off being narrated by Tom (Fab Filippo), as we are first introduced to him on Day 24, smoking weed in a parkade to pass the time. We soon learn that in his meaningless cubicle Dilbert job, he is involved in a contest with 3 other employees to see who can stay indoors the longest in a downtown network of office buildings, shopping malls, food courts, apartments, and skywalks. The one who stays in the longest, will win a months salary.

The name of this place is not mentioned in the film, but for those who can recognize it, it is Calgary's downtown network. I guess due to it's size and huge facilities that it is attached to, you could practically spend the entire time never having to step outside, going from work to home and everything you need in between. Heck doesn't sound that far fetched, I even heard one person can spend their entire life in Chicago's Sears Tower and have everything they need. Needless to say the bet starts to take its toll on the characters sanity, and our lead hero Tom starts wondering what he is to make of his career and spiritual life, as his mind is slowly falling out of his body.

This movie was a lot of fun for me. I totally identified with Tom, who is trying to find something else meaningful in life, and work-hell being the catharsis for it. The movie is funny, and even has 3 particular gut busting scenes (which I won't give away). It's easy to see why Tom is so disenchanted, the place he works at is dull and boring, a firm named what else (Mather, Mather & Mather) headed by an octogenarian. We run into his other co-workers like (the VERY attractive) Sandra who is in on the bet, and at wits end since her supervisor orders her to follow Mr. Mather around the network cause he's a serious kleptomaniac (he goes around to all the stores and shoplifts like crazy!). For Tom to pass the time, he starts playing mind games on Sandra telling her the air is constantly being recycled and filthy, and if it feels stuffy. As a result we see Sandra running around the network constantly gasping for air, loosing her mind, and then even resorting to ripping out perfume inserts in a book store and sniffing them like a drug addict. Tom's other problems are 2 cubicle mates, Brad (Don McKellar, not in on the bet) a long standing employee who's been around TOO long and gone nowhere a ticking time bomb waiting to go off (everyone calls him Sadly Bradley), and Curt (who is in on the bet) a cocky arrogant, turtle neck wearing thinks he's cool but is not type of guy, who only refers to Tom by calling him ‘Dinkus'. Fun fun fun… who wouldn't be loosing their mind in a place like this?

This movie reminded me a lot of another film very similar called Office Space, where the characters are similar but different. It's different cause the film has some neat editing scenes, and goes into some fun philosophical points as Tom describes his non-existence while swimming around the downtown area. This makes the film more reflective and poignant, where Office Space is more goofy and fun. Also while Office Space has more cartoonish like characters, these characters are a little more complicated. The other killer was there was one supervisor who looked EXACTLY like the head supervisor for my department in this film (and for all I know may even have the same temperment!!!). But the similarities are the same in that the characters are both trying to figure out some type of meaning in their life in their HORRIBLE MEANINGLESS jobs. Some may criticize it as, Gen X whining but I don't think so cause here the complaints are valid, where as a film like Reality Bites (which is one of the most offensive and worst films I have ever seen) is pure stereotyping.

This is just a well done, good unique film. It is not BRILLIANT, or REVOLUTIONARY, but the story is memorable, and the film should definitely be seen by more audiences. Due to the nature of Canadian films being distributed, the chances that you may see this film are probably small and that's a shame cause it deserves a bigger audience.

Rating 7.5 out of 10

Calgary's Caves of Steel and Glass

[gregorypang · 8/10 · 21 January 2001]

What a wonderful little movie! Almost every office worker can relate to the atmosphere of staleness in an office tower. Interesting make-up job they used... dark on greenish pale faces made everyone look like walking dead zombies, which from a little office work experience, is not to far from real life in some places. This movie kind of reminded me of Isaac Asimov's planet, Trantor, in the Foundation novels and his depiction of New York hundreds of years in the future in the Robot novels where Asimov refers to as living in "caves of steel." (Interestingly, Calgary's skyline has been described as one of "steel and glass")

However something somewhat disturbing is that much of North American society will grow more and more comfortable indeed with living and working indoors all the time. This may have been alluded to when one of the characters (I won't give it away), stepped outside for a refreshing breath of of air and finds the outside air instead very unpleasant to breath from the city's pollution. It's a scary thought in that if the way things they're going now with the environment continuing to deteriorate, many of us may have to find refuge waydowntown ourselves.

Oh, I watched this movie the day before I started my first fulltime job in an office setting. I just graduated from university with a commerce degree. Man, how depressing since the character, Tom, is also a commerce grad with his first job. I think it'd be really funny if they showed this movie to all commerce students. Maybe then they wouldn't worship corporations as much as they do now.

Alas, (to quote a local weekly) Waydowntown has been the best argument I've seen to date AGAINST moving to Calgary!

Edgy and Hilarious!

[dazacher · 29 December 2003]

I had the pleasure of seeing this flick on a visit up to Canada. It's quite a hilarious portrayal of young professionals trying to find some sort of amusement within the dull world of modern corporate culture. It was supposed to have been released in the U.S. back in late 2001, but was postponed (canceled?) due to some of the content and the events of 9/11. Fortunately though, it is soon being released on DVD. Watch and enjoy!

Quirky and a lot of fun.

[Alberto-7 · 7/10 · 7 March 2001]

Very funny independent Canadian film that shows what happens when four people make a bet to see who can stay the longest indoors. They all work in an office tower that is linked to malls , other office towers and their apartment buildings by closed-in walkways. The film begins on day 24 and the four are starting to show signs of cracking! All that lack of fresh air is taking its toll. I especially liked the main character, Tom, who is having a hard time keeping everyone focused. What makes the film so funny is that we can all easily identify with the co-workers who share office space with these four. There's a great scene where one of the four tries to have sex with a co-worker in a very narrow bathroom stall!

Overall, a great film to see if you are in the mood for something just a little different.

If you've ever worked in a cubicle, you've got to see this film.

[MorgaineS · 10/10 · 24 July 2002]

I'm going to be honest. I saw Fab Filippo on Queer As Folk and wanted to check out some of his other work. Yeah, he's gorgeous, but that isn't the only thing I liked about this movie. It's so funny, and so well done that it has become one of my favorite indie films. If you've ever had to work in a cubicle and felt like a rat in a maze; if you've ever had co-workers you were sure would be starring in a hostage negotiation; If you've ever let someone continue to call you by the wrong name because it's just easier, WayDownTown is about YOU. The bet that these 4 co-workers have undertaken requires that they stay indoors for 24 days and counting. Their voluntary confinement combined with that all-too-familiar daily grind has resulted in a wicked sort of "mall buzz". Tom (played to absolute perfection by Filippo) carries the movie along with running narration that we hear as he tries to multi-task while stoned. He runs into an assortment of difficult people and to make matters worse, he's starting to hallucinate. The head trips he's pulled on the other 3 involved in the bet are taking full effect and we gradually watch them all come unglued in situations that are funny because of their familiarity. The movie does a great job of making one day run into the next, just like real life. What color is his tie? What color is her sweater? Wait wasn't he wearing a blue shirt? The colors in the movie are used to enhance the stifling artificiality of the office and the attached mall. You won't be able to resist trying to figure out who the Bradley in your office is...

a triumph for canadian cinema!

[violentbunny · 10/10 · 1 October 2000]

OK, I'm not from Calgary, but I headed down there for the film festival to check this one out. I spent an afternoon in Calgary's Plus 15 system being totally, utterly, lost. Then I saw the Alberta premiere of waydowntown. Finally a film from the prairies that doesn't involve hearts breaking in wintry farmhouses! Clever use of digital Beta, 35mm, and security cameras. Brilliant use of colour. Exceptionally well acted, fine deadpan performances from all. And most importantly, WELL WRITTEN. Smart, funny, unpretentious. Gary Burns rocks.

note to director: CALM DOWN!!!!

[cherold · 4/10 · 14 January 2004]

I like the premise of this movie and some of it is amusing, but the jittery camera work and choppy editing felt like the work of an ambitious student filmmaker who wanted to show off his "technique." There is something to be said for telling a story simply. Compare this movie with Clockwatchers to see how the interesting script should have been handled. After a half hour I was getting dizzy and annoyed and just couldn't take it anymore. I did like what little I saw of Tammy Isbel's quirky performance, and I thought the opening stuff about the superhero was quite amusing, and there really was enough in this movie to keep me watching if not for the horrible direction and editing. But you need a stronger stomach than I have to sit through this.

Can't believe I made that other comment...

[Raleon · 10/10 · 3 October 2002]

But I still stand by what an enjoyable movie this is. It's still one of my favorites. After viewing it so much i even got used to the strange edits that nobody besides me seems to notice anyway. But after working a summer job in an office from 8-4 I understood the comparisons Gary Burns was making a lot better (being as I usually work as a labourer, often outside). The whole thing about not being able to go outside, feeling like ants in Tom's Ant Farm, feeling like the air is being sucked out from in front of you, and most importantly: being stuck around people you don't really like and who's behaviour you'd probably change if you could. This movie is much recommended if you're in an office job when you'd rather be doing something else.

OVER RATED TRASH

[tarantinoboy · 1/10 · 14 December 2000]

I don't understand why this movie is getting nothing but good press. The movie has a lot going for it but it never pays off. The acting is very good, and the premise of the people and the contest and the indoors stuff is good too. But it is totally tackled incorrectly. It's such a dull movie. It never goes any where. Nothing of consequence ever happens. Sure there is a winner eventually but by that time who really cares. I was too frustrated at the end of this to ever recommend it. I hope people actually know why they like this movie and they're not just following hype; hype that is inexplicable.

Why would you NOT watch this?

[Raleon · 10/10 · 14 February 2002]

Every time I see this on TV, I can't stop watching. Tom is dillusional and keeps seeing a super hero and occasionally a couple of business men (who I think represent the 'super villains'). In order to get this you'll have to listen to what he says at the first of the movie. You may have to pay close attention to most of it, but it's worth it. The main thing is that the main characters can't go outside because of the bet, and they're all starting to freak out in their own way, while doing their own thing. It takes place during one noon-hour, and includes a very disgruntled employee and a very emotionally unstable flower deliverer. The editing is pretty weird, it reminds me of The Ninth Gate. This is probably due to the way it was filmed, but if it doesn't bother you then you'll enjoy this film. It has some drugs, occasional sex (sorry, no nude), and a lot of laughs. Definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen.

similar to Office Space, but a little darker

[areola14 · 16 November 2004]

One of my top 20 movies for sure.

The characters are what make this movie. And the touch or surrealism. The premise is that four coworkers make a bet that whoever is the last to remain inside wins a month's salary. Until then they live their entire lives inside this bubble.

One of my favorite props is that even the smokers can live their entire existence indoors; they smoke in these little tubes inside the building.

Some of the characters are a kleptomaniac boss, a suicidal cubicle slave, a directionless young office worker, and the initiator of the bet, who had succeeded living indoors for something like a year.

A hilarious psychological comedy that is worth finding.

[vanrosss · 8/10 · 18 April 2002]

A hilarious psychological comedy where 4 Calgary coworkers bet on who can go the longest without going outside. The exaggerated personality degradation and hallucinations are funny and successful at drawing the audience into their warped world. There is a glass ant farm that is shown often as an allegory to the people living in the channeled tubes of sky walks & high-rises, and it serves a narration at a couple points. The actors did convey a sense of disorientation from having been indoors for 24 days, but it seemed from their behavior that they were indoors somewhat longer. The story takes place in one fateful day when several big events occur that they can't fully handle because of the bet induced stress, but a critical enlightenment is also realized. In this 18 day low budget shoot, the location and background information are left fuzzy intentionally as are the costume changes that occur randomly. This was shot in DV which made the post production effects much easier on a budget, so they are used with good results throughout the story. Film maker Gary Burns feels that the sky walk system "ruined down town Calgary," and even the title is part of his film statement of "modernization gone terribly wrong." This movie is worth going to see if you can find it.

this is the best Canada has to offer?

[thisisthestart · 2/10 · 7 July 2003]

Wow. I heard so much about this film that when I saw it I was nothing short of shocked. This movie is so pretentious, unfunny and smug that I could barely sit through it. If Canadian films are going to get a push for people to see them - make sure they're worth pushing.

claustrophobic office environment drains sanity in calgary

[senatorh · 8/10 · 1 October 2000]

if you've ever worked in an office tower, you can sympathize with these characters. trapped in an inhumane and unnatural setting all day can be excruciating, but these 4 genXers try to take on this mantle 24 hours a day.

the writers have tried to make an analogy between the hostile environment of the modern corporate world to young minds and the closeted world of calgary's plus-15 network of above-ground enclosed walkways between downtown towers. the surrealism of office kowtowing is matched with the narrator flying thru colour-saturated mall displays.

the director and co-writer sat for a question and answer session after the screening at calgary's (first) international film festival and they made a valid point that the +15 network has decimated the downtown pedestrian life that is the core of other larger cities. personally, i like the +15 network, especially when the temperature outside is in the -40 degree range.

the fault for the lack of pedestrian life in most downtown cities should instead be laid at the choice of acquiescing quietly to the ascendance of car culture. when people are presented with the option of dodging traffic or walking safely high above, the result is predictable. the film does have a very funny scene showing how accidents can still take place even in the +15.

if you've seen and enjoyed mike judge's 'office space', you will enjoy watching this film. look for it in wider release at a theatre near you in late 2000.

An artsy fartsy exercise in pathetic quality digital betacam, boring beyond words.

[Chimale1025 · 2/10 · 24 February 2004]

This is one of those film school reject affectations by a director who should know better. Blurry insipid images show a world that really isn't that interesting about people that really don't matter. A real time waster. I wouldn't be reviewing it if so IFC and Sundance weren't hyping it so much.

Great Canadian movie - everyone should see it - Marya was awesome!

[salimmohammed · 9/10 · 19 June 2001]

A great Canadian movie. I saw it in December 2000 and have been looking for the track listings ever since as the music was as great as the plot and the acting. Everyone in Generation X should see this movie. Brings back many memories in that sense. And, oh, also, Marya was awesome! I love you girl!

Sadly I'm Bradley

[jaredmobarak · 9/10 · 22 July 2006]

Waydowntown is Calgary, Alberta's Gary Burns' satiric look on the office workplace. While a film like Mike Judge's Office Space goes for the laughs and absurdity of the daily grind, Burns gives us something more palpable with his take. We are looking in on a group of corporate ants roaming through their cage, seemingly free in their small existences. This film is a sociology project showing relationships between people and how their environments affect not only themselves, but also those they interact with. However, it is a cynical, comedic look on a workday of four young adults trying to get through another eight hours of essentially the same activities they completed each day previous.

Our story is centered on a bet between the four main characters. In Calgary, there is a cityscape that was built to connect together. With enclosed walkways and tunnels, each mall, office complex, and apartment building is linked so that one could conceivably go through his/her life never going outdoors. Because of this, our protagonists have each bet a month's salary to see who can stay inside the longest. We enter into the story on day 24, where each lets the pressure finally crack through. Between sexual repression, the breathing of recirculated air from the vents over and over again, and the utter monotony of their jobs, each goes a little bit nuts as they try to drive forward to win the prize.

Fab Filippo plays our lead Tom. He smokes a joint before work to cut the edge off of his straying mind and heads up to his desk. The stress has caused him to see things of late that just aren't there. Floating through the promenades he tries to get under the skin of his follow bet takers by playing to their weaknesses. Filippo plays the role nicely as he has the charisma of the kind of guy everyone likes to hang with, but always gets a jab in and never misses the opportunity to belittle someone. He narrates the story with well-written voice-over observations about superheroes taking their little connected city into the sky and on whether the dead-end life he is leading has made him cold and ambivalent to the world he cohabits with humanity. Marya Delver delivers as the lone female bet taker whose throat slowly closes subconsciously as the day progresses from the "dirty" air that keeps going through her. Among many hilarious moments are her spinning the front doors fast to get the influx of "pure" air into her system and her use of a magazine perfume sample to keep her from passing out. Also, giving a pitch-perfect performance is Don McKellar as Bradley. His droning voice and fed-up with life attitude oozes out as he has finally snapped, after two decades of the same work everyday. The deadpan expressions are great as he starts to staple words of encouragement to his chest.

Besides these quirky characters and their activities of the day, which we follow for the duration, we are shown funny vignettes on society. For example, there is the discussion on the unwritten rule of getting out of another person's way when walking towards each other. The security guard realizes that these men in suits just don't abide by the rules and continue walking no matter the obstacle. He finally decides to hold his ground and gets knocked over for the trouble by a straight-faced extra oblivious to the other people around him. Waydowntown is a world of self-absorbed drones who've become lifeless and uncaring by a society which has confined them to created controllable order. Watching the cast of eccentrics as they try and break through the sameness is fun intelligent humor. A blend of socially conscious commentary and laugh-out-loud humor, Gary Burns has created a great film to help office workers everywhere crack a smile.

excellent

[outcest1cide · 7 April 2002]

i saw this movie at the WI film fest in madison, which was the midwest premier, complete with the director there for comments and questions after the movie....

anyways, although i heard some noise about how the movie was was basically Office Space and Fight Club mixed. This ended up not to be the case. With a great storyline, excellent acting, and nice color, this movie was quite entertaining. Oddly enough, the movie was filmed on DV, yet it doesn't show TOO much after the conversion to film. definately worth it.

A film nouveau flop

[=G= · 4/10 · 22 September 2002]

"waydowntown" is one of a zillion or so failed indies which appear to be the product of an overzealous auteur with some kind of cockamamie vision but without the resources or skill to bring it to fruition. So far upstream it could mate with salmon, "waydowntown" is a herky-jerky kaleidoscopic hodgepodge of corporate submanagement stereotypes who are hopelessly trapped by their jobs in a sterile work class structure where no one does anything more than busywork and everyone is involved in some kind of unfunny silliness. The film is technically a mess with shifts in color temperature, lousy editing, awful synth music, etc. In the grand scheme of global cinema, "waydowntown" barely rises above the background noise level. (D+)

good good

[nothingl · 9/10 · 25 March 2005]

I disagree with the last comment about this movie - i just finished watching waydowntown. Not only did the choppy camera work enhance the atmosphere of the film - partnered with the choppy dialect - the director has created a powerful insight to the characters we see on the screen. The characters were witty, even though a lot of the time they seem to be all 'connected' as an entity - they also seem very disconnected. The script is neat - it allows the audience to see how disconnected everyone is - in the characters conversation, 'dreamstate' etc. All in all - i thought the movie was intense - and goes beyond dialect - characters were truthful and intimate.However i didn't understand some of the 'intentional' continuity errors. *shrugs*

a little too gen-x

[Embley · 5/10 · 30 September 2000]

this was okay - it was a little too slick for me, but i thought it was interesting - mostly i went to see it because it was shot on digital video, but i didn't like the effects they went for, the changing shirt colours and the extreme flourescence - i like stuff a little more subtle..

i thought the performances were good - especially marya delver - she made me laugh more than anyone else.. although don mckellar stapling signs to his chest was not bad either..

but overall it was just too gen-x for me. i have gotten sick of the apathetic twentysomethings searching for meaning.. it has all been done.

Something good from Canada...

[psychobillygrl13 · 10/10 · 4 July 2006]

Just by chance I picked this movie up about 6 months ago. I loved it. The plot is simple, a group of co workers make a bet as who can stay inside the longest. As the film progresses the use of camera shots and split screen suggest the "walls are closing in" feeling of claustrophobia. It is a wonderfully quirky movie, subtly funny - which is nice, because slap-you-in-the-face humor is getting quite old now a days. The film hits home because the acting is realistic. There aren't perfect one-liners constantly spewed out by the lead character set up by pointless dialog on the part of the supporting characters. The conversations are realistic and awkward at times - you end up feeling you're trapped inside too.

One of the funniest Canadian films in a while

[Puke Bag · 9/10 · 24 September 2000]

Having viewed this at the Vancouver International Film Fest, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. As these characters have made a bet not to leave the building complex to go outdoors, naturally, these people start to go a little nuts. Bad for the characters, but good for the audience.

The cast of characters is stellar, giving each character its quirky feel. Tom (Level 9's Fabrizio Filippo) is the protagonist, who keeps seeing a comic book superhero. Sandra (Marya Delver) is starting to suffocate under the stale mall air and takes to tearing out smelly magazine inserts to remain healthy. Brad (Last Night director Don McKellar) is absolutely hilarious as Tom's cubicle mate, who starts stapling demotivational messages to his chest.

The film looks incredible, considering that it was originally shot on digital betacam and later transferred to 35mm (most film viewers won't notice the difference). Taking on an almost music-video like appearance (with seriously screwed up colours), you really get inside the character's heads and realize that staying indoors is seriously taking its toll.

Actually, there really is such a place in Calgary, where the film was shot. Theoretically, one could actually spend an entire year indoors and never have to leave. Theoretically, that is.

Canadian Office Space, Only Way Better (and Funnier)...

[rekca · 8/10 · 3 February 2001]

Anyone who has questioned their life in the office, has to relate to this kind of movie.

This film had me at the opening credits, I knew that if I didn't like the story, at least I would love the way the film was made. However, I loved the movie in total. I expected more from Don McKellar, but that's all right, he and the rest of the characters were unique and well portrayed.