Fubar series

(On Cable TV, August 2020) From 2003 to 2013, the Canadian Dream was quite specifically located in Fort MacMurray, Alberta. That’s where the oil patch boom led to the creation of tens of thousands of well-paid jobs with few educational requirements. People moved across the country to sign up for oil crews, and quickly made more money than they knew what to do with (well, except to buy a big pickup truck). The bust followed the boom, but it’s amusing to see Fubar II make good of the craziness that was going on at the time. As we rejoin our likable metalhead loser protagonists from the first Fubar, it’s clear that they could use a bit of money. So, when a friend talks to them about the Eldorado up north, they pick up everything (which isn’t much) and leave, quickly finding good jobs. But they’re clearly not as good as the jobs, and before long one of them is actively looking at workers’ compensation through self-injury while the other hooks up with a woman who has apparently slept with half of the cast. No, the Fubar protagonists aren’t going to cover themselves in glory in this new adventure, and that’s more or less the point of it. Fortunately, even the handheld camera work puts us in Fort MacMurray during the big boom, and if you like the characters, then you’ll enjoy the slightly bigger budget and slightly stronger plot that goes along with this new instalment.

(On TV, June 2020) Don’t watch Fubar for the visuals (which were shot on an early-2000s digital camera and consequently look terrible) nor for the story (an episodic, semi-improvised narrative following two Albertan friends). Watch it for the progressively endearing look at a pair of heavy metal fans without anything more on their minds than mindless loafing. The mockumentary follows them for a few months, as one of them undergoes cancer treatment and reflect on the meaning of existence. It’s quite a look at western-Canada lower-class, and not as judgmental as other filmmakers would have been. Despite a threadbare budget and a scattered narrative that often dips into dark comedy, the characters gradually become more likable along the way. Fubar is certainly not a great film, but it works well at what it attempts to do, and creates memorable characters long the way.