Everything’s Gone Green

When I first heard the title I was thinking, documentary on celebrities impact on making the planet go green. But now having seen Everyone’s Gone Green I can assure you that’s not the case. Instead this is a low budget Canadian movie about a slacker, which doesn’t leave me with much more expectations than when I thought it was a documentary on global warming. As a Canadian I can admit that besides producing some great actors and actresses and supplying some great filming locations, Canadian cinema is about as entertaining as watching the wind blowing around a plastic bag. This movie doesn’t prove to be any different.

This movie has a very simple plot, and centers around a problem that seems to phase every single human being, wanting more than we have, and things we don’t necessarily need. The main character Ryan played by Canadian actor Paulo Costanzo who you might recognize from Joey, Road Trip, or even 40 Days and 40 Nights. Ryan is a slacker who wants more out of life so begins to contemplate scamming money while working for a lottery magazine.

The movie itself was pretty boring, and the many possibilities that the storyline could have potentially expanded to weren’t explored. There were a lot of places this movie could have went, but didn’t. It was one of those films I really wanted to like but just can’t. The characters are sometimes insightful but not properly developed, and for a movie that attempts to comment on social behavior and society as a whole, this is a major faux pas. Nonetheless there were several funny parts, but what I really liked about the movie was its portrayal of one of Canada’s great cities; Vancouver. Finally a movie filmed in Vancouver that actually takes place in Vancouver, and not in a negative light, actually quite realistically. But apart from some nice editing and scenery shots, this movie really doesn’t have much to offer in the comedy or drama department.

Video

People knowing this is a low budget indy film will not be surprised by the lackluster video quality. The 1.78:1 transfer pales in comparison to those found in blockbuster release. However when compared with other indy movies it actually looks fairly decent. Colors look good for the most part albeit a bit washed out at times. Softness, which is sometimes a problem with low budget releases, never becomes a serious issue. The print itself is clean with no artifacts and few scenes marred by grain. Overall the picture looks good, yes it’s missing the shine a high budget Hollywood movie receives but the results here are still good.

Audio

Included on the discs is a 5.1 Dolby Digital track and surprisingly is utilized quite well. Unlike the video, the audio track surprised me. Sure it’s not the crispest sound I’ve heard, but it does utilize the rear channels often, creating a nice sound stage in the process. Dialogue sounds clear and crisp which is great because that makes up most of the movie. For a indy film, everything’s gone green is equipped with an impressive sounding track. Fans of the film will be pleased.

Special Features

Not exactly a full slate of features with this disc. While there are some extended scenes available, none of them really add much to the film.

• Audio Commentary – Commentary with Writer Douglas Coupland and Director Paul Fox
• Extended Scenes – A set of 3 extended scenes with a brief write up before each one. The second scene which consist of a conversation between Ryan and his boss offers the most humor out of the bunch, although the scene it self is only a minute.
• Photo Gallery – A small set of photo featuring various cast
• Music List – A collective list of music used throughout the film.

Final Thoughts

This movie was far from being the worst I’ve ever seen, but it was probably just as far from being the best I’ve ever seen. There were several likeable elements about it, but like watching ice melt, it was extremely boring. I really liked the storyline but it just dragged on and on, and it was hard to relate to any of the characters who weren’t very likeable. But for those of you that already like this movie you will be pleased to hear that the audio in this movie is well done. Unfortunately the features and video are lackluster making this a disappointing package.