Review: One Week
By Katy Lalonde
There are a couple of sure signs that spring is nearing- melting snow, daylight savings time and Tim Horton’s ‘roll up the rim to win.’ Not everyone will have the last one on their lists, but for most Canadians the infamous contest is as proudly Canadian as the mighty beaver.
Unfortunately the promotion has received some bad press lately, particularly in Ontario, as frustrated customers find themselves constantly left to ‘try again.’ It was about time Tim Horton’s got some good publicity. Luckily this year’s contest coincided with the release of director Michael McGowan’s One Week.
One Week is focused on the cross-country road trip of Ben Tyler (Joshua Jackson), who after learning he has terminal cancer buys a vintage motorcycle and on the advice of a Tim Horton’s cup “goes West.” Leaving his fiancé (Liane Balaban) behind in Toronto, Ben’s road trip becomes a search for the life he isn’t leading.
His journey is highlighted by visits to Canadian monuments, including the nickel in Sudbury, the goose in Wawa, a trip to Canadian Tire, Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park and a chance encounter with the Stanley Cup. Any one who has driven across the country will appreciate these touchstones of Canadiana. The movie was shot in sequence, making the cross-country trek all the more realistic.
The movie also features prominent Canadian musicians- Gord Downie as a pot-smoking cancer survivor who offers Ben advice on love in a motel, Joel Plaskett, a street musician in Toronto, and Emm Gryner, a back-packing guitar player who helps Ben get over his fear of singing.
On the surface, One Week may seem like an extended Tim Horton’s ad or Canadian tourism film, but it works remarkably well as a movie. Part love story to Canada and part philosophical musings on living with an expiry date, One Week is carried by the touching performance of Jackson. Strong supporting roles by Jane Spidell, a Saskatchewan farmer and Campbell Scott as the narrator add both humour and reverence to the film.
One Week comes off as patriotic, but hardly kitschy, touching, but not sappy, and leaves viewers ready to make their own road trips. So, if you have not managed to win your free coffee or donut, buy a double-double, head to your local theatre and take solace in this quirky tribute to Canada.
Author: 
Publisher-Creator Mikhail Saavedra began life down by the deepest tip of southern Latin America. He started life with a deep curiosity for all things, with music and books being at the forefront, a curious child by all accounts. As he grew and opened his eyes to the world, he developed a sense of justice and dignity in part as a reaction to growing up in a military dictatorship. Alas, this did not fill him with fear or cynicism but a more rebellious spirit, which led him to being incredibly popular at the principal’s office and the local riot police department….
Then came Canada and it was here that he was able to formulate his deep desire to learn about the world, with Toronto being the kind of multicultural soup that could engage his need to know and embrace. It started with writing, then moved on to what became Toronto’s first Latin Alternative radio show, followed by an all-English show in the same vein. It was this desire to find the true “crossover” among people, which led him to the concept of “Alternavox”
He is a lover of wine, good food, Neruda, Eduardo Galeano, rebel music, revolutionaries, dancing, family and beautiful people. Believes that kindness in this much too cynical world is revolutionary, that you are a better person when able to give a little without asking for the change and that on the same token you should laugh at yourself and the madness surrounding you as often as possible as you set out to change the world bit by bit. 