Greg & Gentillon is a uniquely Canadian mockumentary about fake stand-up comics who leave Aylmer, Quebec for the big time in Toronto.

The film is a strange spoof of ambition and celebrity (and the national character) and you can never be sure what's real and what's fake -- the lead characters, for example, have the accents and bad hair that scream rural, but it's all pretend.

The whole comic act of Greg & Gentillon began as a joke that the main characters, Louis Durand (Greg) and Thomas Michael (Gentillon) then maintained.

Yes, these guys are fans of Andy Kaufman.

The dialogue in Greg & Gentillon is entirely improvised.

There were no second takes while the film was shot. The budget was $1.50. Give or take.

Greg & Gentillon pretends to follow the journey of two successful comics from Aylmer who move to Toronto with the fervent belief that if they can make it there, they can make it anywhere, etc. The move to the Big Smoke is documented in a witty visual fashion that gives Toronto's landmarks and office towers the big city cinematic treatment.

Greg & Gentillon parallels the real-life adventures of Durand and Michael, who did move to Toronto, and who one night did a routine at a local club in which they performed as Quebec hopefuls, Greg and Gentillon.

To their amazement, people believed they really were a pair of backwater comics, with impossible accents, cruel mullets and terrible jokes. The movie layers that absurdity, in that Greg & Gentillon are not real people, but all the supporting characters are -- the high school teachers, the parents, the other comics and managers. (Well, except for Greg & Gentillon's idiot manager, played by Paolo Mancini.) The footage from high school and childhood is all real.

In the movie, Greg joins a band on a part-time basis but quickly succumbs to the seduction of rock; he grows his hair, his arms are covered with tattoos, he neglects his comedy routine with Gentillon and he neglects their friendship.

The two men experience success, heartbreak and homesickness, but never fail to find some heinous cliche or another that will cover the situation (in both official languages). Their faith in the pursuit of one's dreams is initially hilarious, then sad and finally, a tad boring, as the premise of the movie isn't substantial enough for a feature. Close, though.

(This film is rated 14-A)
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