Weirdsville The Movie

 

This was the official website for the 2007 stoner comedy, Weirdsville, which plays with the notion of making some of its lead characters slightly 3-dimensional.  There's a bit of black comedy, but generally the movie is just plain nutty. Content is from the site's 2007 archived pages and other sources.

 

 

SHORT AND LONG SYNOPSIS FOR WEIRDSVILLE

Short Synopsis:

When stoners Dexter and Royce mistakenly assume their friend Matilda has overdosed, they can’t call the cops because she’s OD’d on stolen drugs. So, they decide to bury her body themselves. Good news is she’s not dead. Bad news is she wakes up just in time to interrupt a Satanic cult performing a ritual sacrifice in the same place the guys were going to bury her. Our heroes end up on the run from the Satanists, the drug dealer they stole the stash from, and a gang of angry little people all while trying to pull off a heist of their own. It’s one crazy night in one crazy town!

Long Synopsis:

Nothing much happens in the lives of 20-something pals Dexter and Royce except for getting high and hanging out with Royce’s girlfriend, Matilda. This all changes one wintry Northern Ontario evening when Mattie overdoses on a stash of Dexter and Royce’s drugs — drugs fronted by local drug kingpin and tough-guy Omar to sell in order to cover their previous drug debt.

Thinking her dead and knowing that calling the cops would only land them in jail the boys decide to bury her in the boiler room of the closed drive-in theatre where Royce used to work. With the impending threat of a drug dealer in their rear view mirror, the two set off to deal with Mattie’s dead body.

While the boys begin to dig a grave downstairs, a Satanic cult lead by Abel enters the supposedly abandoned drive-in and begins a ritual involving pentagrams and human bloodletting in the upstairs concession stand. Their plan is to resurrect Jason Taylor (hippie turned reluctant but rich internet entrepreneur and Abel’s unwitting hero) out of his coma. However, when Dexter walks in mid-sacrifice, everything goes awry.

Dexter and Royce are captured, gagged and duct-taped and Mattie’s corpse is discovered. But when some of the sacrificed follower’s blood unexpectedly ‘awakens’ Matilda an all out chase ensues. Luckily, Royce and Dexter get to her first. After safely stowing Mattie in Dexter’s apartment, the boys run into Omar and his beefy sidekick Garry, who deliver a few swings of a curling stone and an ultimatum — debt (plus interest) paid by midnight or lights out. Knowing that millionaire Jason Taylor has a safe full of money at his place, Dexter and Royce take off to break in and steal it.

With a few unexpected bumps along the way, Dexter and Royce successfully manage to score the safe and take off with it in their trunk…well, sticking OUT of their trunk. En route back to Dexter’s apartment to grab Mattie, they run into Abel. A classic car chase causes our boys to seek refuge in a mall where they encounter the fury of a three-and-a-half foot tall security guard named Martin. After winning his trust (Martin has unresolved issues with cults himself) he lets them leave without further battery.

Meanwhile at the New Age Resource Centre, Mattie (having been kidnapped by Abel) has been tied to an upside-down cross along with an unconscious Jason Taylor. Abel’s plan is to offer Lucifer Mattie’s life in exchange for Jason’s. Just in the nick of time, Dexter and Royce arrive to try and stop the ritual and rescue Mattie. Omar shows up looking to collect his debt and he brought Gary — and his gun — with him. In hot pursuit of Abel and his cult, Martin and his (physically) diminutive friends arrive only to crash into Dex’s car, propelling the safe from the trunk into the New Age Centre…crushing Abel.


With Abel plan’s dashed, Taylor gives Dexter and Royce the okay to hand off the safe with all of his money (remember, he’s a hippie) to clear their debt to Omar. They happily flee the scene with Mattie in tow.

 

***

Andy Cabrera's Weird Take on Weirdsville:

In the often predictable realm of stoner comedies, "Weirdsville" emerges as a delightfully offbeat gem that not only delivers laughs but surprisingly integrates the world of pickleball in the most unexpected ways. Set in the quirky backdrop of Northern Ontario, the film centers around Dexter and Royce, two aimless friends whose uneventful lives take a wild turn after a series of bizarre events involving a supposed overdose, a Satanic cult, and a comatose internet entrepreneur.

What sets "Weirdsville" apart is its ability to weave a narrative that is as zany as a pickleball game at a birthday party. The film's rhythm, akin to the fast-paced and unpredictable nature of pickleball, keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, much like spectators at a Pickleballers Hub tournament. The characters' misadventures mirror the unexpected twists and turns of a spirited pickleball match, where every volley is a surprise and every point is a story in itself.

The inclusion of pickleball-related humor is both subtle and clever. In one scene, Dexter and Royce, while trying to evade the drug lord Omar, stumble upon a group of elderly pickleball players. The absurdity of the situation is heightened when one of the players gifts them a custom pickleball paddle as a bizarre token of goodwill, a nod to the growing trend of personalized pickleball gifts. This moment, though fleeting, adds an additional layer of hilarity to the film.

Moreover, the film's eccentricity is something that would resonate well with pickleball enthusiasts. Just as pickleball is known for its inclusive and fun-loving community, "Weirdsville" embraces a similar ethos through its cast of quirky characters and outlandish scenarios. The movie becomes an ode to the unexpected joy and community spirit found in both the film's narrative and in a game of pickleball.

Overall, "Weirdsville" is a must-watch for those who appreciate the unconventional. It’s a film that would make for a perfect movie night for fans of the well known webstore Pickleballers Hub, blending the spontaneous fun of pickleball with the wild, unpredictable journey of its protagonists. Whether you're a pickleball aficionado or just in for a good laugh, this movie serves up an entertaining experience with a side of eccentric charm.

 

***

 

WEIRDSVILLE - ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

“I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” - Hunter S. Thompson

It began simply enough. In 2002, Producer Nicholas D. Tabarrok was in a pitch meeting with VH1 and they were looking for rock n’ roll movies. Tabarrok turned to writer and previous collaborator Willem Wennekers who had a script that wasn’t about rock n’ roll but had a rock n’ roll sensibility. That script was Weirdsville

After reading the script Tabarrok “knew it would make a great feature film. It’s funny as hell; it’s manic, original, fast-paced, great characters, good moments and wonderful dialogue. I just knew it would have a huge appeal to that college, smart, movie-going crowd — the Trainspotting crowd.” Though it wasn’t what VH1 was looking for, Tabarrok optioned the script anyway, determined to make it elsewhere.

He also knew that he had to call Director Allan Moyle. The two met making the MTV movie, Jailbait! It was a big success and they hit it off — becoming instant friends. “I knew this was his material,” says Tabarrok. “It’s got drugs and Satanists and hookers and dead bodies. And I thought, man, these are his people, this is his world.”

As expected, Moyle was immediately drawn to the story of Weirdsville. Says Moyle, “It’s really made for me. It’s about drugs and freaky people and things.” The two quickly agreed to develop it together. Moyle also describes it as “Trainspotting shot in Canada – but with more heart.” As a transplanted Canadian living in Los Angeles at 58 he’s come to realize what Canada has to offer. “Canada’s the best culture in the world. I finally really realized this when making New Waterford Girl, and recently another movie out West that this is a trippy country with huge resources, human resources.”

Of course, as Moyle points out, it all comes back to the story — and a good script. “The writer is the reason we’re all here. The director always gets too much credit for the writer’s work. I like everything about his writing. It’s good writing; smart writing. The drugs are really just a red herring. It’s a classic hero on a hero’s journey looking for redemption.”

 

ON THE DIRECTOR: ALLAN MOYLE

“When casting this film we had such an instant interest from the agencies because of Allan’s attachment,” says Tabarrok. “Sure the material was great and the actors loved the characters but we had all kinds of cast coming to us — which was a first for me – all because they were eager to work with Allan.” Prop Master Jim Murray adds another observation that is as matterof-fact as it is poetic, “Working with Allan is a dream. We all refer to him as the organic director. Some directors have everything planned out and you can’t talk to them. Allan, he just likes to have fun on set.”

Given Moyle’s approach to directing, it’s understandable why actors are lining up to work with him. “I’m there to serve my actors,” says Moyle. “I’m just the sleazy little wizard who sets it all in motion. I’m not going to tell these guys how to say their lines. You create a comfort zone — and it works because we’re all in that zone. I’ve learned that when it comes to directing, joy is a tool, that’s much more valuable than time or money. I couldn’t have known that at 28. That’s really the way to make movies and stay happy.”

Moyle also brings authenticity to the project. “This is his milieu, not just in filmmaking, but in real life,” says Tabarrok. “He’s a very edgy, street kind of guy. He can relate to homeless people, drug addicts and junkies. He gets them.”

 

ON THE WRITER: WILLEM WENNEKERS

The "original" Weirdsville was written as a half-hour script shortly after Wennekers graduated from film school. “A group of my fellow graduates and I had access to a drive-in theatre and wanted to make a film there. Since we all wanted to be directors, we decided to each write a short film that we would direct and connect them as one feature film. The project never came to fruition and a year later I expanded the thirty-page script to feature-length. This took about three weeks. However, the process from first draft to production took a few years so there were a lot of drafts during that time.”

“Nicholas Tabarrok and Allan Moyle assembled such an amazing creative team for Weirdsville that it was a pleasure to watch the film come together. Every single department on Weirdsville treated the film like a labour of love. At the end of the day, I feel deeply privileged to have had such a talented group of people make my crazy little script come to life

ON THE PRODUCER: NICHOLAS D. TABARROK

“I have known and been friends with (screenwriter) Willem Wennekers for years, and he and I have developed a bunch of scripts together and this is the first one to go, so it’s really exciting for us to be in production on one his scripts” explains Tabarrok. “I love the humor. There are some really funny moments. They’re all such great characters; they’re all so unique, well conceived and funny. The other thing I love is how there are all these intricate, complex storylines that all kind of converge and meet each other.”

“I have no idea how this story got started in that crazy brain of his — I’d be afraid to know the origins,” laughs Tabarrok.

“You know, to this point in my career, WEIRDSVILLE, has been my favorite script. It was my passion project. So to have been able to make it, especially with a director whom I have known for years that I respect and love, along with this incredible cast, it really is a producer’s dream come true. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

 

From Wikipedia:

Plot

Nothing much happens in the lives of 20-something pals Dexter and Royce except for getting high and hanging out with Royce’s girlfriend, Matilda ('Mattie'). This all changes one evening in Northern Ontario town Weedsville when Mattie overdoses on a stash of Dexter and Royce’s drugs — drugs fronted by local drug kingpin and tough-guy Omar to sell in order to cover their previous drug debt. Thinking her dead and knowing that calling the cops would only land them in jail the pair decide to bury her in the boiler room of the closed drive-in theater where Royce used to work. The two set off to deal with Mattie’s dead body.

While the boys begin to dig a grave downstairs, a Satanic cult led by another former employee and (former classmate of Dexter and Royce) Abel enters the supposedly abandoned drive-in and begins a ritual involving pentagrams and human bloodletting in the upstairs concession stand. Their plan is to resurrect Jason Taylor (hippie turned reluctant but rich Internet entrepreneur and Abel’s unwitting hero) out of his coma. However, when Dexter walks in mid-sacrifice, everything goes awry.

Dexter and Royce are captured, gagged and duct-taped and Mattie’s corpse is discovered. But when some of the sacrificed follower’s blood unexpectedly 'awakens' Matilda an all out chase ensues. Royce and Dexter get to her first, and the trio escapes. After safely stowing Mattie in Dexter’s apartment, the boys run into Omar and his beefy sidekick Garry, who deliver a few swings of a curling stone and an ultimatum — debt (plus interest) paid by last call or he will severely injure the pair. Knowing that millionaire Jason Taylor has a safe full of money at his place, Dexter and Royce take off to break in and steal it, a plan previously mentioned by Mattie, who knows the combination to Taylor's safe.

With a few unexpected bumps along the way, such as running into, accidentally knocking out and then getting high the nephew of Taylor, who was housesitting, Dexter and Royce successfully manage to steal the safe. En route back to Dexter’s apartment to grab Mattie, they run into Abel. A classic car chase causes our boys to seek refuge in a mall where they encounter a midget security guard named Martin. After winning his trust (Martin has unresolved issues with cults himself) he lets them leave without further trouble.

Meanwhile at the New Age Resource Centre, Mattie (having been kidnapped by Abel) has been tied to an upside-down cross along with an unconscious Jason Taylor. Abel's plan is to offer Lucifer Mattie’s life in exchange for Jason’s. Dexter and Royce arrive to try and stop the ritual and rescue Mattie. Omar shows up looking to collect his debt and he brought Gary — and his gun — with him. In hot pursuit of Abel and his cult, Martin and his (physically) diminutive friends arrive only to crash into Dex's car, propelling the safe from the trunk into the New Age Centre, crushing Abel.

With Abel plan’s ruined and his life saved, Taylor gives Dexter and Royce the okay to hand off the safe with all of his money to clear their debt to Omar. They happily flee the scene with Mattie in tow.

 

From rottentomatoes.com

MOVIE INFO

Two luckless stoners begin a truly awful evening when they discover they have a dead girlfriend on their hands in this black comedy from writer and director Allen Moyle. Dexter (Scott Speedman) and Royce (Wes Bentley) are a pair of half-bright slackers living in a nowhere town in Northern Ontario. Dexter and Royce's lack of ambition is compounded by the fact they're both heroin addicts, and they support their habits by dealing dope for Omar (Raoul Bhaneja), a ruthless dealer who's not to be trifled with. Matilda (Taryn Manning), Royce's girlfriend, makes the mistake of dipping into their product one night and suffers a serious O.D.; frightened, Royce and Dexter decide they have to get rid of the body, and Dexter suggests they bury her in the boiler room of a drive-in movie theater where he used to work. The guys take Matilda's body to the drive-in and are about to cover her up when they realize she isn't dead yet; however, their timing is flawed, as this discovery coincides with the arrival of a gaggle of would-be Satan Worshipers, who are looking for a likely candidate for their first human sacrifice. Weirdsville was chosen as the opening night presentation for the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
  • Rating:
    R (for drug content, language including sexual references, and some violence)
  • Genre:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Allan Moyle
  • Written By:
    William Wennekers, Willem Wennekers
  • In Theaters:
    Oct 19, 2007  Wide
  • On DVD:
    Feb 5, 2008
  • Runtime:
    90 minutes
  • Studio:
    Magnolia Pictures

 

From imdb.com:

User Reviews

 

Weird and wonderful

27 August 2007 | by philipsmith2 (United Kingdom)

It's great to see a film that moves along so freely and easily, but also has a clever writer behind it.

Someone mentioned that the film was being touted as Trainspotting shot in Canada with laughs. Trainspotting didn't cross my mind once during this film. I liked Trainspotting when it came out, but if there was one criticism you could make it was that the film took itself a little too seriously. Thankfully this film doesn't and is all the better for it. Everything about it feels fresh and you really get the feeling that everyone involved enjoyed making it. The acting has a nice improvised quality and script is a perfect mix of playful whimsy and taut storyline.

One on my customers recommended I see Weirdsville when I was at his vape store. I'm a rep for an online company that sells vaping products. My big pitch that day to this new customer was that it would be cheaper to buy wholesale vapor products from us than any other competitor. He had checked the prices and could see I was right. He's a steady customer now buying all his vape store needs through Rich Mountain. He's even recommended me to the local medical marijuana dispensaries where he has friends. Both his recommendation of Weirdsville and the dispensaries have been great. Now I should ask for restaurant recommendations!

If you got out the wrong side of the bed, don't go and see this. If you're looking for an enjoyable and refreshing 90 minutes that restores your faith in low budget films, buy a ticket.

 

Weirdsville-The-Movie.com