Customer Reviews

New Waterford Girl

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A story of the teenage town oddball who just wants to get the hell out of Cape Breton.
I grew up in the 70s in a small Irish/French Catholic town in the Maritimes, and I found the movie's portrayal of the town and its people pretty accurate.
Plus, I think I went to college with one of the editors. Good work, Joyce, if it's you!

This movie has it all. It smacks of Canadiana, the clothes and language of the 70's for those of us who lived it, the beauty of Cape Breton, the hilarity of a small town where everyone knows everyone, the closeness of a large family, and the music brings back memories of a time of youth and freedom. The quirky personalities of Moonie and her family, of Lou and her mother, and odd shots of people like Bette MacDonald make this a true gem. It's the only movie I watch over and over.

Mooney Pottie is an eccentric, teenage, odd duck in the small Irish-Catholic town of New Waterford on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia---a town where the mere mention of the Blessed Virgin will stop a sinner "in his tracks". Played to perfection by Liane Balaban, Mooney is determined to escape from her small-town life by any means possible (including cleverly trying to get herself a false bad reputation and then planning to tell her parents she is pregnant so they will send her away).

Mooney befriends a new neighbor, Lou (played with brilliant perfection by Tara Spencer-Nairn) after an initial period of wariness at this transplanted New Yorker's enthusiasm for New Waterford.

This comedy reveals its quirky twist in the first scene, a wedding and funeral being held at the same time in the local Catholic church. The pregnant bride shares the altar with her father's casket - showing the inherent thrift of the locals! Of course, sorting out the sympathy and wedding cards becomes a bit of a problem.

The authenticity of the script can be attributed to the fact that it was written by a woman who actually lived in New Waterford in the 70s, the time in which the movie is set.

Despite her desire to get out, we see the beautiful, if rough, vista of Nova Scotia through Mooney's eyes and realize the pull this incredible coastal area has on her.

A delightful film---every actor does a fine job and the coastal settings are spectacular.

Ordering the DVD was easy and arrived faster than I thought it would. The cost was equal to what I would have paid had I bought it at the local HMV. Very impressed.