Deaner '89 | |
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![]() Film poster | |
Directed by | Sam McGlynn |
Written by | Paul Spence |
Produced by | Kyle Irving Paul Spence |
Starring | Paul Spence Star Slade Will Sasso Stephen McHattie Mary Walsh |
Cinematography | Samy Inayeh |
Edited by | Reginald Harkema |
Music by | Justin Delorme Paul Spence |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Mongrel Media |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Deaner '89 is a 2024 Canadian action comedy film directed by Sam McGlynn. It stars Paul Spence, Star Slade, Will Sasso, and Mary Walsh. Spence plays Dean Murdoch, a metalhead character from the FUBAR series. [2]
The film was released in theaters on September 6, 2024. [1] [3]
Despite the Murdoch character having previously appeared in the FUBAR films, the film is not considered a FUBAR sequel, but a standalone film. [4]
![]() | This section needs an improved plot summary.(July 2025) |
In 1989, Murdoch and his sister first become interested in heavy metal music, soon after learning that their adoptive parents have hidden from them that they are Indigenous. Dean is Métis [5] and his sister is Blackfoot. They go on a trip to Calgary to see a band.
The film's content related to Indigenous identity was partly inspired by Spence's own family history. His father was adopted into a non-Indigenous family in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and only learned as an adult that his parents were Métis (and that his ancestor, Scottish-Métis leader Andrew Spence, had been part of the North-West Resistance). [6] According to Spence, "It seemed like such a natural fit to take some of my father's stories, as well as my own, to create something fun and funny, but that also had some heart and authenticity — where audiences will laugh their asses off, but also learn something about Canada's complicated history." [7]
Thom Ernst of Original Cin gave the film a B- and wrote, "The comedy here doesn't pull punches — big gags, big cameos, big laughs. Not all of it works, but when it does, it works beautifully." [8]
Andrew Parker of TheGATE.ca gave the film a score of 3 out of 10, writing, "Unassured, scattered, and trying too hard to relive past glories while simultaneously failing to make viewers forget about everything that came before, Deaner '89 is a messy vanity project that never settles on a satisfying hook on which to hang all of its tired jokes about metal heads, hosers, and givin'r." [9]
Richard Crouse was more positive, awarding the film 3.5/5 stars, asserting that Spence "weaves humor into every scene, but never settles for the easy joke." [10]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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Canadian Screen Awards | 2025 | Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film | Paul Spence | Nominated | [11] |
Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Film | Will Sasso | Nominated | |||
Mary Walsh | Nominated | ||||
John Dunning Best First Feature | Sam McGlynn | Nominated | |||
Best Original Song | Paul Spence, Michael Phillip Heppner, Ian Kerr Wilson, Guillaume Marc Antoine Tremblay, Stan Pietrusik "The Power of the Tribe" | Nominated | |||
Best Makeup | Doug Morrow | Nominated | |||
Best Stunt Coordination | Sean Skene, Rick Skene | Nominated |