How to Be Deadly | |
---|---|
Directed by | Nik Sexton |
Written by | Nik Sexton Edward Riche |
Produced by | Mary Sexton |
Starring | Leon Parsons Gina Squires |
Cinematography | Sam Pryse-Phillips |
Edited by | Miles Davren |
Music by | Colin Kelday |
Production company | Rink Rat Productions |
Distributed by | Union Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
How to Be Deadly is a 2014 Canadian comedy film, directed by Nik Sexton. The film stars Leon Parsons as Donnie Dumphy, an unemployed slacker in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, who enters a minibike competition in the hopes of winning back his ex-girlfriend Brenda (Gina Squires) after she breaks up with him due to his lack of ambition. [1]
The cast also includes Ashley Billard, Dan Bochart, Robbie Carruthers, Kate Corbett, Sean Dalton, Lisa Doucette, Dominique Girouard, Annie Hennessey, Andy Jones, Cathy Jones, Dennis Kavanah, Susan Kent, Greg Malone, Mary Walsh, Andrew Younghusband and Rick Mercer in supporting roles.
The film premiered at the 2014 Atlantic International Film Festival, [2] and went into commercial release in 2015. [3]
The lead character had previously appeared in numerous short comedy videos that the filmmakers had posted to YouTube, including a music video called "Havin' a Time". [4] A 15-minute short film version of How to Be Deadly screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, [5] and the full feature film version went into production in 2013 in St. John's and Mount Pearl. [5]
In addition to being described in its short film showing at TIFF as "the Newfoundland Trailer Park Boys -slash- Fubar ", [6] the feature film also served as an unofficial tribute to the Newfoundland sketch comedy troupe CODCO , with all of the troupe's living members making appearances in the film; Tommy Sexton, the troupe's deceased member, was Nik Sexton's uncle and producer Mary Sexton's brother. [7]
The film won the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Feature Film at the 16th Canadian Comedy Awards in 2015. [8] Sexton was also nominated for Best Direction in a Feature Film.
Catherine Frederica "Cathy" Jones is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is known for her work for 28 years on the Canadian television series This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Jones left the show in 2021.
Greg Thomey is a Canadian comedian, actor and playwright and a founding member of the long-running television program This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He has been a recipient of numerous Gemini Awards.
Mary Cynthia Walsh is a Canadian actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her work on CODCO and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Mark Critch is a Canadian comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on the comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, initially as a writer and then as a regular cast member beginning in 2003.
David Gregory Malone is a Canadian impressionist and actor. He is well known for the CODCO television series and his impersonations of Barbara Frum, Jean Chrétien, and Queen Elizabeth II.
Thomas Sexton was a Canadian comedian. Born in St. John's, Newfoundland, he was the youngest member of the CODCO comedy troupe.
CODCO is a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1988 to 1993.
Michael Jones was a Canadian film director and screenwriter based in Newfoundland. He is known for his films which depicted the island's culture and humour.
Andrew Jordan Jones is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, and a former member of CODCO.
Bill Gillespie, is a Canadian journalist and author. He was security correspondent for CBC News and a former bureau chief of CBC Radio's Moscow bureau. As a foreign correspondent, Gillespie reported extensively from Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya and the Russian Caucuses, relaying information on the fall of the Taliban, the dismantling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad's central square, and the deadly siege of Beslan School Number One.
Susan Kent is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her work as a cast member of CBC Television's This Hour Has 22 Minutes since joining in 2012. Kent had previously been a writer for, and an occasional performer on the program. She is also known for her portrayal of Susan in Trailer Park Boys since Season 11 (2017).
Shea Heights is a small neighbourhood located in the hills of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Andrea Dorfman is a Canadian screenwriter and film director based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She directed the Emmy Award films Flawed (2010) and Big Mouth (2012). Dorfman is one of the four co-creators of Blowhard. She mainly creates short and feature films but also works on mini-documentaries for the Equality Effect, a human rights organization. She is currently working on The Playground in collaboration with Jennifer Deyell.
Cody Westman is a Canadian filmmaker/musician from Smithers, British Columbia now residing in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. He is known for his filmmaking as well as his solo music career and his work with rock band, Man The Animal. He owns and operates his production company Cats Eye Cinema INC which focuses on documentaries, commercials, corporate video, music videos and short films.
Maudie is a 2016 biographical drama film directed by Aisling Walsh and starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. A co-production of Ireland and Canada, it is about the life of folk artist Maud Lewis, who painted in Nova Scotia. In the story, Maud (Hawkins) struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, the memory of a lost child, and a family that doubts her abilities, before moving in with a surly fish peddler (Hawke) as a housekeeper. Despite their differing personalities, they marry as her art gains in popularity. The film was shot in Newfoundland and Labrador, requiring a re-creation of Lewis' famously small house.
Deanne Catherine Foley is a Canadian director, writer and producer. She has directed both narrative and documentary films of feature and short length. Her films often centre around flawed female leads and are usually filmed in Atlantic Canada. She has also worked in the television industry, directing episodes for a variety of series. She is best known for her films An Audience of Chairs, Relative Happiness and Beat Down, which received a number of awards, as well as exposure at a number of higher profile film festivals.
Mary Sexton is a Canadian film and television producer, who is partnered with Edward Riche in Rink Rat Productions and with Mary Walsh in 2M Innovative.
The Outhouse is a comedy group from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador that became popular for their short skits that were originally posted on YouTube. The Outhouse is run by founder Justin Hawco. Their YouTube channel has over 37,400 subscribers, while their Facebook page has over 110,000 followers and 79,400 likes, as of January 2024. The group has touched on many Newfoundland topics using satire, including poverty, tradition, alcoholism, news, politics, and pop culture.
Christian Sparkes is a Canadian film director and screenwriter from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. He is most noted for his film Cast No Shadow, which was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Picture at the 3rd Canadian Screen Awards in 2015.
Nik Sexton is a Canadian film and television director from Newfoundland and Labrador, whose debut feature film How to Be Deadly was released in 2014.