MovieChat Forums > Blue State (2008) Discussion > Fine, come to Canada. But why go to The ...

Fine, come to Canada. But why go to The Peg?


This is where the plot lost me. It's wonderful to pay hommage to Paquin's old home but cmon!

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The writer had NO IDEA that the Paquins were from Winnipeg when he decided to with Winnipeg, so it had nothing to do with paying hommage to their home town. It was simply coincidence that it turned out that way.

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"The writer had NO IDEA that the Paquins were from Winnipeg" He went to college with Andrew Paquin, and he brought Andrew Paquin a script that was partly set in Winnipeg to show to Anna. Draw your own conclusions, depending on how cynical you are. But regardless, nice well-written, well-directed movie.

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This is where the plot lost me. It's wonderful to pay hommage to Paquin's old home but cmon!

Here's my theory: Winnipeg was deliberately chosen to highlight the difference between John's idealized version of Canada versus the reality he found when he got there. The "Marry A Canadian" group being located in Winnipeg was, in my opinion, a plot device to draw him there instead of to Vancouver, which is much easier to get to from San Francisco than Winnipeg is. Many left-of-center American pessimists who romanticize Canada believe that all of its major cities are glittering jewels of cosmopolitan liberal sophistication, unaware that some of them (Winnipeg, Regina, etc.) just don't have a lot going for them. Granted, they still beat Detroit or New Orleans by a long shot, but that's a different discussion for a different day. I don't think the disillusionment angle would have worked as well had they gone to Vancouver which more closely resembles the romanticized version of urban Canada and where he would have been considerably more likely to "fit in."

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[deleted]

Winnipeg is considered boring though im fine living here, easy life, cheap ass rent...annnd well Call Center Capital of Canada has landed me a Consumer Service position with Nintendo.
But I can speak for Regina...if anyone thinks Winnipeg is boring..go to Regina..no offense to anyone that lives there but its got nothing great. The Peg has a Penis Bridge now..and the Forks.

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I got married right next to that "Penis Bridge." LMFAO!

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Can't wait till they get the Jets back. It's a gritty middle class hockey town. That's pure Canada. Good choice. And I agree with the earlier comment that it was meant to show a contrast to the romanticized vision Americans have of Canada.

It reminded me of the scenes of Buffalo in Buffalo '66 - which by the way, if you liked Blue State, do yourself a favor and watch Buffalo '66 too.

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We have a romanticized vision of Canada?

I think most US residents just think of Minnesota.. only larger and weirder.


I mean, bags of milk, and entire french speaking regions? Come on! ;)

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Bags of milk? You don't have that?
You don't know what you're missing.
Let 'em freeze in winter, make great goal-posts for street-hockey (because they don't slide around as easy as those chunks of "hoo" that you kick off the rear of a car's fender, that are frozen chunks of slush and dirt and salt -- you know what I mean if you live in The Peg).
Also make great curling rocks.

Then when you're finished hockey you just sneak 'em back into your Mom's big freezer in the basement.

Then, of course, she gets pissed-off as hell when she makes you go down next week to the basement to haul out another 86-gallon frozen bag of milk, and slide it into the "Avocado Green" plastic milk jug holder-thingy from Canadian Tire ---

--- and the friggin thing leaks all over, and she can't figure why (well of COURSE it's gonna leak, it had to stop 17 slap-shots in a row, that plastic bag ain't some NASA polymer, you know).

And the Old Lady starts grumbling again about Loblaws.

And you and your brother look nervously at each other, resolving to use another milk bag, the next time ---

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we have bags of milk...? I didn't know that, and I live in Winnipeg.

bella gerant alii

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Not sure if you'd take offense to this. But I figure that living in Canada is pretty much the same as living here in the states. And I'm sure that some states are more similar to some Provinces than to other states. Although this bag of milk revelation possibly changes everything.

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Yeah ive lived in winnipeg for 26 years and the only bags of any dairy product that ive seen have all been at McDonalds lol
Before Id say Canada and US isnt that different..and ive been all over Canada..and not all over America, but I have been to more places now and my mom and other family have and I can say some states are vastly and I mean VASTLY different from any city in Canada that ive ever been to..now not all states are like that..id say the more south you go the worse it gets IMO. Ive never been so insulted and felt so bad about some of the workers, it felt slave like in some places, it really freaked me out to be honest. so some states ill never ever step foot in. Think Canadians are crazy and weird well I can say that about any other country, and of all the places ive visited, certain southern states are just not for people like me.

Winnipeg is a good choice if you wanna show how bad canada can be, being Murder Cap of Canada many times too. But I feel ok walking around my city in comparison to other places, well when I was in BC that was really the best time ive had in any province or state.

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Yeah, like too bad Winnipeg is the Culture Centre of Canada, eh? That must make people from over-rated places like Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal do a slow burn. Winnipeggers SUPPORT their arts and culture.
Comparing Winnipeg to Detroit and New Orleans means you must never have been there.

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Oh, and if you knew ANYTHING about Winnipeg, you know that it's a popular stand-in for Chicago for films. Albeit, a much nicer and cleaner place.

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It's so cute when people who live in also-ran cities get all insecure about it.

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That would be most people as the United States is really LA & NY and also rans, including you.

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Aw, is Janie-Wanie getting all insecure too?

That's OK, maybe some day Winnipeg will show up as a Beta- city on world city prominence rankings and then you can REALLY put an Alpha city like Chicago in its place.

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Winnipeg is about 1,000 miles from Washington State, its way on the other side of the Rocky Mountains above Minnesota.

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