Mile End Kicks

by Mike McGranaghan

Music journalism is an occupation rarely portrayed onscreen. There’s Almost Famous, and then…what? Mile End Kicks picks up the baton from Cameron Crowe’s 2000 classic, focusing on a writer who is slightly older, similarly obsessed with bands, and hoping for a big break. Even if you think watching somebody write about music seems boring, the main character’s story is certain to draw you in.

Grace Pine (Barbie Ferreira) is a music critic who works for a periodical run by an editor (Jay Baruchel) who isn’t always as supportive as he seems. She gets a book deal to write about the impact of Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” album and heads off to Montreal to begin the process. While there, she discovers a cool band called Bone Patrol. The group’s self-absorbed lead singer Chevy (Stanley Simons) and nerdy-yet-sincere guitarist Archie (Devon Bostick) both have eyes for her, albeit for very different reasons. She has eyes for them, too, again for very different reasons.

Mile End Kicks, named for the shoe store where Chevy is employed, deals with the intensity of being pulled in two directions at the same time. Grace has a ton of passion for her book proposal but finds exploring Montreal’s booming music scene more intoxicating than actual work. On the romantic side, Chevy is exciting for having an attitude and being emotionally mysterious, whereas Archie is kind, decent, and perhaps a bit boring in comparison. Grace wants it all. She cannot have it all, leading to an existential crisis that forces her to define herself in ways previously unimaginable.

The screenplay for this movie is immaculately written. Writer/director Chandler Levack creates fully fleshed-out characters who are engaging to spend time with. She’s got a knack for how people talk to each other – the awkward pauses, the statements that have hidden meaning, the way emotions sometimes uncontrollably bubble up to the surface when we don’t mean them to, and so on. That creates a realistic, relatable quality within the story, one that gives Grace’s internal dilemma a universal feel.

Barbie Ferreira knocks it out of the park. Her performance is filled with humor and vulnerability. She puts Grace into that youthful mindset where it feels like the world has everything to offer, then gradually peels away the layers of euphoria as the young writer realizes she can’t achieve true happiness until she discovers who she is at the core. It’s a charming performance from the Bob Trevino Likes It and Faces of Death actress.

Contributions from the supporting players add immeasurably to Grace’s journey. Simons is authentically jerky as Chevy, bringing out his pull-you-close/push-you-away manipulativeness. Rather than seeming like a generic idiot, the actor turns him into a poser who has bought into his own hype. Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) hits a nice balance of insecurity and sincerity as Archie, allowing us to recognize that he’s searching for himself in much the same way as Grace is. Baruchel shines in a smaller role, atypically but effectively portraying a lout.

Between the stellar cast and Levack’s insightful, humorous script, Mile End Kicks is a feel-good winner. It’s the kind of indie that comes with a strong voice and a sharp perspective. Anybody who cares about good movies needs to make a point of seeing this one.

---