FUBAR (film)

FUBAR
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Dowse
Written by
  • Michael Dowse
  • Dave Lawrence
  • Paul Spence
Produced by
  • Michael Dowse
  • Dave Lawrence
  • Paul Spence
  • Melanie Owen
  • Marguerite Pigott
  • Mark Slone
Starring
  • Dave Lawrence
  • Paul Spence
  • Gordon Skilling
CinematographyMichael Dowse
Music by
  • English Teeth[1]
  • Paul J. Spence
Distributed byOdeon Films
Release date
  • May 24, 2002 (2002-05-24)
Running time
79 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
BudgetShooting Budget :$10,000 CAD[2] Final Budget $350,000 CAD

FUBAR is a 2002 Canadian comedy film directed by Michael Dowse and written by Dave Lawrence, Dowse and Paul Spence, following the lives of two lifelong friends and head-bangers, Terry Cahill and Dean Murdoch. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Since its release, it has gained a cult status in North America, particularly in Western Canada.

Filmed and set in and around Calgary, Alberta, it was shot on a Canon XL1, on a shoestring budget that required Lawrence to max out his credit card and his dad to refinance their family home to complete it.[3]

The film features characters created by Lawrence and Paul Spence that they developed based on the head-banger subculture. Terry Cahill, one of the main characters, played by Lawrence, was based on a character he created at Loose Moose Theatre in the mid-'90s. Many people who appear in the movie (including the fist-fighters) were bystanders who thought that the filmmakers were shooting a documentary on the common man. FUBAR did not have a set script, only a rough outline from which the actors improvised.[4]

  1. ^ Maimann, Kevin (May 7, 2010). "Gruesome tunesome", Edmonton Sun
  2. ^ Stagg, Carly (April 20, 2017). "Calgary cult classic Fubar still givin' 'er 15 years after release". CBC News. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Miller, Abby (17 October 2011). "Dave Lawrence". Avenuecalgary.com. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Michael Dowse's Happy Ending: Is Hollywood ready for the Fubar director?". The Calgary Herald. August 22, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2021.