Fashionably Late... C'mon & Watch Rachel McAdams
Elbows Up with a Wink and a Smile from A True Canadian Charmer
Fashionably Late is my regular film and streaming column that highlights the work of Canadian creatives by taking a multi-part deep dive into a Canadian show via its ensemble cast. This week I continue to spotlight Slings and Arrows, the Canadian satire that initially aired on The Movie Network from 2003 to 2006. Slings and Arrows takes place in the fictional Shakespearean theatre festival in New Burbage, Canada. Each season focuses on the festival’s main stage Shakespearean play, with its themes mirrored in the personal and professional conflicts facing the festival's cast and crew, with wit and clarity on the Canadian identity.
Slings & Arrows: Enjoy Rachel McAdams On the Cusp of Stardom
In Season One, New Burbage takes on Hamlet with the role of Ophelia played by real-life Canadian ingenue Rachel McAdams. Released in 2003 – the year before she broke out as Hollywood’s newest ‘It Girl’ – it’s fun to watch a young McAdams inhabit the role of New Burbage ingenue Kate McNab with what we now recognize as her trademark charm, curiosity and steel. In hindsight, and in light of recent global events, it feels like a quintessentially Canadian tone – nice, friendly, and, when shoved, determined to stand her ground.
Where to watch: YouTube
Five recommendations to get to know or re-acquaint yourself with St. Thomas, ON-raised Rachel McAdams.
Mean Girls (April 2004)
It’s quite something to create a cultural touchstone with your first major Hollywood role. McAdams’ Regina George, the queen bee of The Plastics, was a perfect foil to Lindsay Lohan’s transfer student Cady in one of the best teen films to come out of Hollywood – while being filmed in Toronto. The Tina Fey screenplay about peer pressure and high school cliques spawned memes, catchphrases (“Stop trying to make fetch happen;” “On Wednesdays we wear pink.”), burn books, a 2018 musical and the 2024 movie musical. If you’ve somehow managed to live through the 21st century and not seen the original film, treat yourself.
How to watch: Rent from your favourite streamer
The Notebook (June 2004)
If you’re in the mood for something to pull at your heartstrings, The Notebook is one of the best. I recently rewatched it, and it stands up, 20 years after McAdams and fellow Canadian Ryan Gosling star as Allie and Noah, who find love and defy parental expectations in the heat of 1940s South Carolina. The story is told in flashback, narrated by the incredible James Garner as he tells the story to Gena Rowlands. You’ll likely figure out the twist before it is revealed, but regardless, the ending is one of my favourite tear-jerk moments in film.
How to watch: Crave, Netflix
Spotlight (2015)
One of my favourite ‘Show Your Work’ films about investigative journalism, Spotlight is the 2015 Oscar-winning biopic about The Boston Globe investigative team that uncovered the decades-long child abuse coverup perpetrated by Boston’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese. McAdams plays real-life journalist Sacha Pfeiffer with a zeal I related to; she reminded me why I love journalism. I’m not the only one who thought she was great. McAdams nabbed an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. She gives us a standout performance as part of a stellar cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Brian d’Arcy James, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci and Billy Crudup. Filmed in Boston, MA and Ontario’s Hamilton and Toronto. Watch it to be outraged and inspired in equal measure.
How to watch: Crave
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Game Night (2018)
McAdams gets to show off her comedy talent in this film about a couples game night that goes horribly awry. Once again, McAdams leads an ensemble cast as Annie Davis, a hyper-competitive suburbanite who, along with her husband Max, played by Jason Bateman, hosts a regular game night with neighbours. However, when the gang mistake a real kidnapping for a fake staging for their game night, the amateur sleuths soon discover they’re in this game for keeps. Lots of laughs, and watch for scene-stealer Jesse Plemons as delightfully odd neighbour, Gary.
How to watch: Rent from your favourite streamer
Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret (2023)
For women of a certain age, Judy Blume looms large and Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret was a rite of passage. It was the first book I remember reading and thinking ‘this girl is me.’ The film version is delightful. Set in 1970, complete with banana bikes, plaid sofas and Tweety and Sylvester mock turtlenecks. Are You There God? is a film where everyone is likeable or at least understandable; no one dies; and no one is humiliated. It’s just a story about middle school kids growing up in suburbia in loving families. McAdams plays Margart’s mom, Barbara Simon, who is just trying to figure out how to raise a kid in a changing time. These days, Barbara is who I can relate to, as could my octogenarian Mom, who said it was exactly how she remembers parenting in the 1970s. Full props to the kids, led by Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret, who remind me how awkward and mortifying it is to be a 12-year-old girl on the cusp of her teen years. Kathy Bates is Grandma Sylvia and Benny Safdie is dad Herb.
How to watch: Crave
Previous Fashionably Late columns about the Slings & Arrows cast
Paul Gross: My nominee for Can Con Captain Canada for his extensive body of work exploring Canadian values, both past and present.
Sarah Polley: The Oscar-winning Hollywood power player telling stories by and about women.
Mark McKinney: His mix of absurdist humour and curious wonder is the pressure valve release we need after a week of doom-scrolling.
Karen Robinson: She brings character to all her characters, whether it's an unnamed auditor, the Jazzagals' laconic baritone or a straight-shooting police inspector.
Why I love Slings & Arrows: A great place to start an exploration of Canadian culture in the 21st century because of its blend of veteran and emerging talent.
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