The Film and TV Hub: Young Drunk Punk

***If you're here and you're Canadian: You rule! Please return for more!

Yay, I've seen the first four episodes of Young Drunk Punk. It is nice to see a show filmed in Canada actually about Canadians in Canada. I love that there is a Lethbridge reference in the show. This show takes place in residential Calgary, Alberta during the 1980's. It was largely filmed in Calgary and, more broadly, surrounding Alberta. It's one of the better sitcoms out there. Of course, I came to this because of Allie MacDonald and she is a riot at times (more on that later).

The show actually revolves around two young high school seniors who may or may not graduate and their various post high school shenanigans. Actually, Ian McKay (Tim Carlson) is the main focus of the two, as is the rest of the McKay family. The family lives in a residential community called Brae Vista. The other senior is portrayed by Atticus Mitchell. Their experiences with van culture, prodigious job loss, and DJ/music production are explored, among others. Ian's father, Lloyd McKay (Bruce McCulloch, also the show's creator) is a groundskeeper for Brae Vista. Early on, Ian gets the idea of leaving home and moving in with his sister, only to lose that chance when his adult sister arrives and announces she's moving back in. Now, that's a sexy dose of reality.

Allie MacDonald plays the sister, Belinda McKay. She is a little tacked up, with abnormally dark and voluminous hair, and she provides an accent that suggests she's on the airhead side of the spectrum. It's fun seeing her put the fried chicken to her mouth in earlier episodes. Even tacky, she's adorable as all get out. In fact, she still has that adorable, chiseled face evident in "The Ruby Song" and Score: A Hockey Musical. And speaking of young drunk punks, I saw a video where Allie was doing some kind of cold turkey going straight edge parody, but she was definitely winning at coming off as a young drunk punk.

So far, episode 4, written by Scott Montgomery, is my favorite. Allie kills it, which I will show you plenty evidence of. Hair care, hygiene, and style are major themes of the episode and they manifest with great hilarity channeled through the cast.

I'm glad to see that thirteen episodes are currently completed. I hope this show has a strong life.

The rest of this review will be dedicated to images and my commentary.

Episode 1

Belinda McKay (Allie MacDonald) arrives.

Two-faced, as always.

Ian McKay (Tim Carlson)

In the above scene, Ian says two things:

1. Maybe he and his friend should move to Toronto for the good music scene.

My reaction: I got chills knowing that Allie, in her own small way, was/is part of that music scene.

2. Maybe he and his friend should move to Vancouver because the girls are prettier.

My reaction: Hello! Allie MacDonald is like a few meters from you, evidence to the contrary. Just marry me already or at least give me our first excursion.