The o-word in a film title makes some a little nervous. Telling people the film is a comedy might make them feel better. How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town is a funny Canadian film that happens to be about sex.
Cassie Cranston (Jewel Staite) grew up in Beaver's Ridge, a short train ride from Toronto. Cassie is branded as a "slut" for her interest in Adam in high school. She develops a reputation. When Cassie becomes a sex columnist, she writes a disparaging column about her old hometown.
The adult version of Cassie comes back to Beaver's Ridge years later because her mother died. Cassie and her mother had a rocky relationship; her mother is beloved in town for her heartwarming series of novels about Victoria (imagine an Ontario version of Anne of Green Gables).
Adam (Ennis Esmer) is now married to Heather (Lauren Lee Smith), the girl who branded Cassie as a "slut." Heather is trying to get pregnant and Adam is having trouble making that happen.
The idea of an orgy in this small town does seem hilarious but the townspeople are very interested for living in a town that still have dial-up Internet. The town council actually voted down high-speed internet, something about access to pornography.
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How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town is filled with recognisable Canadian faces. Esmer is known for Private Eyes, The Listener, and Schitt's Creek. Smith is best-known for Frankie Drake Mysteries with red hair and now blonde hair. Smith is hilarious as a conniving prude. Mark O'Brien is not as timid as his Republic of Doyle character. Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Little Dog) is so good at tough and sexy; her entrance into the film is memorable. Kristian Bruun's character is more frail character than Donnie in Orphan Black. Tommie-Amber Pirie, whose characters always seem more mature than her age, fits in well here. Jonas Chernick and James McGowan (The Border) have a lot of fun with their characters.
Staite is a better fit in this film than what we saw in a very bad rom-com film (40 Below and Falling later changed to A Frosty Affair).
Rosemary Dunsmore plays the mom of Kristian Bruun's character; both were in Orphan Black. Fans of Carnival Eats on both sides of the border get to see Noah Cappe act without fair food in his mouth.
Recent Canadian citizen Lauren Holly plays Cassie's mother in flashbacks.
How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town has sexual overtones and a lot of butts, male and female but nothing too strong otherwise. The story is more about adults dealing with people they knew in high school, how much different people are when they grow up.
Jeremy Lalonde has a lot of fun with his stars and everyone is in on the awkwardness of people not into orgies trying to plan an orgy. You might know Lalonde from this 2015 film or his 2020 release, James vs. His Future Self, which featured American actor Daniel Stern with Chernick, and Pirie from this film.
video credit: YouTube/Movieclips Indie
photo credit: How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town film
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