Film Review – Mile End Kicks (2025)

      **Mile End Kicks, 2025.**

      **Written and Directed by Chandler Levack.**

      **Starring Barbie Ferreira, Devon Bostick, Stanley Simons, Juliette Gariépy, and Jay Baruchel.**

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      A young female music critic relocates to Montreal to pen a novel about Alanis Morissette, but her plans unravel when she finds herself romantically entangled with two members of the band she is covering.

      A director's second film typically reveals whether the first was a fluke or a foundational piece. After watching Mile End Kicks, I lean towards the former. Chandler Levack, following up his film I Like Movies, transitions from cinephile nostalgia to musical reminiscence but retains several similar flaws—this time they feel intentional rather than accidental.

      The narrative centers on Grace Pine, a young music critic immersed in the 2011 Montreal indie music scene. She moves to the renowned French-Canadian city seeking inspiration to write a book about Alanis Morissette, despite her complete lack of French language skills. Grace comes off as aimless and self-absorbed, much like Quentin Tarantino during his Video Archives days, believing that proximity to art equates to true engagement with it. This concept worked more effectively in Levack's prior film, where the character's behavior stemmed from real social anxiety tied to past trauma. In contrast, Grace lacks that justification. She is difficult to connect with, yet not particularly revealing, and Barbie Ferreira, a former model, feels miscast as the awkward outsider.

      Despite the challenges, Ferreira delivers commendable performances and strives to bridge the disconnect. She channels the vulnerability she exhibited successfully in Bob Trevino Likes It, blending well with Levack’s sensitive direction. Consequently, when her character acts selfishly—like neglecting work or friends—one can see her internal struggle; however, Levack’s script fails to support this complexity. The film initially suggests intriguing themes, such as biting off more than one can handle as a writer or a critic becoming too involved with her subjects, potentially discovering or losing her voice in the process. Yet, these notions are almost entirely abandoned. By the midpoint, Grace's career becomes background noise, and the narrative meanders without clear direction.

      The influence of Almost Famous is evident from the poster in Grace’s room, and this comparison does the film no favors. The stakes feel lower, the humor less impactful, and the characters less compelling. Some exceptions do exist, however. Isaiah Lehtinen, the lead from I Like Movies, portrays the underappreciated guitarist of the band Grace is covering, ‘Bone Patrol,’ and his scenes are genuinely humorous. His unique energy and blissfully unaware demeanor evoke Paul Walter Hauser and serve as a significant source of laughter for the audience. Meanwhile, Jay Baruchel plays Grace’s exploitative boss, hinting at a more incisive and darker aspect of the story, but these moments remain peripheral.

      What fills the void left by the abandoned themes is a love triangle with characters who remain mere archetypes. Stanley Simons, as the frontman, offers some presence but lacks depth; whereas his strong performance in The Iron Claw showed he could deliver more complexity, here he feels one-dimensional. Conversely, Devon Bostick, the bassist, suffers from an excessive amount of character exposition that leaves nothing else to discover. The film's character development is imbalanced—oscillating between vague insinuations and outright obviousness. All three leads strive to bring their characters to life, even though the script provides limited material for them to engage with meaningfully.

      At 112 minutes, the film seems drawn out for its content. The pivotal turning point arrives so late that it barely makes an impact, and Grace’s descent is resolved almost as soon as it begins. The problem is not just pacing—it is an absence of momentum. The storyline never truly builds.

      What does succeed is the film's atmosphere. Montreal is visually appealing, even stripped of its distinctive qualities, and there’s an early party scene that feels vibrant—characterized by dim lighting and a roaming camera with a spotlight on the protagonist—evoking the stylized, energetic music videos of that era, akin to I Love College and Project X. Cinematographer Jeremy Cox, who made significant visual strides with Osgood Perkins in Keeper last year, deserves recognition since this small Canadian film holds its own against Hollywood standards and might even surpass some recent releases.

      If only the film didn't continually undermine itself. Grace navigates the storyline with minimal repercussions—supported by understanding parents, forgiving friends, and a career that never truly challenges her. The climax hinges on a predictable romantic choice, complicated by a late revelation that lacks sufficient development to resonate.

      Even the title seems like an afterthought, linked to a single scene that ultimately leads nowhere. Like much of the