I haven’t traveled enough of my home country of Canada. I always thought that I would see more of this vast nation when I get older. But when watching the movie One Week starring Joshua Jackson, I was inspired to see more of my home and native land.
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Inspired by the Movie One Week Starring Joshua Jackson.
When I rented the movie One Week starring Canadian actor Joshua Jackson of Dawson’s Creek fame, I really wanted to hop in my car and drive west along the Trans Canada Highway to see what this country has to offer.
It was a beautiful film that was certainly a “Love Letter to Canada” as one reviewer put it.
The movie starts off with Joshua’s character Ben, being diagnosed with a terminal and aggressive form of cancer.
Instead of going directly into treatment, he decides to take off on one last great adventure.
He buys a motorcycle and heads west from Toronto to Vancouver. What happens in that one week will change his life.
Cross Canada Road Trip
Whenever I take a weekend getaway or even a Sunday drive, I am always surprised with just how pretty our towns are.
So impeccable clean and pretty. There is always something in each town to make it stand out from another.
- Read the best road trips in Canada
Be it an old mill, a beach, a fishing port, a great park or a cozy coffee shop, I will always associate “that town” with its unique quality.
One week decided to visit towns that can claim to have the world’s biggest item within their limits.
I didn’t even realize that Canada had this infatuation with big things until I saw this movie.
Canadian Roadside Attractions
We have the world’s biggest nickel in Sudbury, hockey stick in Duncan, musky fish in Kenora. The biggest Camel in Glenboro, and TeePee in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
He even stops in at Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park to look at; you guessed it The World’s largest T-rex at the second biggest collection of bones in the world.
I want to follow this exact route one day, but I want to take far more than one week to do it.
It was so interesting, stunning and fun. Plus we have way more “world’s biggest” attractions to see.
Such as the world’s largest tin soldier, totem pole, can of Coke and the world’s biggest western boot. How can I resist!
Not to mention the Canadian landscape is absolutely second to none.
The great lakes, the Rocky Mountains, the prairies, and vast wilderness offer stunning scenery.
This country is truly beautiful, and I take that for granted regularly. Sometimes we have to stop running to other countries and realize that paradise is right in our own back yard.
After watching one week, I really discovered how much I love Canada.
When he stopped at some of the places that I had been to, I became nostalgic and a little emotional.
When he introduced me to a place I hadn’t seen before, I put it on my list of things I must see before I die.
I was born in Alberta and have explored the entire province. I loved being able to see it again through the eyes of the Cinema.
I spent 3 years in British Columbia, but I hadn’t visited half of the places he had been.
I don’t know how this movie would translate to a person living outside of Canada though.
American movies can be very American because everyone in the world knows everything about them.
But people know very little of Canada.
Canadians Love Hockey
We are infatuated with hockey for example.
This movie wouldn’t be Canadian if it didn’t have a hockey moment, so to get away from the heat in Manitoba, Ben goes into a hockey rink to cool off.
Only die-hard hockey fans like us know that each member of the winning team gets to keep the cup for a day.
The day that our hero of the movie Ben, stumbled into an arena to get out of the heat, just happened to be a day that a player from that town in the middle of the country had his 24 hours with the trophy.
Another cool Canada fact – many NHL Hockey Players grew up in small Canadian Towns.
Of course the obligatory kissing the cup scene ensued.
Nobody else, but a Canadian would understand why he stops on the side of the road and rolls up his coffee cups lip where he receives a message from Tim Horton’s.
But everyone would understand its great beauty and the story of finding meaning in life when it is about to be taken away.
Live Life to the Fullest
Everyone can relate to the message of how we should always live it to the fullest and stop waiting for something to happen.
Make it happen and you will find true happiness.
In a very interesting scene, Ben shares a moment with our Canadian Music Icon Gord Downey of The Tragically Hip. Ironically, Gord Downey died of cancer a few years later in real life.
It was a true tragedy for Canadians and our entire country came together to celebrate their final concert on the CBC. You can read about it here. It was our very first (and only) viral post that received two-million views in two days.
In Saskatchewan and he stops on Lake Superior to see where the Edmund Fitzgerald met its fate. Gordon Lightfoot made that week famous when he sang out the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Canada is a country with extraordinary culture and contrasts.
He rides quarter horses on the prairies, goes camping in the Rockies of Banff National Park while singing a traditional and beautiful version of “Un Canadien Errant” and he quietly contemplates while a Native Canadian chants in front of a totem pole. Read more: Where to Stay in Banff, The Best Areas
The road ends at kilometer marker zero of the Trans Canada Highway where he catches a ferry to Vancouver Island and makes his way to the famous Canadian surf town, Tofino.
I don’t want to give the ending away so I will end it with a line spoken by a German tourist when speaking about Canada. “You live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world” Where Ben replied, “I know”
Rent One Week Tonight on Amazon Prime
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My all time favourite movie
this was the most memorable movie for me because me and my friend have lot of memories while watching this movie.
My husband and I have done this trip all the way, and again 1/2 way. Def a bucket list item. Can’t wait to do it again!
I’ve just watched this film, again, between Xmas and New Year. I moved to Vancouver island, from Wales, in 2006. A year later lost my father to cancer, then 2 years ago lost my cousin, best friend and riding buddy to cancer. We managed several trips around Vancouver island and one weekend to the mainland, BC, but not enough trips due to his chemotherapy. We left Canada a year ago to explore Europe, Covid stopped that, and I can’t wait to return ‘home’. The film reignited my desire to ride across Canada, from Telegraph Cove on Vancouver island, all the way to Cape Spear in NF & L. I want to do it and have no time limit, just see which way the road takes me and I’ll be wearing my cousins bike jacket the whole way, he’ll be with me in spirit.
A great Canadian film and on my bucket list to retrace Ben’s trip across Canada.
“To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”
Benjamin G. Tyler
I really enjoyed this movie and would love to take a bike trip retracing Ben’s route. Is the map above that route?
I liked the movie so much I had to buy it. I love the idea of a motorcycle trip across Canada. I have ridden through most of the western US and the “rockies” of Canada and this movie made me want to follow the path that is shown. I started writing down the locations to try to map it but unexpectedly found this site. The little that I saw of Canada was absolutely beautiful and Canadians should be justifiably proud. Here’s to you all and hopefully a long beautiful trip in the future.
I have a friend who just watched this and said I’ve gotta check it out. I think I’ve got a tame weekend so I’ll probably have to rent this one. I watched the first season of Fringe religiously, lol, so hopefully Joshua holds true to his awesomeness. He’s been a fave since the Mighty Ducks (also an awesome movie, lol)
I love Joshua since Dawson Creek. Thanks for sharing about this movie. Now I must watch this movie.
I have yet to visit you guys in our neighboring country. So you are on the top of my list as well. I think sometimes we tend to take our homeland for granted and travel around the world and forget what is in our own backyard. 🙂
I absolutely LOVED this film, as I’ve driven the roads between Victoria and Winnipeg tons of times and quite often on a motorbike.
One thing that pissed me off though is why did they put the world’s biggest hockey stick (which is in Duncan, BC) in the scene when he’s in frickin’ MANITOBA and sees the Stanley Cup? That’s just a lie and made me doubt other scenes of the movie.
I have LOVED every place I’ve visited in Canada (so far Quebec, Montreal, Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, and Vancouver, along with a dozen or more smaller towns in between). There are few places as pretty as much of Canada.
I had to laugh though, when you mention that obsession with Hockey – I was in Montreal one January over the weekend that Super Bowl was being played, and arranged to watch it at a local sports pub that advertised that they’d have it on with drink/food specials (had to book in advance as it filled up quick)…..we arrived 30 minutes before kick-off and guess what was on TV? Not the usual pre-game (super bowl) festivities and entertainment, but…. Yep – a Hockey game…. they only changed the channel to the football game RIGHT at the moment of kick off, and during EVERY commercial they switched it back to the Hockey game!
Any real fan of the Super Bowl knows that the commercials are the best part, since companies pay many millions of dollars to advertise then……but we didn’t get to see them, and in fact a number of times other patrons had to remind the bar owners to go back to the Super Bowl after the commercial break ended – too funny! Although I adore Canada, I think I’ll make sure I’m in the US during future Super Bowl games!
Gotta rent this movie!
Well, that’s it—will have to rent it this weekend now! I know one thing’s for sure, I love Wintersleep’s tune from the movie’s trailer, I think it’s called “Weighty Ghost”. Just downloaded it from iTunes.