Director Calgarian Robert Cohen tries to find out what it really means to be Canadian in this humorous documentary through interviews with a who's-who of famous Canadians.
Being Canadian reifies stereotypes under the guise of deconstructing them, and panders to the pernicious idea of celebrity authority (with a few experts and plucked-from-the-crowd civilians sprinkled in for good measure).
Being Canadian is more of a pandering stunt than a proper documentary, filled with easy jokes and semi-comical historical observations, but not much in the way of actual insight.
Ex-Press.com
November 12, 2015
Another shallow, easy, and small-time immersion in the sort of nationalistic navel-gazing most people outgrew years ago.
Cohen's not trying to do anything resembling a serious examination of the country, of course, but even wink-nudge examinations of identity could at least use a few new jokes.
It's all pleasant enough, but the film, ultimately more of a checklist than an in-depth analysis, never really shines any fresh light on Canada's identity crisis or gets to the source of all those preconceived notions.
