Written by Michael Moore
Directed by Michael Moore

Canadian Bacon was very much unlike the films for which Michael Moore is generally known.  Released in 1995, this is pretty much a purely fictional commentary on the U.S. political system that is still relevant today.

In Niagara Falls, NY the President (portrayed by Alan Alda) is expected.  No one is bothering to show up.  He’s polling that bad and it really can no longer be denied.  In this area, a defense plant has just closed putting 10,000 people out of work.  John Candy and Rhea Perlman are Bud and Honey, two local police officers who are buffering their paychecks retrieving the bodies of suicidal unemployed former defense plant workers.

The owner of the closed plant stands up and basically states that the reason all of them are out of work is that there hasn’t been a war.  Even the President is lamenting that his life would have been better if they still had the Russians to focus on.  His advisors are looking for a new enemy when a riot breaks out at a hockey game Bud and Honey are at.  This gives National Security Advisor Stu Smiley (portrayed by Kevin Pollack) the idea to focus on Canada, a thought that had been a joke at an earlier meeting.

“One week, Mr. President… Give me one week, and I’ll have Americans burning maple leaves so fast they won’t have time to think about their smog-filled lungs, rising interest rates, or their dwindling savings accounts…”

Written, Directed, and Produced by Moore, Canadian Bacon is filled with jabs at the government and military-industrial complex.  They don’t want a real war, just a cold one with enough tension that no one will question defense spending.

It’s almost surreal to watch what would happen ten years later as a network becomes a mouthpiece for the administration and creates a culture of fear.  There were times while watching this when I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  Of course, we got the real “war” this time.

All of the political jabs are really secondary to the comedy at the expense of the characters in the film and Canadians.  Rhea Perlman really shines in this role alongside John Candy.  They make a great team of inept but generally well-meaning law enforcement officers.  (I say generally because they would rather see someone jump into Niagara Falls. They get a $25 bonus for retrieving a body over talking down a jumper.)  The humor is generally shallow, as is the stereotyping of Canadians. I think that was the point, though. Moore wanted to play on every stereotype to show how ridiculous the whole thing was. Unfortunately, it just comes across as stereotyping rather than exaggerating to make a point.

The cast really did the best job it could here, and that is what saves Canadian Bacon from disaster.  If you’ve never seen it, I’d recommend viewing it at least once.  You’ll laugh and squirm at the same time.