[.ca] Men with Brooms: A Sweeping Epic (ISBN 1552782638)

Amazon.ca:
Men with Brooms tries hard to be the love child of Slap Shot and Strange Brew, a sports epic about a few endearingly dumb all-Canadian boys and their brushes with sex, drugs, and curling. Set in the crumbling northern Ontario town of Long Bay, Men with Brooms chronicles the resurrection of the Foley Rink, a near-legendary team that disbanded on the verge of glory. You'll meet Chris Cutter, the team's real star, who abandoned them 10 years before over a matter of love and honour. Chris's mushroom-munching father comes out of retirement to coach the rink, and his old curling buddies--a hapless drug dealer, an earnest would-be family man with a low sperm count, and an unhappily married undertaker--join forces to redeem their fallen reputation. There are women, too, of course: Cutter is torn between his old flame, Julie Foley (a confused, self-conscious astronaut), and her younger sister Amy, a recovering alcoholic with a heart of gold. Diane Baker Mason's novelization of the film flows well, but she doesn't have too much to work with. This is a visual comedy, and Men with Brooms loses something without the ridiculously canine Leslie Nielsen or the entrancing Molly Parker. Even without the presence of its stars, however, Men with Brooms is a roaring good bonspiel, and you don't need to know the first thing about curling to enjoy it. --Henry Quail

Watch the Movie, Instead:
Like most novelizations, this book falls far short of the movie it recounts. While the movie is quirky and breezy, the book plods along. Much of the humor in the movie comes from quick, pysical comedy or the actions and reactions of the excellent cast, and that translates badly to the page -- by the time the author reaches the punchline, the reader has lost interest in the joke. While the book fleshes out the roles of some of the characters, in many cases, much of the story works better with more left to the imagination of the viewer. It is clear why much of the additional information was left out, it does little to advance the story, and slows the telling. Watching Men With Brooms is highly recommended, but don't waste your time (or money) on the book.

Filling in the Blanks:
Last year, I saw Men with Brooms, and loved it. However, I don't feel quite right about recommending it to everyone because it's... well, it's pretty vulgar. It's hilariously funny, quintessentially Canadian (even more so than Due South), and has a fabulous soundtrack. But it's accurate to small-town Canadian life, and, unlike the perception of us which Americans seem to have, we Canadians are a foul-mouthed bunch. There is a good deal of complication and hilarity, based on the assorted foibles of the different characters. Much is made of the fact that the spurned daughter is now an astronaut with the American Space Agency, and the problems Americans have in understanding how Canadians can be so passionate about a game which involves, well, men with brooms. There are plot points which depend upon interpretations of the rules of curling which I'm not sure I believe, but then again, I'm not a curler. The book sidesteps a couple of the sex scenes which are in the movie, and gives some background which renders some of the events slightly less objectionable, but there is still enough vulgarity that I feel compelled to recommend it only with a warning.