Irish character actor Brendan Gleeson and American hunk Taylor Kitsch make a pleasant pair in this watchable but unnecessary remake of the 2013 French-Canadian comedy La Grande Seduction (released in the U.S. as Seducing Doctor Lewis). The people of an impoverished harbor town hope to attract a petrochemical plant, but the law requires them to have a resident doctor; when they manage to land a monthlong visit from a young cosmetic surgeon (Kitsch), the town’s biggest booster (Gleeson) conspires with his neighbors to stage various hoaxes in hope of persuading the young man that their crummy outpost is a rustic wonderland. If I recall correctly, the original movie gave much more screen time to the comely bartender who attracts the doctor’s attentions, but the remake is such a Pabst-Blue-Ribbon love story among the gruff townsmen that actress Liane Balaban can barely get her foot in the door. Don McKellar directed; with Gordon Pinsent (Away From Her).
The Grand Seduction
PG-13 • 1 hour 55 min • 2014
