I saw the title of this movie and a little bit about the storyline in a Youtube video a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was interesting enough and thought I should get it and a few days later I was watching Blue State. It’s a 2007 romantic comedy starring Brecklin Meyer and Anna Pacquin (who also co-produced the movie) and it’s all about a fellow named John Logue (Meyer) who works on the 2003 election campaign for John Kerry. He volunteers for Kerry not because he believes in him but because John is one of those Americans who cannot stand George W. Bush!
One night partying before the final results are in, John makes a drunken promise to move to Canada (like some other Americans really did) if Bush wins the election again! His promise is made local news the day after the results are declared and now it seems that he has to move to Canada or look like a total liar. So after some thinking, and unable to come to grips with a country that elected Bush twice, he decides to follow through on his promise and takes help from a website called Marry A Canadian, run by a middle aged woman in Winnipeg. He decides to enter his profile in the website, looking for young Canadian girls who would be interested in marrying him and helping him gain citizenship and live in Canada.
John puts up flyers looking for someone going to Winnipeg and share the trip expenses – car fuel, food, lodging etc. He meets some people and is disappointed until he meets Chloe (Anna Pacquin) who says she wants to move to Canada as well for the same reasons as him. So off they set on their way, sharing expenses and sleeping in separate room in lodges for the night, while driving through the day. They also stop in Washington state to meet John’s parents. They don’t like his decision as John’s dad is a staunch American patriot and their older son died while in the army.
From that tough family reunion they drive past the border into Canada. Chloe finally confesses to John that she is actually a soldier who got drafted to serve in Iraq and is scared to go. Her reason to go to Canada is just to escape the draft. Meanwhile in Winnipeg, they meet with the lady who runs the website, Gloria and at her house there are several Canadian women & men willing to meet the American men & woman and look or suitable partners. Once they are there Chloe hates the decision to move to Canada and doesn’t like the place. John & Gloria who owns the house decide to get married but chickens out and runs away with Chloe. They then meet up with a man, who puts them up in his cabin for the night. This older man was a draft dodger in the 60s and escaped to Canada and in his stories they hear the tinges of regret. They two realize that they love each other and that they shouldn’t be running from their troubles.
They head back to the US where Chloe is arrested and spends some time in a military jail, while John settled to face 4 more years of political despair. As Chloe is released & joins John he tells her of his decision to run for state senate setting him on the path to making a true political statement. And they two ride off into the sunset. Enjoyable in bits but I found it fails to impress me. Also, even if not to be taken seriously, the movie shows Canada & Winnipeg in a bad light.
6 out of 10!