Beautiful Losers

Two young guys with thick hair, dressed like extras in Rebel without a Cause, are roaring down the open road in a 1960 Chevy Impala convertible. Eager to see their Maritime home recede in their rear-view mirror, and with only $26 in their pockets, they are heading directly for the Toronto of 1970. “Lock up your daughters,” they shout defiantly into the winds of Canada—Pete and Joey aim to take the big city by storm.

So begins Don Shebib’s important and now iconic feature film, with comic bravado and high expectation. Pete McGraw (Doug McGrath) and Joey Male (Paul Bradley) are tearing down the highway the way thousands upon thousands of Maritimers had done for at least a decade before them. They are fuelled by optimism and confidence, certain that the Toronto of their dreams will welcome their talent and energy. The region from which they have fled can no longer contain their...