This Is How Hollywood Sees Canada

Blame Canada!

You might think that Hollywood movies only mention Canada if it's to make fun of us.

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But you'd only be partly right.

This supercut of 150 mentions of Canada in American movies, made for Canada's 150th birthday, shows that we're more than just a punchline.

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The video was compiled by the folks at DearCastAndCrew.com, a Canadian review website. The Canadian name-drops span black and white classics, to spy movies, to blockbuster comedies, to animated flicks.

Christopher Redmond, one of the people who put it all together, told BuzzFeed Canada he was inspired after watching Allied, which stars Brad Pitt as a Canadian intelligence officer.

"It’s such a surreal experience just sitting there and he’s playing a Canadian and it’s not done for laughs," said Redmond. "How many times has this actually happened? Where a Canadian is starring in an American film and it’s not just a joke?"

But there are some definite patterns, like characters trying to move to Canada for one reason or another.

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Or the casual "I'm actually Canadian" reveal, like in the 1962 movie Five Weeks in a Balloon.

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Canadians may also be surprised how many classic films mention the Canadian forces.

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"The part that surprised me the most is that the old films from the 40s, 50s, 60s, have a lot of reverence for Canada’s military," said Redmond.

"That was refreshing, I don’t think we necessarily even see ourselves that way. There’s a story that we’re not even telling ourselves."

And don't worry, there are still plenty of jokes.

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"There’s always a segment where people are kind of disparaging Canada of fawning over it. There’s nothing in the middle," said Redmond.

There's also cracks about the weather, our habit of saying "eh," and other stereotypes. Canada is often also used to make a point about America, by pointing out the Canada is supposedly kinder, or friendlier, or boring.

But what's always true is that Canadians just love a good mention.

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"If you ever watch a movie in a theatre and they mention Canada, there’s a reaction," said Redmond.