This film surpassed my expectations. I was not certain what to make of the DVD cover boast of "earning more than $6 Million in the North American Box Office" nor the cast of Quebecois actors, of which, I was not familiar with (I was thinking it was Marc Messier, the hockey player and not the Canadian actor in it). "Les Boys" is a good slice of life movie that gives outsiders like myself a glimpse into Quebecois culture where hockey is seen as a sanctuary for people of all walks of life. The coach/owner of the team, Stan, puts together an amateur league consisting of a surgeon, lawyer, fast talking real estate agent, a TV producer, auto mechanic, a junkie musician,a policeman and Vern, who is a walking almanac of hockey facts and figures. Many of these men are dealing with difficulties in their everyday lives which include problems with women, money and, in the case of one character, keeping his homosexuality a secret from his team mates. Les Boys band together to help out Stan who has got himself into debt with a loan shark. The film is low budget but what makes it work, and work well, is the chemistry between the characters. They seem very real and the scenes in the bar emphasizes this camaraderie and makes the viewer understand why these men look forward to playing hockey so much and have a love for it that competes with that for their wives and girlfriends. The film does become clichéd towards the last quarter and a friend of mine whose knowledge of hockey would rival Vern's, pointed out how the jersey numbers on the villain's team were those of famous English-Canadian players like Gretzky and the numbers on the Boy's jerseys were of French Canadian players like Mario LeMieux. It's subtle nuances and details which make this film a labor of love for Quebec and the institution of hockey.
