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Fido (film)
Encyclopedia
Fido is a 2006 Canadian zombie comedy
film directed by Andrew Currie
and written by Robert Chomiak, Currie, and Dennis Heaton from an original story by Heaton. It was produced by Lions Gate Entertainment
, Anagram Pictures, British Columbia Film Commission, and Téléfilm Canada.
-esque alternate universe
where radiation from space has turned the dead into zombie
s. This resulted in the "Zombie Wars", where humanity battled zombies to prevent a zombie apocalypse
, with humanity the ultimate victor. The radiation still plagues humanity, as all those who die after the original contamination turn into the undead, unless the dead body is disposed of by decapitation or cremation
. In order to continue living normal lives, communities are fenced with the help of a governing corporation named Zomcon. Zomcon provides collars with accompanying remote control
s to control the zombies' hunger for flesh so as to use them as slaves or servants.
In the town of Willard, whose name is a reference to the town in the original 1968 Night of the Living Dead
, housewife Helen Robinson (Carrie-Anne Moss
) buys a zombie in spite of her husband Bill's (Dylan Baker
) zombie phobia
, as Bill has had bad experiences with zombies having been a veteran of the Zombie Wars. Their son, Timmy (K'Sun Ray
), befriends the zombie, naming him "Fido" (his true name is never revealed, and little is revealed of his "pre-zombie" life, except that he died of myocardial infarction
, and at one point Helen wishes she had met him before she got married and when he was still alive). One day, Fido's collar malfunctions and he kills their next door neighbor, who turns into a zombie. Timmy "kills" the zombified neighbor later, but not before she kills and infects another person, causing a small outbreak. Zomcom security forces quell the situation and then investigate what caused the outbreak.
When a pair of local bullies are blamed for the missing neighbor, they capture Fido and Timmy. Fido escapes and runs to find Helen, who comes and rescues Timmy from the bullies (who, through misadventure and Fido's hunger for human flesh, are now zombies), and they try to forget about the whole thing. Several days later, the neighbor's body is found and the murder is traced back to Fido, who is taken away to Zomcon where the public is told he will be destroyed. Timmy learns through Cindy Bottoms (Alexia Fast), daughter of Jonathan Bottoms (Henry Czerny
), Zomcon's abusive security chief, that Fido is simply working in a factory at Zomcon. Timmy sets out to rescue him with the help of Mr. Theopolis (Tim Blake Nelson
), previous security chief of Zomcon who was forced into early retirement when it was discovered he was found guilty of fraternization with his female zombie, whom he has remarkably preserved well to retard her decaying process, thus giving her a relatively attractive appearance.
Meanwhile, Timmy locates Fido, but is captured by Mr. Bottoms, who attempts to throw Timmy into the zombie-infested "wild zone" that exists outside of the fenced communities. Bill comes to the rescue and is killed by Mr. Bottoms, who in turn is killed by Fido. Timmy is set free and the news media propagandizes that the Zomcom security breach was the fault of rednecks who venture out into the wild zone to hunt zombies for fun. Helen finally learns not to belittle Bill's bad experiences from the Zombie Wars by paying for a headless funeral in order to prevent his zombification. The film ends with Fido as a surrogate father and husband, Timmy, Helen and Helen's newborn baby by Bill as a new family. An uncollared Fido has managed to overcome his desire for human flesh by being able to peacefully look after the new baby, and to resume his old habit of smoking in order to curb any urges. They, along with a few neighbors happily enjoy their new domestic lives together, including the zombified Jonathan Bottoms who is now more attentive to his daughter.
. It was also shown at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
, the 2006
Vancouver International Film Festival
, the 2007 Kingston Canadian Film Festival, the 2007 Florida Film Festival
and the 2007 Fantasy Filmfest in Germany. Its release date was March 16, 2007 in Canada.In the U.S. it opened on June 15, 2007 on two screens: the Nuart in L.A. and the Angelika in New York. On July 6 of the same year, the film expanded to four more screens in San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston. In August 2007
the film played in France and Singapore, and in October it opened in Japan under the name .
gave the film a 71% "Fresh" rating. Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times, John Anderson of Newsday, Manohla Dargis of the New York Times, Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter, Geoff Pevere of the Toronto Star, and Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News turned in positive reviews. However, Richard Roeper
gave it a resounding 'two thumbs down.'
was released on October 23, 2007 in North America and November 6, 2007 in Canada.
Zombie comedy
The zombie comedy, often called zom com or zomedy, is a film genre that aims to blend zombie horror motifs with slapstick comedy as well as dark comedy.-Early years:...
film directed by Andrew Currie
Andrew Currie
Andrew Currie is a Canadian film director and screenwriter.Born in England, Currie grew up in Victoria, British Columbia and studied arts before turning his interests towards film...
and written by Robert Chomiak, Currie, and Dennis Heaton from an original story by Heaton. It was produced by Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
, Anagram Pictures, British Columbia Film Commission, and Téléfilm Canada.
Plot
The film takes place in a 1950s1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
-esque alternate universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
where radiation from space has turned the dead into zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s. This resulted in the "Zombie Wars", where humanity battled zombies to prevent a zombie apocalypse
Zombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
, with humanity the ultimate victor. The radiation still plagues humanity, as all those who die after the original contamination turn into the undead, unless the dead body is disposed of by decapitation or cremation
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
. In order to continue living normal lives, communities are fenced with the help of a governing corporation named Zomcon. Zomcon provides collars with accompanying remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
s to control the zombies' hunger for flesh so as to use them as slaves or servants.
In the town of Willard, whose name is a reference to the town in the original 1968 Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
, housewife Helen Robinson (Carrie-Anne Moss
Carrie-Anne Moss
-External links:...
) buys a zombie in spite of her husband Bill's (Dylan Baker
Dylan Baker
Dylan Baker is an American actor, known for playing supporting roles in both major studio and independent films.-Early life:...
) zombie phobia
Phobia
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational...
, as Bill has had bad experiences with zombies having been a veteran of the Zombie Wars. Their son, Timmy (K'Sun Ray
K'Sun Ray
Kesun Loder , better known by his stage name, K'Sun Ray, is an American child actor.-Personal life:K'Sun was born in May 1993, as Kesun Loder in the United States...
), befriends the zombie, naming him "Fido" (his true name is never revealed, and little is revealed of his "pre-zombie" life, except that he died of myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, and at one point Helen wishes she had met him before she got married and when he was still alive). One day, Fido's collar malfunctions and he kills their next door neighbor, who turns into a zombie. Timmy "kills" the zombified neighbor later, but not before she kills and infects another person, causing a small outbreak. Zomcom security forces quell the situation and then investigate what caused the outbreak.
When a pair of local bullies are blamed for the missing neighbor, they capture Fido and Timmy. Fido escapes and runs to find Helen, who comes and rescues Timmy from the bullies (who, through misadventure and Fido's hunger for human flesh, are now zombies), and they try to forget about the whole thing. Several days later, the neighbor's body is found and the murder is traced back to Fido, who is taken away to Zomcon where the public is told he will be destroyed. Timmy learns through Cindy Bottoms (Alexia Fast), daughter of Jonathan Bottoms (Henry Czerny
Henry Czerny
- Career :Czerny received formal training at the National Theatre School in Montreal. After graduating in 1982, he went on to perform onstage across Canada, from Ottawa's National Arts Centre to Edmonton's Citadel Theatre and the Stratford Festival. By the late 1980s, he had established himself as...
), Zomcon's abusive security chief, that Fido is simply working in a factory at Zomcon. Timmy sets out to rescue him with the help of Mr. Theopolis (Tim Blake Nelson
Tim Blake Nelson
Tim Blake Nelson is an American director, writer, singer, and actor.-Early life:Nelson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Ruth Kaiser Nelson, who is a noted social activist and philanthropist in Tulsa, and a geologist father...
), previous security chief of Zomcon who was forced into early retirement when it was discovered he was found guilty of fraternization with his female zombie, whom he has remarkably preserved well to retard her decaying process, thus giving her a relatively attractive appearance.
Meanwhile, Timmy locates Fido, but is captured by Mr. Bottoms, who attempts to throw Timmy into the zombie-infested "wild zone" that exists outside of the fenced communities. Bill comes to the rescue and is killed by Mr. Bottoms, who in turn is killed by Fido. Timmy is set free and the news media propagandizes that the Zomcom security breach was the fault of rednecks who venture out into the wild zone to hunt zombies for fun. Helen finally learns not to belittle Bill's bad experiences from the Zombie Wars by paying for a headless funeral in order to prevent his zombification. The film ends with Fido as a surrogate father and husband, Timmy, Helen and Helen's newborn baby by Bill as a new family. An uncollared Fido has managed to overcome his desire for human flesh by being able to peacefully look after the new baby, and to resume his old habit of smoking in order to curb any urges. They, along with a few neighbors happily enjoy their new domestic lives together, including the zombified Jonathan Bottoms who is now more attentive to his daughter.
Cast
- K'Sun RayK'Sun RayKesun Loder , better known by his stage name, K'Sun Ray, is an American child actor.-Personal life:K'Sun was born in May 1993, as Kesun Loder in the United States...
as Timmy Mut - Billy ConnollyBilly ConnollyWilliam "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
as Fido - Carrie-Anne MossCarrie-Anne Moss-External links:...
as Helen Robinson - Dylan BakerDylan BakerDylan Baker is an American actor, known for playing supporting roles in both major studio and independent films.-Early life:...
as Bill Robinson - Tim Blake NelsonTim Blake NelsonTim Blake Nelson is an American director, writer, singer, and actor.-Early life:Nelson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Ruth Kaiser Nelson, who is a noted social activist and philanthropist in Tulsa, and a geologist father...
as Mr. Theopolis - Henry CzernyHenry Czerny- Career :Czerny received formal training at the National Theatre School in Montreal. After graduating in 1982, he went on to perform onstage across Canada, from Ottawa's National Arts Centre to Edmonton's Citadel Theatre and the Stratford Festival. By the late 1980s, he had established himself as...
as Jonathan Bottoms - Sonja BennettSonja BennettSonja Bennett is a Canadian actress who portrayed Marcie Brasko in Battlestar Galactica.Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Bennett has acted in various genre series including Eureka, Stargate Atlantis, Painkiller Jane, The Dead Zone, Cold Squad, as well as other Vancouver filmed television...
as Tammy - Alexia Fast as Cindy Bottoms
- Aaron Brown as Roy Fraser
- Brandon Olds as Stan Fraser
- Jennifer Clement as Dee Dee Bottoms
- Rob LaBelleRob LaBelleRob LaBelle is an American film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Career:LaBelle has made appearances, many as a character actor, in dozens of film and television roles, most in the science-fiction genre, and is probably best known for his role as...
as Frank Murphy - Tiffany Lyndall-Knight as Miss Mills
- Mary Black as Mrs. Henderson
Release
Fido premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival2006 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2006 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 7 to September 16, 2006. Opening the festival was Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn's The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, a film that "explores the history of the Inuit people through the eyes of a father and daughter."In a press release...
. It was also shown at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
2007 Sundance Film Festival
The 2007 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18 until January 28, 2007 in Park City, Utah with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah and Ogden, Utah. It was the 23-rd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival...
, the 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
, the 2007 Kingston Canadian Film Festival, the 2007 Florida Film Festival
Florida Film Festival
The Florida Film Festival, produced by Enzian Theater in Maitland, Florida, is an annual international film festival. Showcasing the best American independent and foreign films, the festival has become one of the most respected regional film events in the United States.-Overview:The Festival...
and the 2007 Fantasy Filmfest in Germany. Its release date was March 16, 2007 in Canada.In the U.S. it opened on June 15, 2007 on two screens: the Nuart in L.A. and the Angelika in New York. On July 6 of the same year, the film expanded to four more screens in San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston. In August 2007
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
the film played in France and Singapore, and in October it opened in Japan under the name .
Critical response
Based on 69 reviews Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gave the film a 71% "Fresh" rating. Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times, John Anderson of Newsday, Manohla Dargis of the New York Times, Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter, Geoff Pevere of the Toronto Star, and Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News turned in positive reviews. However, Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
gave it a resounding 'two thumbs down.'
Box office
The film grossed $304,533 in the US and a total of $426,224 worldwide. Despite positive reviews, Fido was a huge financial failure. With an estimated $8 million budget, Box Office Mojo lists Fido among the lowest return on investment recorded for any film.Home media
The DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was released on October 23, 2007 in North America and November 6, 2007 in Canada.