I Like Movies

April 17

1:30 Matinée
PG — 1hr 39min
2022 ‧ Comedy / Drama

Lawrence, an awkward and anxious 17-year-old cinephile living in Burlington, ON, in the early 2000s, believes that he is on the path to a legendary filmmaking career – but at this point, it’s only gotten him as far as a job at the local video store. His blind ambition, combined with his unique worldview, confounds even those closest to him, and he soon starts to alienate his new manager Alana and even his best friend, forcing him to decide what he’s willing to sacrifice on the road to success.

Imagine if Superbad were directed by a woman who didn’t allow the toxic masculinity and misogyny to go unchecked, while also giving her genuinely funny and moving characters the room for growth and empathy. I Like Movies does that.

A true movie for movie lovers, Chandler Levack’s debut feature is a charming coming-of-age story that perfectly captures small-town Canadian adolescence. It stands out as a truly vulnerable, knowing and affectionate dissection of cinephilia as we know it today, placing the kind of movie love that is propagated on Letterboxd and Reddit, and insufferably exhibited in college classrooms, directly in its crosshairs. Anyone who has considered themselves a movie nerd will see themselves reflected in the exacting cringe comedy of I Like Movies, and that’s what makes it so unforgettable.