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Short summary

Stephen Leacock recounts his growing up period in the small town of Mariposa, Ontario, located on the shores of Lake Wissanotti with its notoriously leaky holiday steamer. It is a town similar to many other small towns in Canada with its odd assortment of residents. He lived there with his parents Peter and Agnes Leacock, his older brother Charlie Leacock, and his two younger sisters Rose and Carrie Leacock. The family had difficulties making ends meet in Mariposa, due in large part to the continually drunken state of Peter, who oft visited the public house located in the town's hotel. As such, Josh Smith, the owner and operator of the hotel and public house, was the bane of Agnes' existence. She did whatever she could not only to shut down the public house and hotel, but also run Smith out of town. As the Leacocks took an extreme measure to earn money to survive, young Stephen had mixed allegiances as he felt that Smith could assist them with their dire financial situation while his ...

Geddy Lee of the Canadian rock band Rush, plays "Fred", the barber shop customer whose face is covered by a hot towel during the entire film. Lee gets up and reveals himself after the closing credits.

Near the end, the elder Stephen Leacock looks at the younger Stephen Leacock and calls him "the boy I left behind me". ''The Boy I Left Behind Me'' was the title of his childhood memoirs, published posthumously in 1946.

The song "There Will Be a Happy Meeting in Glory" plays over the opening credits. This piece of music is best known in Canada for being the opening theme to the popular CBC Radio variety program "The Vinyl Café".

The ship that serves as the Mariposa Belle is really RMS Segwun, a century old steamship that cruises the Muskoka Lakes from Gravenhurst. RMS stands for "Royal Mail Steamer." She is the only operating steamship in North America and is a beloved icon across the Muskoka district of Ontario.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Unereel
    Both my wife and I loved this. Excellence abounds. Leacock's subtle Twain-like observations come to life in the hands of a great cast. Gordon Pinsent's voice-over is perfect for this story. The production and direction are outstanding. Oddly, the extraordinary modern special effects work in this story of a hundred years ago -- they move you into and out of the story, and along the way provide just enough distance for the humour to operate. The director's presence, along with Leacock's, is felt from the opening scene. But that presence isn't heavy-handed, rather it's inviting. Leacock saw humans as quirky, each with their own flaws and frailties, but he didn't see them as evil -- at least not in these stories. The actors are flawless in their portrayal of each character's quirky charms and failings. Donal Logue, as always, was excellent. Her role gave Jill Hennessey more chance to display her charming talents than Crossing Jordan ever did. The other foible-laden characters of Maripossa were brought to life with consummate skill by this brilliant cast. Thanks for this.
  • comment
    • Author: Valawye
    You viewers and reviewers do know from English Lit that this movie is about a famous writer FROM CANADA? I must be getting really old... next I will be reminding you that Ernest Hemingway was a famous writer. Mark Twain? Sinclair Lewis? Edgar Allen Poe? Hello-o-o! From Wikipedia: Stephen Butler Leacock, FRSC (30 December 1869 – 28 March 1944) was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist. In the early part of the 20th century he was the best-known humorist in the English-speaking world. Well, even if you do not know who Stephen Leacock was, this is an enjoyable if quirky movie, in what I have come to regard as a fine Canadian film tradition of off-beat but provocative films. Viva the Canadian Film Board!
  • comment
    • Author: Andromathris
    Sunshine Sketches is one of my favourite books. I found it wonderful in school and as a retiree, my fondness for the book remains.

    The opening graphics were superb; the best I have ever seen. Therefore I had to rate a 10 (all going to the graphics).

    There ends my positivity. The writing was awful and failed the book. It did not capture any of the subtle humour. The humour was so contrived it was not remotely funny and woefully failed Stephen Leacock.

    The attempts at inclusion and political correctness ruined it. As a Canadian, I wish we either stay out of the movies, TV series business or hire people who know what they are doing.

    And, please, leave Stephen Leacock alone. He doesn't need our help.
  • comment
    • Author: Chinon
    When I saw that the CBC was going to do Sunshine Sketches, I eagerly awaited it. However, I was quite disappointed when I saw it. I found that the parts taken from the book itself (such as the sinking of the Mariposa Belle)were quite effective,but I did not like the interpollation of the Leacock biographical material. There is enough material in the book that was not used in the dramatization. Moreover, the bio details gave the presentation a much "heavier" feel than the book. Jill Hennessey does a very good job in her role, but as one character says, she is too much of a"sad witch". It is revealing that of the characters listed most are not in fact in the book.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Jill Hennessy Jill Hennessy - Agnes Leacock
    Donal Logue Donal Logue - Josh Smith
    Gordon Pinsent Gordon Pinsent - Elder Stephen Leacock
    Owen Best Owen Best - Young Stephen Leacock
    Katie Douglas Katie Douglas - Rose Leacock
    Skyler Wexler Skyler Wexler - Carrie Leacock (as Skyler Melody Wexler)
    Dylan Everett Dylan Everett - Charlie Leacock (as Dylan Philip Everett)
    Patrick McKenna Patrick McKenna - Uncle EP Leacock
    Rick Roberts Rick Roberts - Peter Leacock
    Michael Therriault Michael Therriault - Billy Cole
    Peter Keleghan Peter Keleghan - Reverend Drone
    Steffi DiDomenicantonio Steffi DiDomenicantonio - Lila Drone
    Colin Mochrie Colin Mochrie - Judge Pepperleigh
    Debra McGrath Debra McGrath - Mrs. Pepperleigh
    Eric Peterson Eric Peterson - Jeff Thorpe
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