While this movie isn't quite as slow as Warhol's Empire, the filmmaker gave that a good try. There was potential in some of the situations, but they came to nothing. I didn't care. I found myself rooting for the ?main character to die, so something, at least, would happen. By the time I began fast forwarding at minute 40, I realized nothing could make me care. I watched this for free, but I still wanted my money back.Not so bad it's good, unfortunately. Just dull.Is this ten lines? Not every movie deserves that many.

Wilby is a fictional island off Nova Scotia, the sort of rugged, resorty place where the islanders don't always think so much of the mainlanders who come to look around and sometimes stay forever. One of the latter, embroiled in small-town scandal, has decided to end it all, but people—motel chambermaid, hyperactive realtor, inquisitive guy in overalls—keep getting in his way. This Canadian ensemble dramedy, available on streaming Netflix, doesn't make the most of its first-rate cast (Paul Gross of "Sling and Arrows," Sandra Oh, Ellen Page, the late Maury Chaykin—guess Molly Parker was already busy with "Deadwood"), and the tone is oddly inconsistent. The various subplots mix (literal) gallows humor and sitcom shtick with scenes of everyday turmoil reminiscent of "Parenthood" (especially so when jangly alt-rock swells up on the soundtrack). Cape Breton homeboy Daniel MacIvor tries to hold it all together with a goofy backstory about a victimless-crime wave and a shady land deal, but that just gets in the way of the uniformly fine performances and the few well-set-up punchlines (Rebecca Jenkins's lusty single mom hits on Duck MacDonald, the overalls guy, and quite a while later, you get why that's funny). Of the lesser-known cast members, Callum Keith Rennie does well as Duck, a nontraditional stand-in for Clarence the Angel, and Jenkins really connects, despite her underwritten character, as a storm-battered islander who's come home to start a new life. Long story short, Wilby may be wonderful, but "Wilby Wonderful" is merely watchable. (Btw—the title was originally supposed to be something else, which would have deprived wiseguy reviewers of this obvious cheap shot.) If you've never seen "Slings and Arrows," available on disk from N'flix and one of the best TV series ever, you shd def'ly give it a look

Living in a small island where everyone seems to know everyone else, has its own rewards. It takes a certain type of person to enjoy that environment. The people of Wilby, a remote island off the Canadian mainland, are going through a dark period as there are cries how the gays have been gathering at the Watch, a remote area to do evil things, among other things. Some small minded islanders are crying foul, but is it really that bad?We are first introduced to Dan Jarvis, a closeted man, who is trying to kill himself. Whatever he tries to do, backfires on him. The chief of police, Buddy French, has a problem, Sandra Anderson, a girl he liked when he was younger, has come back to the island to settle down. Sandra wants to renew a love affair that has died long time ago. Emily, Sandra's daughter, sneaks to meet her boyfriend, who is making sexual demands of her. Buddy's wife, Carol, an uptight and driven real estate agent, wants to sell Dan's house to Mayor Fisher. Carol finds fault with the signs Duck MacDonald has done to promote a festival.All those trivial everyday life's moments in a small town are perfectly captured in this surprising comedy that has a bittersweet take on the island and the characters that we get to meet. The people in the story seem real. Nothing much happens in this island, yet, a lot of important things change the people we meet in a positive way.Daniel MacIvor has written and directed a delightful film which proves to be a delightful surprise. His screen play shows the easy pace and complicated lives in the small community where nothing seems to happen, yet, a lot goes on under its calm exterior. Mr. MacIvor has gotten a great ensemble performance from all the actors that appear in the film. Haven't we met people like the ones in the movie before?Sandra Oh, a wonderful actress, clearly shows her range the way she plays Carol French, a woman more interested in making a sale than calling an ambulance when she rescues Dan from a sure death. Rebecca Jenkins and Ellen Page, play Sandra and Emily with great ease. Their scenes together are marvelous. James Allodi's Dan is fine; he is never a caricature of a tormented man who can't see clearly. Paul Gross makes a good impression as the police chief. Callum Keith Rennie is excellent as the even tempered Duck."Wilby Wonderful" deserved a much better fate than what it probably received. This is Canadian cinema at its best. Thanks to the talented Daniel MacIvor for sharing with us this intimate portrait of an island and its people.

The best thing this has going for it is the mood. The quiet evocation of a small island/town is pretty much dead on, with the slightly shabby businesses, people with small-scale ambitions, and hidden strings connecting everyone and everything. There are also some excellent performances, especially Sandra Oh, Rebecca Jenkins, and Callum Keith Rennie (for once showing his awkward, charming side rather than playing another psychopath).There's both too much and too little going on, if that's possible. The various plot threads wander around before finally getting to what turns out to be the main plot. By that time, there have been a few too many scenes of people walking around while the soundtrack music plays. Some of the characters take too long to register, as well. The one who might be the most important, Dan Jarvis (the suicidal, soon-to-be-outed video store owner), never really registers at all--he never amounts to much of anything besides vague melancholy.I don't blame the actors, really.....the ones we don't know well enough simply haven't had enough dialogue to let us know them. Fewer subplots and a little less wistful scenery montage would have helped the through-line considerably.Put most simply, this has too much atmosphere to be a Plot Film and too much plot to be an Atmosphere Film. Not that it would ever have a chance to happen, but I think Wilby would have worked much better as a series.