By Amanda Gilmore

Director Bobby Farrelly’s latest is an endearing romantic comedy that pays homage to the classic 80s comedies we’ve loved.

It follows high school senior Jeremy (Sam Nivola) whose relationship has become a long-distance one due to his girlfriend Samantha (Lilah Pate) attending college as a freshman. After a call that may or may not be the break-up call, he impulsively plans to make a grand romantic gesture to keep her. He steals his driver’s education car with the three other students inside and heads to her campus. But will he make it before his principal (Molly Shannon) and driving instructor (Kumail Nanjiani) catch them? And if he does, will Samantha still want the relationship?

Driver’s Ed is a fun teen rom-com that brings us back to young love. How intense it feels, but how fleeting it all is. Nivola plays the lovelorn Jeremy with empathy. He’s a young man holding out hope when those around him are aware that hope is probably lost. The group of driver’s ed students forced to come along on his love quest is an impressive ensemble of young talent. Particularly, Aidan Laprete, who plays drug dealer/stoner Yoshi. Laprete delivers a brilliant deadpan performance that also gives layers to this usually stereotypical character.

The real scene stealers are Shannon and Nanjiani. Their years of talent and charisma playing off-beat characters if perfectly suited to these quirky high school tropes. Shannon is at her typical best, and Nanjiani performs the driving instructor as a bright light of positivity while literally going through the worst time in his life. We just wish there were more time with them.

Overall, Driver’s Ed is a cute road-trip Rom-Com that we may feel like we’ve seen before…but hey, don’t fix something that isn’t broke.

Driver’s Ed screens at TIFF:

Fri. Sept 12 at 9:30 PM at Roy Thompson Hall

Sat. Sept 13 at 3:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales

Sun. Sept 14 at 9:05 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

A priest at a small church in rural New York has been killed under mysterious circumstances and Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is the main suspect. The local police are stumped as to what happened, so they call in Master Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to help solve the case.

WAKE UP DEAD MAN, the latest in Writer/Director Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series is very much what fans of this series (which have all World Premiered at TIFF) have come to expect: clever twists, simultaneously hilarious, ingenious and outrageous dialogue, and one of the best ensembles in recent years. Rather than play into the maximalist approach of Glass Onion, WAKE UP DEAD MAN feels more streamlined and back to the whodunit basics of what inspired the franchise in the first place. And while it is nice to have a lot less asides and references to Jeremy Renner hot sauce (who, in true meta fashion, shows up as a supporting character this go-round), the narrative gets bogged down by immense exposition and having its explanations be needlessly overcomplicated. 

What also suffers as a result of the endless exposition is that there is not enough time for the large ensemble to really develop their characters. They are all great in their large and small roles (O’Connor and Glenn Close are highlights, as is the young Daryl McCormack who continues to impress), but many of them feel underutilized in ways that the previous films’ ensembles were not. Even Craig seems to have been cut back. He still gets to chew the scenery and have a blast with his Kentucky Fried Foghorn Leghorn accent, just with a very minimized screen presence.

WAKE UP DEAD MAN still succeeds at being a crowdpleaser despite these issues, and still fits in nicely with its predecessors. I feel like I will like it more when I have the opportunity to rewatch and see how all the pieces fit in together. As it stands though, it is a movie I liked and enjoyed watching. But I wish I genuinely loved it.

Also – how great a line is “Young, dumb and full of Christ” with or without context?

WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY screens at TIFF ‘25:

Sat. Sept 6 at 6:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sun. Sept 7 at 8:30 AM at TIFF Lightbox

Wed. Sept 10 at 9:00 AM at TIFF Lightbox

Wed. Sept 10 at 7:00 PM at TIFF Lightbox

Thurs. Sept 11 at 2:30 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Fri. Sept 12 at 2:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sat. Sept 13 at 9:45 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

By David Baldwin

Bear (Michael Johnston) has been pining for Nikki (Inde Navarrette) for a long time. He is unsure if she has similar feelings and is too nervous and indecisive to tell her how he really feels. So, with the help of a mysterious wooden trinket, Bear wishes that Nikki would fall madly in love with him. Rather suddenly, his wish comes true and the two become the couple Bear always wished they would be. But weird things start happening and Bear quickly realizes that he might not want what he wished for.

What follows is something I can only properly describe as batshit crazy and certifiably deranged. I had heard some insane things going into my screening of Editor/Writer/Director Curry Barker’s feature-length directorial debut OBSESSION earlier this week and shrugged them off as festival hyperbole. What a wild surprise it was for me to realize the hyperbole was actually downplaying how unpredictable and bonkers this film becomes after it puts our two lead characters in place for the madness and viciously gnarly violence to come. I do not want to spoil the fun, but this is a movie tailor made for the Midnight Madness crowd and it should shock absolutely no one that it got picked up for distribution so quickly.

While the scares and cringe humour are plentiful – as are the nasty gross-out moments and the at least partial deconstruction of toxic co-dependent relationships – the real joy of OBSESSION is watching Navarrette’s star-making breakout performance as Nikki, or Freaky Nikki as she loathes being called. It is multi-faceted and for lack of better terminology, almost bi-polar in nature. She switches tones and emotions on the fly, often within the same breath, and goes to some positively haunting and downright devastating places over the course of this journey through Hell. The physicality Navarrette brings to the performance is intense, and the way she captivates even in the freakiest of circumstances is a thing of beauty. Johnston is very good too, but his work here is not what is going to have you keeping the lights on after experiencing OBSESSION. 

OBSESSION screens at TIFF ‘25:

Fri. Sept 5 at 11:59 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Sat. Sept 6 at 6:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Thurs. Sept 11 at 6:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

A number of A-list talent, including burnout movie star Mike Tyler (Chris Evans), are attending an environmental benefit in a gorgeous mine in Greece hosted by big tech billionaire Braken (Vincent Cassel). Things take a turn when a group of doomsday cult eco-terrorists led by Joan (Anya Taylor-Joy) take the crowd hostage and demand three people be sacrificed to a nearby volcano in order to save the world.

That description certainly makes SACRIFICE sound like a feel-good picture (sarcasm intended), but what follows in this mad satire that takes more than just a sprinkling of inspiration from the works of Ruben Östlund, Yorgos Lanthimos and to a certain degree, Wes Anderson, is an eco-thriller with a lot of set-up and not much pay off. The first half of the film is entertaining, even as it makes jokes at the expense of the lowest hanging fruit (Braken’s recording artist wife, played by Salma Hayek Pinault, is said to have made a charity album to benefit the ocean…from the ocean’s point of view). Once the second half kicks in though, SACRIFICE loses its footing and does not really recover. There are just too many characters and situations happening at the same time, and no real sense of control. This chaos might be intentional given Co-Writer/Director Romain Gavras’ influences, but everything on display here lacks depth.

The only thing that does not lack depth is Evans, who delivers another rock solid performance to add to his stellar supporting turns in Materialists and Honey Don’t from earlier this year. He is playing a variation of himself yes, but he digs down deep in an introspective way that makes you instantly remember what an incredibly talented performer he can be when he is not playing Captain America. Taylor-Joy is pretty stellar as Joan as well, easily overshadowing anyone that comes into contact with her. 

SACRIFICE screens at TIFF ‘25:

Sat. Sept 6 at 9:30 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sun. Sept 7 at 6:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Watch the new trailer for The Smashing Machine, from Silver Lion Best Director Award winner Benny Safdie, starring Dwayne Johnson and Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt. The film premiered to raves earlier this week at tiff50.

Only in theaters October 3rd via VVS Films.

Hot off its premiere at tiff50, we get a new look at Sydney Sweeney in CHRISTY! In theatres November 7, 2025.

Directed by: David Michôd
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian

Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney) never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia—until she discovered a knack for punching people. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster).

But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it—confronting family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death. Based on remarkable true events, Christy Martin’s story is one of resilience, courage, and the fight to reclaim one’s life.

By Mr. Will Wong

Acclaimed Actress Scarlett Johansson tries her hand and directing in Dramedy ELEANOR THE GREAT, giving veteran Actress June Squibb a vehicle for recognition with a stellar performance, incredibly at the age of 95.

Hot off its Festival run, including a tiff50 debut, this Film centers on Eleanor (Squibb), who is about to lose her Holocaust-surviving friend Bessie (Ritz Zohar). Feeling alone, with the sense that her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) is looking to admit her to a seniors’ residence, she winds up joining a Holocaust survivors support group where she is welcomed and given attention, as she channels Bessie‘s accounts.  Eleanor meets 19-year-old Nina (Erin Kellyman), who recently lost her mother.  The two strike-up an unlikely friendship, with Eleanor offering to share her Holocaust survivor experience to help advance Nina‘s ambitions to be a journalist. But what happens when the truth is uncovered about Eleanor?

Squibb‘s fantastic work is undeniable here, truly captivating the audience even where there are some imbalances and moments where the story feels a little implausible and the Film navigates that fine line tonally between Comedy and Drama.  She is a treasure and it is impossible to see any other Actress pull it all of in such a lovable, sharp way. Kellyman delivers a heartfelt performance in what was my introduction to the British Actress here, giving the story some weight as it truly is a portrait of grief and the void it leaves behind. She far exceeds the maturity of Nina‘s said 19-years-of-age.  Squibb and Kellyman together are a wonderful pairing, successfully filling voids in each other’s character’s lives when their families aren’t making them feel seen and heard.

ELEANOR THE GREAT screens at TIFF ’25:

Monday, September 8
Roy Thomson Hall
Premium
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
5:30 pm

Tuesday, September 9
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
11:30 am

Friday, September 12
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
1:15 pm

Sunday, September 14
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
1:00 pm

we’re in the final stretch! here are some highlights from tiff50 day eight! we’ll be wrapping after today, trying to savour every last moment to cram in as many films as we can.. and maybe just one more red carpet!

•brian cox, shirley henderson, alexandra shipp, and alexandra wilkie at tiff for glenrothan
•vince vaughn and simon rex at tiff for easy’s waltz
•the winner of our tiff50 survival pack… shamarra

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue will open exclusively in theatres across North America on October 3, 2025, with more than 125 prints in release. The rollout includes the top 20 markets, among them New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, Montreal, and West Palm Beach.

The film is being released theatrically by Forston Consulting in the U.S. and Cineplex Pictures in Canada following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2025. The sold-out screening was held at Roy Thomson Hall (capacity 2,600), where the film received multiple standing ovations during the introduction and Q&A. The screening was followed by a Q&A with director/producer Barry Avrich, producer Mark Selby, and participants Noam Tibon and Gali Mir-Tibon

The film’s trailer launches today. Additional press materials available HERE and photos from the premiere can be found HERE (photo credit: George Pimentel Photography)

Directed by acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue tells the extraordinary true story of retired Israeli general Noam Tibon, who on October 7, 2023, received a desperate text from his son: terrorists had stormed his home, and he, his wife, and their two young daughters feared for their lives. With no time to spare, Tibon embarked on a ten-hour mission across a country under siege to save his family.

Relying on instinct and military training, Tibon navigated ambushes, roadblocks, and a collapsing security system in a relentless race against time. Blending intimate firsthand testimony with the raw urgency of a survival thriller, the film retraces every step of that harrowing day.

Set against the backdrop of one of Israel’s darkest days, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue is both a gripping retelling of an extraordinary rescue and an unflinching look at the failures and resilience revealed on October 7. At its heart, it is a profoundly human story about courage, family, and the power of love in the face of unimaginable terror.

Barry Avrich, Director:

“When I first heard Noam’s story, I knew it was not just a story of one man’s courage, but of family, resilience, and the choices we make in the face of terror. This film retraces an extraordinary day but also reflects the broader human capacity for bravery and love in the darkest of moments. I am honored to share this story with audiences across North America and grateful to our partners who believed in its importance from the very beginning.”

The release is also being supported by The Impact Series, a social-issue–focused organization committed to using film as a catalyst for awareness and action.

tiff50 day seven for us was a real showcase of asian cinema, with some of asia’s biggest stars doing the rounds!

some highlights include:

•han so-hee and jun jong-seo at tiff for project y
•lee byung-hun and park chan-wook at an in-conversation
•shu qi at tiff for girl
•fala chen and edward berger at tiff for ballad of a small player

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)