Final Rating: 2.5/5
From Canadian writer/director Chandler Levack, Mile End Kicks is a dramedy that follows the trials and tribulations of Grace (Barbie Ferreira) a young music critic who moves from Toronto to Montreal one summer to cover the music scene while planning to write a book on Alanis Morissette’s iconic Jagged Little Pill album.
Set in 2011, Grace sees Montreal as a sort of mecca for the indie music scene with artists like Arcade Fire and Feist leading the way, and hopes to find inspiration in this artistic haven. She finds an apartment through Craigslist, and shortly after moving in goes to check out her new roommate’s (Juliette Gariépy) boyfriend Hugo’s (Robert Naylor) band.
She soon falls for lead singer Chevy (Stanley Simons), a stereotypically vapid, one note artist who presents as far deeper than he actually is. She interviews the band for an online magazine article, and soon becomes their biggest critical supporter.
Grace sets about enjoying her time in the city and all that it has to offer creatively, which puts a damper on writing her book. Before long she runs into money troubles as she has yet to be paid by her old company, in part due to a tumultuous relationship with her former boss, played by Jay Baruchel, with whom she was having an affair with. There is also a bonus that was paid upfront for her book, which now has to be paid back for failing to deliver on.
This brings up a key point in regards to the plot, which at times lacks establishing real stakes. Grace eschews working on her book to enjoy the fun of the summer in Montreal, but there isn’t really enough reason given for her to do so, especially given her character as previously established.
She is presented as talented and ambitious (noting she wrote over 400 articles in a year for her old job), and has a sense of personal attachment to it, winning the editor over with a very solid pitch on the angle of her story, (in one of the better written bits). Then, like a beer at an Expos game, her motivation quickly disappears, and she simply forgoes writing it, content to hang out with the band.
Meanwhile, her parents are divorcing, which impacts the amount of money they could lend Grace, but it isn’t given any emotional resonance. There is also a scene where it’s revealed that Chevy’s roommate (Isiah Lehtenen, who starred in Levac’s last film I Like Movies) finds bed bugs in their apartment, but it could easily be removed and not change a single thing about the film.
The humour is reminiscent of a generic sitcom, often on the nose, and one can generally see the bits coming from a mile end away (much like that one). It’s at its strongest when it’s earnest. Whether it’s Grace hanging out with Archi (Devon Bostick), another band mate and their own budding relationship, which from the get go leans heavily into ‘this is the person you should’ve been with all along’, (and the two play off each other well) or speaking about what it’s like to be a young woman in a male dominated space, It feels more authentic and better crafted than the rest.
Like I Like Movies, it’s a tale of youth, and the learning experiences that come along with it. Grace must confront her insecurities and learn to take charge of her life and career. While it reflects Levack’s personal experience, and a few sweet and funny moments, it doesn’t offer much in any way that truly separates it from similar fare.
Mile End Kicks was seen during the 2026 International Film Festival of Ottawa.
