Update: Preggoland wins VIFF’s Most Popular Canadian Feature Film Award.
Jacob Tierney directs Preggoland but this fake pregnancy comedy belongs to Vancouver actor Sonja Bennett who wrote the screenplay and stars as 35-year-old grocery worker Ruth, who pretends to be pregnant after being de-friended by all her friends after trainwreck behaviour at a baby shower. James Caan is the deliriously-happy-father-who-thinks-he’s-going-to-be-a-grandfather. Danny Trejo (Machete) plays against type as a doctor-who-can’t-practice-in-North-America who blackmails Ruth to keep his job as a grocery store cleaner. Preggoland filmed most of this movie in Maple Ridge except for the final day of shooting in April when crew careened around Vancouver from the Gossip nightclub downtown to a Commercial Drive park to Spanish Banks. I regret missing the Spanish Banks scene of Ruth sitting in despair on a log with her fake belly askew.
“[Bennett] gives a knockout performance as bad girl Ruth … Hilarious and touching” — NOW Toronto.
Preggoland debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sepember 3rd to good reviews and had its VIFF premiere a week ago Tuesday to a hometown crowd in the Vancouver Playhouse. I sat in front of Sonja Bennett’s brother and pals who laughed uproariously throughout. Even louder than her husband Stephen Lobo and actor friend Tyler Labine a few rows back. The whole theatre joined in.
Producer Kevin Eastwood and star Sonja Bennett wave to crew in the audience at the Vancouver Playhouse.
The Mommy girlfriends & jealous sister (Lauren Harris).
Sonja Bennett takes in the applause.
VIFF added a third screening on Wednesday, October 3rd, at 4:15 p.m. in the Vancouver Playhouse due to popular demand.