When Fubar came out in 2002, nobody expected it to become the massive cult hit that it did — including writer and director Michael Dowse.
“When we got into Sundance (Film Festival) was the moment when we were like, ‘oh, this might actually be working,’” recalled Dowse recently about the comedy featuring Terry and Dean — two lovable headbanger losers from Alberta. “Our original plan was to just send it out on VHS tapes and see if it would multiply.”
Multiply it has. In the eight years that have passed since Fubar came out, Dowse made the award-winning mockumentary, It’s All Gone Pete Tong and even filmed his first big-budget Hollywood film, Kids in America starring Topher Grace and Anna Faris (hitting theatres in March). However, for all that experience in Tinseltown, Dowse felt nostalgic for Fubar.
“The advantage of working in Hollywood is that you get all the tools you want,” said Dowse of returning to the low-budget world of Fubar II. “The flip side of it is just have more cooks in the kitchen and with this, you get a little bit less in terms of what you can do with a lesser budget but you have no cooks in the kitchen which is nice.”
Now fresh off a hot run at the Toronto International Film Fest, Fubar II sets Terry and Dean upon the oilsands in Northern Alberta where the duo’s relationship is strained over a girlfriend and plenty of property damage.
“I think everyone’s had a friendship like that,” said Dowse of the pair’s wide appeal. “One guy’s an idiot and other one takes care of him and they’re together through thick and thin.”
