Hot Docs 2008

Filmmaker Marshall Sfalcin is Canada's answer to Ed Wood and Russ Meyer. His no-budget monster movies are works of fantasy, favouring big scares and bigger boobs to truth and authenticity. With his latest film, Sfalcin is determined to tell the "serious" story about his family history and their bold claim that they, and not McDonald's, are the rightful inventors of fast food. Along to capture the making of Sfalcin's masterpiece is fellow filmmaker and childhood buddy Matt Gallagher. As Sfalcin's vision of his film changes due to a barrage of obstacles, Gallagher's documentary morphs from straightforward "making-of" film into a complex mediation on truth and fiction, where the lines are always blurred. The Rise and Fall of Grumpy Burger is that rare treat of a film that entertains and captivates with its outrageous story and brash characters while, at the very same time, asking the audience to question everything they are seeing.
-Alan Black