Synopsis
"About Schmidt" intersects with "The Straight Story" in this rich comic road movie about snowmobiles, moosemeat, good country music ... and one small Cree community's brush with fame.

Life in a remote Cree community is stirred up when the elder Martin Fox (Jimmy Herman "Dances With Wolves") begins to question the death of his hero Hank Williams, and determines that before he dies he must make a trip to the deep southern United States to find out more. Supporting him on his loopy quest is his patriarchal brother Adelard Fox (Gordon Tootoosis "Legends of the Fall") who wisely sends along his 17-year-old grandson Jacob (Colin Van Loon) as a guide. The two mismatched travelers leave their remote reservation in Northern Canada and head for Tennessee on a Greyhound in search of the truth.

To get permission for his trip, Jacob makes a deal with his school principal that he will send home a letter everyday while on his travels. Life in the community takes on a certain charge as letters describing the two's misadventures begin arriving back home. Interest in the trip is further galvanized as the story of the two travelers is picked up in the US press. This inspires Jacob's best friend and the resident town-schemer, Huey Bigstone (Bernard Starlight) to turn the trip into a funding drive for some mysterious community organization he quickly organizes -- successfully tying the operation into the nightly radio bingo games.

While all this is happening Jacob's sister Sarah Fox (Stacy Da Silva) is experiencing a crisis of her own; she's the valedictorian of her upcoming Grade 12 graduation and needs to find a grad date! And if that is not enough we have Chief Chicken-wings (Raymond Carifelle), running in a close race for re-election -- motivated by his two great loves; being chief and eating chicken-wings.

"Hank Williams First Nation" is an authentic, fun and endearing portrait of life in a First Nations community, and the colourful characters that call it home.

"Heartfelt and Hillarious" Toronto Sun
"Intriguing!" The Hollywood Reporter
"Tootoosis is Outstanding!" Variety


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