Deaner '89

Deaner '89 is a 2024 Canadian action comedy film directed by Sam McGlynn. It stars Paul Spence, Star Slade, Will Sasso, and Mary Walsh. Spence plays Dean Murdoch, a metalhead character from the FUBAR series.
The film was released in theaters on September 6, 2024.
Despite the Murdoch character having previously appeared in the FUBAR films, the film is not considered a FUBAR sequel, but a standalone film.

Plot

In 1989, Murdoch and his sister first become interested in heavy metal music, soon after learning that their adoptive parents have hidden from them that they are Indigenous. Dean is Métis and his sister is Blackfoot. They go on a trip to Calgary to see a band.

Inspiration

The film's content related to Indigenous identity was partly inspired by Spence's own family history. His father was adopted into a non-Indigenous family in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and only learned as an adult that his parents were Métis. According to Spence, "It seemed like such a natural fit to take some of my father's stories, as well as my own, to create something fun and funny, but that also had some heart and authenticity — where audiences will laugh their asses off, but also learn something about Canada's complicated history."

Reception

Thom Ernst of Original Cin gave the film a B− and wrote, "The comedy here doesn't pull punches — big gags, big cameos, big laughs. Not all of it works, but when it does, it works beautifully."
Andrew Parker of TheGATE.ca gave the film a score of 3 out of 10, writing, "Unassured, scattered, and trying too hard to relive past glories while simultaneously failing to make viewers forget about everything that came before, Deaner '89 is a messy vanity project that never settles on a satisfying hook on which to hang all of its tired jokes about metal heads, hosers, and givin'r."
Richard Crouse was more positive, awarding the film 3.5/5 stars, asserting that Spence "weaves humor into every scene, but never settles for the easy joke."