Breakfast with Scot

Sam (Tom Cavanagh) and Ed (Ben Shenkman) aren’t exactly your stereotypical gay couple. A former pro-hockey player, Sam now works as a broadcaster for a major sports network, and – because of the traditionally homophobic nature of this field – he is determined to keep his personal and professional lives completely separate. (This tension probably isn’t helped by the fact that, as a player, ex-jock Sam had a reputation for being a bit of a goon.) Things change irrevocably when Ed’s nephew, Scot (Noah Bernett) enters their lives. Ed has agreed to look after Scot following the death of the boy’s mother, at least until his father, Ed’s no-account brother Billy, returns to Toronto. An expert knitter addicted to boas, makeup and show tunes, Scot has no idea who Wayne Gretzky is – and couldn’t care less. Terrified that Scot will be persecuted ruthlessly at school, Sam decides to straighten him out. His efforts will change them both. Thoroughly charming and guaranteed to melt the heart of the coldest audience member, Laurie Lynd’s Breakfast With Scot boasts a raft of fine performances and smart, winning cameos by iconic Canadian actors, including Fiona Reid, Megan Follows, Graham Greene, Sheila McCarthy and Shauna MacDonald. Cavanagh and Shenkman anchor the story more than admirably, but it’s the kids who steal the show, most notably Bernett as Scot, whose wide-eyed incomprehension of the ways of the world is both hilarious and deeply affecting. – Steve Gravestock, Toronto International Film