Christmas came early to a drive-in theatre in Oro-Medonte on Friday.
Cup of Cheer, which was filmed in Orillia and area, made its local debut at the Sunset Barrie Drive-in.
It’s not your typical Christmas movie, and that’s what director and co-writer Jake Horowitz and producer and co-writer Andy Lewis were going for.
Cup of Cheer is a parody of Hallmark-style holiday flicks, drawing inspiration from the type of humour in films like The Naked Gun.
The rapid-fire jokes and over-the-top characters were well received by those in attendance.
“We got to sit outside, so we could hear a ton of people laughing, which was awesome,” Horowitz said. “It was great — as great as can be in 2020.”
He and Lewis were joined by some of the cast and crew for a question-and-answer session after the movie. The questions, which viewers submitted by text messages, covered a variety of topics and themes from the film.
“It shows that people were really engaged and really into the local aspects of the film,” Horowitz said. “It proves Orillia is film savvy and interested in what we’re doing here."
Friday’s screening was the second for Cup of Cheer. It premiered Thursday at a drive-in in Oakville. It will be shown again at the Sunset Barrie Drive-in Saturday and Sunday. For more information about those screenings and other locations to catch Cup of Cheer, click here.
It is also available for free on the Tubi streaming service.
