Breakaway

A Firsttake Entertainment production in colaboration with Telefilm Canada, CBC, Movie Central and Alliance Films. (Worldwide sales: Alliance, Toronto.) Created by Ajay Virmani, Frank Siracusa, Don Carmody. Executive producers, Akshay Kumar, Andre Rouleau, Clayton Peters, Russell Peters, Paul Gross. Directed by Robert Lieberman. Script, Noel Baker, Vinay Virmani, Jeffrey Schecther, Matt Simmons, from the story by Virmani.With: Vinay Virmani, Russell Peters, Anupam Kher, Gurpreet "Ghuggi" Singh, Noureen DeWulf, Sakina Jaffrey, Take advantage of Lowe, Camilla Belle, Akshay Kumar, Aubrey "Drake" Graham, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges.Easily minimal from the three hockey-designed features at Toronto this season, "Breakaway" hits every triumph-of-the-underdog sports movie cliche squarely around the mind. Generically watchable despite its novel hook, positing an exciting-Sikh Toronto team within the Canadian semi-pros, this comedy created by co-scenarist/star Vinay Virmani isn't any stretch for original "Mighty Ducks" director Robert Lieberman, or other people here for your matter. Pic opens Sept. 30 on home turf elsewhere, it will likely be a smallscreen item assisted through the participation of Take advantage of Lowe, some well-known Bollywood thesps and celebrity music artists. Youthful Rajveer (Virmani) is really a gifted hockey player with hopes for an expert career. But individuals ambitions are ignored by his conservative immigrant father (Anupam Kher), who needs him to work on the trucking company he co-founded with Uncle Sammy (Gurpreet Singh). Thus, Raj needs to hide his progressively demanding hobby when he and the turban-putting on teammates, named the Fast Singhs (given that they all share exactly the same surname), choose to train for that championship in reaction for their rivals' racist taunts around the ice. They are assisted by an ex-professional coach (Lowe), whose more youthful law-student sister (Camille Belle) sparks with Raj. Meanwhile, Raj gets along uneasily having a smug new yuppie workmate (Russell Peters) engaged to Raj's glamorous TV-reporter cousin (Noureen DeWulf). You will find keep surprises away here, with father-boy crisis and reconciliation, scaly-lower quasi-Bollywood production amounts and also the climactic large game all coming on signal. Perfs vary from pleasant (stars playing more youthful Punjabi figures) to broad (their elders) to indifferent (Lowe and Belle, who appear completely unengaged in of course formulaic roles). Stylish-hop star Drake plays themself inside a club scene, while Akshay Kumar and Ludacris collaborate on the bombastic theme song/video that plays underneath the closing credits. Packaging is workmanlike.Camera (color), Steve Danyluk editor, Susan Shipton music, Paul Intson, Meet Bros. music supervisor, Sandeep Chowta production designer, Philip Barker set decorator, Take advantage of Hepburn costume designer, Debra Hanson seem (Dolby Digital), Sylvain Arseneault re-recording mixers, Steve Promote, Paul Shubat casting, Deirdre Bowen. Examined at Toronto Film Festival (Special Presentations), Sept. 9, 2011. Running time: 100 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com