Cory Monteith's Final Film 'McCanick' Gets Distributor After TIFF Premiere

by UInterviewSeptember 11, 2013, 12:00 am >

Cory Monteith’s last film, McCanick was bought for distribution by Well Go USA after premiering at the Toronto Film Festival Sept. 9.

McCanick, directed by Josh C. Waller, is the last film Monteith worked on before he died of an accidental overdose July 13. In the cop thriller, Monteith plays drug addict, Simon Weeks, who is released from prison and is hunted by narcotics detective McCanick, played by David Morse.

The film has been met with less than enthusiastic reviews, but Monteith’s solid performance is being received with bittersweet praise. In one of his last roles, Monteith proved he was capable of being more than Finn from Glee.

“If the role adds anything to Monteith’s legacy, it will be a sad grace note indicating that the star was both able and willing to expand his acting parameters,” writes Andrew Barker of Variety.

Well Go USA reportedly plans to release McCanick in 2014.

“Though Simon is hard-living, Monteith is inspired casting. The sweetness that endeared him to Glee fans still lurks within this character. And he uses it to his advantage during crucial plot twists. As troubled as he is, you are rooting for him to make it out alive. It’s a fine, daring performance,” writes Mara Reinstein from US Weekly.

Monteith also appears in All The Wrong Reasons that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday. In the ensemble drama, Monteith plays department store manager James Ascher, whose wife is suffering from PTSD. The film was well received and earned first time director, Gia Milani, the Grolsch Film Works Discovery Award.

After Monteith’s death in July, Milani wrote about Monteith and his desire to stretch his limits as an actor.

“Cory saw the film a few weeks ago. He said he loved how layered it was and he thought it was intense. He loved Finn and always talked about how blessed he felt to have been cast in Glee, but like any artist, he wanted to play other roles too. I think he wanted to prove to himself he could do more. And he did prove it,” Milani wrote.