The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal – TIFF 2024

The Tragically Hip No Dress Rehearsal TIFF 2024
TIFF 2024

September 5 to September 15, 2024

Film Info

FILM FESTIVAL
TIFF TIFF24

PROGRAMME
Primetime

AWARDS
People’s Choice Documentary Award


The nearly four-decade long career of is told in an all-emcompassing docuseries in . The Tragically Hip consisting of , , , and were five alumni of KCVI high school in Kingston, Ontario. Signed to MCA records in the late-1980s, the band became to Canada what were to the United Kingdom. The band remained together through many highs and lows, before Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal Synopsis

The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal is a four-part docuseries on the history of the band, directed by Mike Downie, the brother of the band’s late lead singer Gord Downie. The film features one of the final interviews with Gord Downie, as well as the surviving band members, joined by notable , such as fellow Kingston native Dan Akyroid, actor Will Arnet, Kids in the Hall‘s , and even Canadian Prime Minster . Each episode deals with a different era of the band, including their beginning, their 1990s peak, inner turmoil in the 2000s, and finally Gord Downie’s cancer diagnosis.

The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal

Running at a combined running time of more than four hours in length, The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal is the definitive documentary about the history of the band. This documentary is fall from a fluff piece, digging into inner-turmoil that arose after Gord Downie moved from Kingston to Toronto, resulting in less creative collaboration within the band. However, it is the final part that truly makes The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal a must watch, as it recaps the final months of Gord Downie’s life and he established his final legacy fighting for the rights of the First Nations people.

Trailer for The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal – TIFF 2024

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Sean Patrick Kelly

Sean Patrick Kelly is a Toronto-based freelance film critic and blogger with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies from York University. Since founding his site in 2004, Sean has shared his passion for cinema through insightful reviews and commentary. His work has also been featured in prominent outlets, including Toronto Film Scene, HuffPost Canada, Screen Anarchy, ScreenRant, and Rue Morgue Magazine.