Degrassi Goes Hollywood!

In an evening that was half Hollywood premiere, half high-school assembly, the casts and fans of Degrassi past and present gathered at The Bloor Cinema for a very special screening of Paradise City: Degrassi Goes Hollywood. Director Snake (ahem, we mean Stefan Brogren) took the stage before the screening to thank all the young actors keeping the Degrassi legacy alive, and introduce them to the cheering audience. Then, lucky fans were treated to a pre-screening of the film, which airs Sunday on CTV. The film follows all your favourite Degrassi characters as separate paths lead them to Hollywood. Paige (Lauren Collins) is getting peed on in Lalaland as a reality TV star’s assistant, Manny (Cassie Steele) is struggling with her temperamental acting professor/boyfriend back in Toronto, Craig (Jake Epstein) is hangin’ with Pete Wentz eating ketchup chips. When Jason Mewes (you know, from pretty much every Kevin Smith movie ever) turns up to cast his first film, Mewesical High, with some Degrassi kids, all hell breaks loose. Together with Degrassi band The Studz and model Mia (Nina Dobrev), Manny gets aboard her ex-fiancee’s bus to drive to Hollywood and claim the part Mewes has promised her. Too bad the producer, played by Dan Levy, already promised it to Paige. While Marco (Adamo Ruggiero) and Elly (Stacey Farber) shack up in Paige’s mansion, and Manny and Co. desperately hightail it to Hollywood, secrets, loves, and weaknesses are revealed. Most of the next-gen cast gets at least a cameo, but don’t expect any of the old school to show up. The movie is charming, funny, corny and amazing: everything you expect from Degrassi. Fans, get excited. Everyone else, prepare to become a convert.