The Bilingual Film: Bon Cop, Bad Cop and Canada's Two Languages
Bilingual films are rare in cinema, and one of the most interesting Canadian examples dates from 2006. Bon Cop, Bad Cop, directed by Érik Canuel, is a crime comedy in which language forms part of the story itself. How do you bring two language communities onto one screen without losing viewers on either side? This guide looks at how the film achieved that and what is known about its box-office results.
What is a bilingual film?
A bilingual film is one in which characters speak two languages on equal terms, alternating between them within a single story. In Canadian cinema, this has particular significance because the country is divided by language. Quebec is French-speaking, while Ontario is English-speaking.
Bon Cop, Bad Cop draws directly on that divide. A French-speaking police officer from Quebec and an English-speaking officer from Ontario investigate a case together, so the language difference drives their relationship rather than remaining in the background. The film is described as the first bilingual feature film in Canada, and it remains an important reference point for anyone interested in Canadian cinema.
How it was made
The film was shot with two scripts, one in French and one in English. The language of individual scenes was finalised only during editing, so the balance between the two languages was determined at the end of the process.
What it earned in cinemas
In October 2006, the producers announced that the film had surpassed Porky's at the Canadian box office. Porky's had earned 11.2 million dollars in 1981. The comparison does not account for inflation, so it does not fully reflect the scale of the film's success. Reported totals vary, with estimates ranging from about 12 to 12.6 million Canadian dollars, so any figure is best quoted with its source. One account uses a different basis for its total of 10.4 million, of which about 7.9 million came from Quebec cinemas.
The film also received the Golden Reel award for the top-grossing Canadian film of 2006, recognising its box-office performance.
What the result says about Canadian cinema
If that single account is accepted, the split is uneven: the film earned far less outside Quebec. The two languages brought the film's characters together, but these figures show that ticket sales differed greatly between regions. Since the breakdown comes from one account, it should not be used to draw broad conclusions.
The practical lesson of Bon Cop, Bad Cop is simple. Its theatrical success was concentrated in Quebec, and totals differ between sources, so any comparison should state whose figures it relies on.