Critics are comparing Guy X – the copro’d story of a solider mistakenly sent to the Arctic – to classic military satires like Catch-22 and M*A*S*H. But not in a good way.

Not ‘one iota of original charm, or even a reliable grasp of any single genre,’ fumes The Globe and Mail’s Kate Taylor. ‘Guy X is a jack of all formulas and master of none.’

U.K. director Saul Metzstein and his scriptwriters made a mess of the source novel, No One Thinks of Greenland, adds Susan Walker of the Toronto Star, complaining that Guy X ‘doesn’t know whether it is slapstick comedy, satire, mystery or a schlock horror flick. Whatever it is, it is highly derivative, and of little consequence.’

The Canada/U.K./Iceland picture, produced here by Montreal’s Wizz Films, ‘could be the weirdest failure of the year,’ agrees the Toronto Sun’s Jim Slotek, quipping that, ‘it’s also not for anyone prone to soft-tissue neck injury, so abruptly does it switch gears from one movie to another.’

Jay Weissberg at Variety credits Jason Biggs’ solid performance, but also notes that the other roles are underwritten.

Compiled by Sarah Marchildon