Scouts Are Cancelled

Director John Scott crafts this look at the curious life of his longtime friend John Stiles -- an aspiring writer and former telephone marketer whose midlife meltdown worked wonders for his career. Stiles was down on his luck working as a telemarketer in Toronto when, one day, he threw out his pre-written script and began speaking to customers in curious character voices inspired by his upbringing in Nova Scotia. That month, Stiles made the most sales of any employee and earned a free DVD player for his efforts. In the following years, Stiles threw caution to the wind, venturing out to local open mic nights -- where he developed a substantial cult following -- and later publishing a pair of books with Insomniac press. Stiles is best described as a man who resists order and predictability, and the same can be said of Scott's film. A stylized look at the life of a man who thrives on chaos, Scouts Are Cancelled presents the curious life of the unpredictable Nova Scotia native in the kind of disjointed manner that would make the subject himself proud.