I'll confess that I only put the Everything's Gone Green screener in my DVD player because it was written by Douglas Coupland, one of my favorite novelists. But would his odd blend of sarcasm and observations about the human condition translate to a movie? Especially one touted on the cover with the words "Warning: This Slacker Comedy Is Unrated"?

Attempts to market this as a traditional sex-and-gross-out affair are terribly misplaced. In reality it's barely PG-13, much less anything that would require an "unrated" tagline.

Ryan (Paulo Costanzo, perhaps known best for a bit part in Josie and the Pussycats) gets dumped and loses his job on the same day, then in an amazing change of fortune learns his parents won the lottery. Turns out, though, that Dad just got confused, but Ryan's call to the Canadian lottery winner's line gets him a job interview, a new gig, and an adventure for us to follow for the next 90 minutes. He meets the wry Ming (Steph Song), gets roped into a Japanese mafia scam with her iffy boyfriend (JR Bourne), and tries to escape corporate dronedom, though his boss (a hysterical Aidan Devine) is a dream come true. What kind of boss encourages his staff to gather around a cube and watch an Internet "slut cam" during business hours? (The ladies in the office dig it too!)

There's a lot of Green that doesn't make a lick of sense, but that doesn't mean we're not in for some fun moments, filtered through the oddball Coupland's distinctly postmodern sensibilities. Set in gorgeous Vancouver (you'll want to move there before the movie's over), we're treated to scenes of the local film production industry (many movies shoot there because it's cheaper to do so in Canada and Vancouver can be morphed to look like anywhere... within reason) and a vacant condominium that comments on the city's rise-and-fall economy. But the title ultimately refers to a kind of silly subplot, wherein Ryan's unemployed dad starts growing pot in the family house as a sort of franchisee of one of Ryan's friends. (How many times have we seen that one?) If the movie can be described as a slacker comedy at all, this but is why.

Ultimately, Ryan's journey to self-discovery isn't entirely credible, but Costanzo's acting chops are good enough to make you care about him despite any shortcomings in the script. I suspect I enjoyed this film more than most will since I'm so familiar with Coupland's style and subtle in-jokes gleaned from his prior works, but I figure Green is pleasant enough for anyone looking for something off the beaten track at their local video store.