The story begins with Murray French as a young boy, narrating about his father, one of the fishermen in the small community of Tickle Head, Newfoundland and Labrador. Murray feels that the community has a shared sense of purpose and an ethic of hard work, and notes his parents' domestic bliss. Several years later, the men of Tickle Head line up at the town's post office to receive welfare cheques from post office clerk Kathleen and cash them with bank branch manager Henry Tilley. Adding to the indignity, Murray's wife is separating from him for a job in St. John's. At a town meeting, the mayor tells Murray that a petrochemical factory was being negotiated for the town, but that the company requires a doctor to be resident there, and the community has been trying unsuccessfully for 8 years to find one. Murray resolves that the factory, and thus the doctor, are the solution to his troubles. He later observes the mayor surreptitiously leaving town with his family for a job in St. John's as well. In St. John's, Dr. Paul Lewis, a plastic surgeon, is flying home when a security agent finds cocaine in his luggage. The agent is the former mayor of Tickle Head, who makes a deal with Lewis. In exchange for overlooking the possession of cocaine, Dr. Lewis agrees to live in the town for one month. Murray arranges for the "seduction" of Dr. Lewis to a long-term contract, lying to the townspeople that this will guarantee the choice of Tickle Head as the location for the new factory. As part of the ruse, he convinces the townspeople to pretend to play cricket, the doctor's favourite sport, and also taps the doctor's phone to learn more ways to entice him to stay. The executive of the petrochemical company visits the town and tells Murray, posing as the mayor, that the rival town of St. Anne has made a more attractive offer, including a bribe. The executive demands a bribe of $100,000 before the plant will be awarded to Tickle Head, as well as expressing concern about a population in Tickle Head that is too small for the factory. Henry's bank denies the request for a loan, and when Henry presses the issue, tells him that he could be replaced with an ATM. This leads Henry to approve the loan against bank instructions, knowing he will be fired. Meanwhile, the town's deception and favourable attention do persuade Lewis to stay, helped also by the discovery that his fiancée Helen has been cheating on him with his best friend. But when he accepts the position in front of the whole town, in a speech praising their authenticity and integrity, Murray ashamedly lies and tells him that another doctor has already accepted the position. Kathleen then tells Lewis the truth, causing Lewis to angrily confront Murray just as the executive is signing the paperwork for the factory. After an impassioned speech by Murray, the doctor agrees to stay, and the company agrees to build the factory. Some time later, the factory has opened, bringing dignity to the town again. Murray has been reunited with his wife, and there is a job for Henry, who has been replaced with an ATM. The film ends with a satisfied ending similar to Murray's opening flashback.
The Grand Seduction is based on the 2003 film Seducing Doctor Lewis. Shortly after it came out at Sundance Film Festival, an English-speaking version of the film was recommended. South Korea, Spain and Canada were all interested in doing a remake but only Canada, France and Italy ultimately developed remakes. Initially, Michael Dowse was to direct the film but he dropped out due to "artistic differences" with producer Roger Frappier. Ken Scott, who wrote the original script, was then attached at the direction of the film. He and Frappier planned the remake to be 80 per cent the same as the original. The film was expected to start shooting on 28 August 2011, but it got delayed. In April 2012, Scott left the project to focus on the remaking of his Starbuck film. In May 2012, Don McKellar came on board as director. In 2011, there had been talks to have Robin Williams in the film but scheduling conflicts got in the way. Taylor Kitsch's and Brendan Gleeson's participation was confirmed in July 2012. Set in the fictional harbour of Tickle Head, principal photography started on 30 July 2012 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The film was also shot in Red Cliffe, Bonavista Bay and in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. Filming wrapped in September 2012.
Release
The film was premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It was also selected as the opening film of the Atlantic Film Festival and the Calgary International Film Festival. Upon the screening at TIFF, The Hollywood Reporter John DeFore described the film as a "charming, wholly commercial little comedy" that is "formulaic but pleasing", and praised Gleeson's performance. In her overview of the films shown at TIFF, Monika Bartyzel of The Week wrote: "The Grand Seduction is a super-sweet community tale sparked by the inclusion of McKellar's wry humor. It's a film overflowing with charm from end to end."
Overall critical reception to the film has been mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 59% based on reviews from 69 critics. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57/100, indicating mixed or average reviews, based on 20 critical reviews.
Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $323,743 in 94 theaters in the United States, ranking #17 at the box office. By the end of its run, The Grand Seduction grossed $3,878,262
