Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story is a 2002 Canadian drama television film directed by John L'Ecuyer, based on a true story about Jonathan Wamback who, in 1999, was beaten by a group of teenagers and left to die near his Newmarket home. The film stars Tyler Hynes, Christopher Jacot, Ron White, Marnie McPhail, Janet-Laine Green, and Charlotte Sullivan.
Contents
Plot
On his first day of high school, by intervening in a bullying incident and catching the interest of Courtney, Jonathan Wamback runs afoul of Kyle, who is the leader of the school gang (Skulls) and Courtney's boyfriend. Later, Jonathan's mother Lozanne find Kyle and his gang lighting cherry bombs in the park and harassing small children. She follows Kyle home and tells his mother, who refuses to believe it.
Jonathan is then approached by Gord Nelson and Jeff Walters, two cool guys who claim to be forming a group to stand up to Kyle's gang. When the three come across Skulls' graffiti on a wall, Jonathan paints over it. Gord paints racist remarks over another Skulls tag and the gang assumes that it was Jonathan. Using a phone call from Courtney, the gang lures Jonathan to the park, where they beat him so severely that he incurs brain damage and is put on life support. Lozanne and Jonathan's father, Joe, help to care for him; as he begins to recuperate, Joe lobbies to have the Young Offenders Act rewritten to impose harsher penalties for violent crime. Eventually, Jonathan returns to school to prove that despite everything, he's no longer a victim.
Cast
Tyler Hynes as Jonathan Wamback
Christopher Jacot as Kyle Simpson
Ron White as Joe Wamback
Marnie McPhail as Lozanne Wamback
Janet-Laine Green as Nora Simpson
Charlotte Sullivan as Courtney Henderson
Al Mukadam as Toby Migure
J. Adam Brown as Gord Nelson
Dan Warry-Smith as Jeff Walters
Craig Hustler as Donald Glover
Mpho Koaho as Trevor Smith
Jonathan Rosenberg as Ben Luekens
Sugith Varughese as Taj Gibson
Tamsin Kelsey as Cindy
Alison Sealy-Smith as Maureen
James Kall as Dr Bowman
Colin Fox as Michael Jordan
Maria Ricossa as Judge Joe Brown
Edwina Renout as Jet Li
Yank Azman as Duty Counsel
Ryan Booth as Cop
Lori Nancy Kalamanski as Nurse Jackie
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Doctor
Richard Waugh as Radio Host
Karen Woolridge as Reporter