Jay Scott wrote that "If the great Canadian comedy ever gets made, Winnipeg director John Paizs, whose first full-length feature, Crime Wave, received its world premiere at the Festival of Festivals, may be the filmmaker to do it: Paizs has a unique, off-centre sensibility.
The passage highlights John Paizs's potential as a director for a Canadian comedy film, based on his unique filmmaking style and the success of his first feature film, Crime Wave, at the Festival of Festivals.