Humørkort-stativ-sælgerens Søn (2002) - Danish laughs in small-scope relationship comedy

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Naughty hijinks with popular stars seems to be the promise from this poster for Peter Bay's Humørkort-stativ-sælgerens Søn

A Copenhagen publishing house editor is under pressure from his broody girlfriend, meanwhile he gets a new Swedish boss, who wants him to cut ties with his poet friend, alcoholic Jack.

 

Humørkort-stativ-sælgerens Søn is written by Mads Brenøe (Surferne Kommer (1998)), Dunja Gry Jensen (Terribly Happy/Frygtelig Lykkelig (2008)) and co-writer/director Peter Bay (Fede Tider (1996)). The original Danish title translates to, 'the humor card mount salesman's son'.

Hella Joof (Normalerweize (2004-11)) walks determinedly into a very funny role here, which exposes some of the strategies of modern women in relationships, and Thomas Bo Larsen (The Hunt/Jagten (2012)) is good as an atypical, modern pushover man with an ugly haircut. Philip Zandén (Micke & Veronica (2014)) also acts as the Swedish boss with comedic brilliance.

The plot is rife with unlikely and clearly constructed occurrences, and co-star Anette Støvelbæk (Speed Walking/Kapgang (2014)) is given a flat character who's just a sweet veterinarian and that's it. The minuscule budget also becomes conspicuous, as when a scene that clearly calls for extras has no extras, - and in the animated opening credits, which are so primitive that they appear to come from an American 1960s film. 

So the sum and the width in Humørkort-stativ-sælgerens Søn leaves something to be desired, but the film is fun to watch, although for Danes primarily.

 

Related post:

 

Peter Bay: Kun en Pige (1995) - Schrøder's lavish Lise Nørgaard biopic (co-writer)

 

 

Cost: Unknown, projected 1.43 mil. $

Box office: Approximately 740k $

= Uncertain but likely a huge flop (projected return of 0.51 times its cost)

[Humørkort-stativ-sælgerens Søn was released 28 June (Denmark) and runs 85 minutes. Shooting took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. The film sold 69,999 tickets in Denmark (the only theatrical release market), coming to around 5.18 mil. DKK or 0.74 mil. $. With a projected cost of 10 mil. DKK, the film ranks as a huge flop. It was nominated for 1 Robert, Denmark's Oscar. Bay only returned with a short, Striber (2003). Joof returned in Det Brune Punktum: Far Brugte Ikke Noget (2002, video) and theatrically in Someone Like Hodder/En Som Hodder (2003); Larsen in Hjerteafdelingen (2002, TV-series)), with a voice performance in The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear/Drengen Der Ville Gøre Det Umulige (2002) and with a physical theatrical performance in It's All About Love (2003). 311 IMDb users have given Humørkort-stativ-sælgerens Søn a 3.6/10 average rating.]

 

What do you think of Humørkort-stativ-sælgerens Søn? 

Sidste Time (1995) - Hammy, heavy-handed Danish teen horror

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An evil eye and a terrorized teen ditto stand out on this dark poster for Martin Schmidt's Sidste Time

A tabloid crime show broadcasts from in front of a high school, where a wave of murders is decimating a locked-in group of students.

Sidste Time is written by Dennis Jürgensen (Bag Det Stille Ydre (2005)) and directed by debuting Martin Schmidt (Kat (2001)). The original Danish title translates to 'last hour', referring to the last class of the day for a student.

A generous three heart rating here to this heavy-handed Danish horror that's very teenage-eschewed but has something worthwhile to it: A ghost-story-like fright factor. The acting is fair, - the TV host and the Last Girl performances are especially energetic, - and the dialog is decent. There is a scene with Thomas Bo Larsen (Another Round/Druk (2020)), which falls out of the overall tone of the film as only comical (and it is in fact a lot of fun.) But Sidste Time is also often involuntarily funny.

Schmidt is no great director. Here again and again he interrupts scary starts with scenes of the TV show shooting outside the school that are without real purpose. The film stalls and doesn't have nearly enough terror. It also has a horrible, 1980s-sounding score (by Frans Bak (Men & Chicken/Mænd og Høns (2015))) and a title song by Søs Fenger that is, in a word, misguided. One wonders, was the film prohibited for some incomprehensible reason from being really scary?

 

Enjoy Søs Fenger and Elisabeth Gjerulff Nielsen's misguided title song here

 

Cost: 4.5 mil. DKK, approximately 0.61 mil. $

Box office: In excess of 4.8 mil. DKK, approximately 0.65 mil. $

= Uncertain, but likely a big flop (projected return of 1.32 times its cost)

[Sidste Time was released 22 February (Germany) and runs 77 minutes. Shooting took place for 18 days in a school in Hørsholm, Zealand, Denmark, which was offered for the production because it was closed for reconstruction due to widespread mold decay. In Denmark the film sold 118,496 tickets, coming to 4.8 mil. DKK, based on the average 41 DKK ticket prize at the time. Regrettably there is no info available on the film's performance in Germany, Norway and Finland, where it was also released. Most likely it was tiny releases in those countries, and with a projected final gross of 6 mil. DKK/0.81 mil. $, the film would rank as a big flop. Schmidt returned with Mørkeleg (1996). 1,2k+ IMDb users have given Sidste Time a 5.8/10 average rating.]

What do you think of Sidste Time?

Another Round/Druk (2020) - A perfect gem, a wonderful film, Vinterberg's true celebration

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+ Best Movie of the Year

+ Best Danish Movie of the Year + Best $ Return of the Year: 2.43 times + Best Dramedy of the Year 

 

Mads Mikkelsen stops for a sip in the middle of the street with his friends in tow on this poster for Thomas Vinterberg's Another Round

Four middle-aged long-time friends, who are all teachers at the same high school, raddle around an experiment, when one of them seems to have fully lost his life's spark: To work under constant inebriation of at least 0.5 % alcohol in their blood.

 

Another Round is written by Tobias Lindholm (The Commune/Kollektivet (2016)) and co-writer/director, Danish master filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg (Sneblind (1990)), whose 13th film it is. The original Danish title translates to 'heavy drinking'. The film is dedicated to Vinterberg's daughter, who passed away in a tragic car accident during shooting of the film.

Another Round may be the perfect midlife-crisis movie. Because the drinking experiment the four friends embark upon, - inspired by the theory of a Norwegian psychologist that man is made with a half percent alcohol missing in his blood, - is really spurred on by the men's hunger for adventure and youth in their steady, close-knit lives.

The film delves into the special Danish drinking culture, which is especially strong and solidified early on in life, as is evident in the very opening of the film, and certainly local Danish aspects of culture, humor and language will get lost in translation. It doesn't change the fact that Another Round is Vinterberg's best film since his debut masterpiece The Celebration/Festen (1998). It is also the best Danish film in years.

The structure is perfect; the writing is inspired and full of color and fun. The balance between very funny elements and real drama is nailed in Another Round, which alternatively makes audiences laugh as if by reflex, and clench jaws as tears well up in its heaviest moments. The film was intended as a pure celebration of the enjoyment of alcohol but was later developed into also dealing with the shadow side and consequences of binge drinking and alcoholism.

The performances in Another Round are out of the ballpark: Mads Mikkelsen (Valhalla Rising (2009)) goes from nationally (and internationally) endeared to a national hero in Denmark as Martin, the man whose crisis ignites the experiment. Mikkelsen is gold as the man who has stopped being there, who becomes the man that's back in a big way - but due to a helping ingredient. He outdoes himself. Maria Bonnevie (The 13th Warrior (1999)) matches him with grace and honesty as his wife in the film. And the three friends are acted with terrific energy and verve by Magnus Millang (Selvhenter (2019)), Lars Ranthe (Kartellet (2014)) and Thomas Bo Larsen (A Place Nearby/Her i Nærheden (2000)). Larsen is especially poignant as the group's weakest link. The performances by youths are also good.

Another Round is a party you won't want to miss. A complete rescue from the China virus pandemic (for a couple of hours.) A film pulsating with life and energy. A true celebration.

Related posts:

 
Thomas Vinterberg: 2020 in films - according to Film Excess 

Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) - Vinterberg's plush but grating English adaptation

The Hunt/Jagten (2012) - Vinterberg's strongest film since 1998 is a reversed Celebration  

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Submarino (2010) - Vinterberg's elegant, downbeat Copenhagen-set social realism drama
Dear Wendy (2004) - Vinterberg and Von Trier's unpopular, gun-themed mega-flop  

The Celebration/Festen (1998) - Vinterberg's charged, stirring Dogme drama masterpiece 

 

 

Mikkelsen and Vinterberg converse about the film at a virtual interview at the Toronto International Film Festival in the video here

 

Cost: 33.5 mil. DKK, approximately 5.31 mil. $

Box office: Around 22.5 mil. DKK and counting

= Too early to say

[Another Round premiered 12 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 115 minutes. The film has sold 319k tickets in its first 3 weeks in production country Denmark, despite the China virus pandemic, considered a huge win in the small country, although many tickets are sold at half prize due to the film being played as part of the Biografklub Danmark club. The gross so far should come to around 22.5 mil. DKK. The film is coming to several markets in coming months, check out the list here. Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired the US distribution right to it but have not announced a release date yet, probably awaiting improvements in the market, marred by mass cinema closures due to the China virus. Vinterberg does not have his next project announced yet. Mikkelsen returns in Retfærdighedens Ryttere (2020); Larsen, Millang and Ranthe do not have their next theatrical appearances announced yet. Another Round is fresh at 85 % with a 7.25/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Another Round?

The Celebration/Festen (1998) - Vinterberg's charged, stirring Dogme drama masterpiece

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+ 3rd Best Movie of the Year

+ Best Drama of the Year + Breakthrough Actor of the Year: Ulrich Thomsen

Four of the film's leads evocative faces clash in a broken mirror in this stark and intriguing poster for Thomas Vinterberg's The Celebration

Christian is going to his father's 60th birthday celebration on their family's castle hotel. With him he carries two speeches, which are going to change his family forever.

The Celebration is written by Mogens Rukov (Reconstruction (2003)) and its Danish master co-writer/director Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt/Jagten (2012)), whose 3rd feature it is, as well as his best film overall. It represented a kick in the ass on Danish cinema, Danish cultural centrism and Danish traditions in general, which the film - and us as audiences - invariably laugh at. (It is the first of the so-called Dogme films: Read about some of the wave's specifications below.) The humor in this heavily themed drama is liberating and pivotal, saving The Celebration from becoming a depressing acquaintance.
It is fantastically put together script and editing-wise, impressively shot on a simple Sony Handycam (by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (Kursk (2018)).) The Celebration is full of great ideas, which simply work, and great Danish actors who give career-defining performances: Paprika Steen (The Substitute/Vikaren (2007)), Ulrich Thomsen (Centurion (2010)) as Christian, Thomas Bo Larsen (A Second Chance/En Chance Til (2014)), Henning Moritzen (Roser og Persille (1993)), Helle Dolleris (Karla og Jonas (2010)), Trine Dyrholm (Fluerne på Væggen (2005)) and Klaus Bondam (Lykkevej (2003)), who is wonderful as the party's German toastmaster.
The Celebration is funny, gripping and intense, a fiery drama that booms with energy.

Related posts:

 
Thomas Vinterberg: Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) - Vinterberg's plush but grating English adaptation

The Hunt/Jagten (2012) - Vinterberg's strongest film since 1998 is a reversed Celebration  

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Submarino (2010) - Vinterberg's elegant, downbeat Copenhagen-set social realism drama
Dear Wendy (2004) - Vinterberg and Von Trier's unpopular, gun-themed mega-flop 

1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  

 Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 1.3 mil. $
Box office: 1.6 mil. $ (North America only); gross likely exceeds 5.6 mil. $
= Big hit (likely returned in excess of 4.3 times its cost)
[The Celebration premiered in May (Cannes Film Festival, in competition) and runs 105 minutes. The inspiration for the film was a radio program in which a man told about his experiences coming from an incestuous family. - The man was later revealed to have invented the whole story. Shooting took place in Zealand, Denmark. It was the first film to follow the 1995 Dogme manifesto, which detailed that films should be made according to several rules, barring non-diegetic music, sound editing, elaborate setups and crediting the filmmaker. The film opened #52 to a 50k $ first weekend in 28 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #41, only decreasing in theater number, and grossed 1.6 mil. $. In its production country Denmark the film sold impressive 403k tickets, amassing approximately 4 mil. $. Its performance in other markets is not known. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to two notches harder than this one. The film was Denmark's annual entry for the Oscars, but it was not nominated. It was nominated for a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, won 2/2 Bodil awards (Danish film critics' award), the Jury Prize in Cannes, was nominated for a César award, won 1/3 European Film award nominations, an Independent Spirit award, 7/7 Robert awards (Denmark's Oscar) and many other honors. It has been adapted to the stage. Vinterberg returned with 4 video and TV credits before his theatrical return with little-seen Canadian indie The Third Lie (2000). Thomsen returned in Angel of the Night/Nattens Engel (1998); Larsen in I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now (1998); Moritzen in 4 TV credits before Her i Nærheden (2000); and Dyrholm in A Regular Thing/Kys, Kærlighed og Kroner (1998, short), Taxa (1997-99) and theatrically in In China They Eat Dogs/I Kina Spiser De Hunde (1999). The Celebration is fresh at 92 % with an 8.09/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Celebration?

Chop Chop/Fukssvansen (2001) - Oplev's Danish crazy-comedy

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The colorful poster for Niels Arden Oplev's Chop Chop

Chop Chop is the second feature by Danish co-writer-director Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo/Mænd Der Hader Kvinder (2009)) after his crime drama Portland (1996), which also starred Anders W. Berthelsen (King's Game/Kongespil (2004)).

Two brothers, one slightly retarded, the other indebted to a dubious druggie who boards with them until he can collect, live together in their rural childhood home, as a mysterious woman enters their lives, and macabre mishaps begin turning everything around for them.

The original title of the film is an archaic Danish word for 'saw'. - The key conflict of the movie arises because the brothers loan their neighbor's saw.  
Chop Chop is very much a Danish crazy-comedy, which therefore may seem a bit esoteric to outsiders (non-Danes that is), although the DVD I've acquired at least has English subtitles.
The film lends space for some really hilarious Danish actors to go all out with some outrageous characters: Especially secondaries Tommy Kenter (Otto the Rhino (2013), voice) and Birthe Neumann (The Celebration/Festen (1998)) are uproarious as the semi-fascist spying neighbor and his timid housewife. Thomas Bo Larsen (The Hunt/Jagten (2012)) also provides some laughs, often due to his physicality in his acting the part of the ill-fated Finn.

Thomas Bo Larsen with the title 'fukssvans' [saw] in Niels Arden Oplev's Chop Chop

The details:

The movie references Jaws (1975) and Apocalypse Now (1979), but generally, its script (by Oplev and Håkan Lindhé (Family Secrets/Familjehemligheter (2001)) is heavy-handed and lacks upwards motion. Music motifs are over-used and so are catchphrases. The film lacks material. And it doesn't help that Oplev has chosen to use cutting ploys that invoke sit-coms. - The film is already slight.
It also seems to suffer under a budget that's just too small: Boring score music is made up, where original songs were called for; the ending should without question SPOILER have seen the brothers' home getting blown up, but isn't, etc. etc. The photography is nothing to write home about (by Lars Vestergaard (We Shall Overcome/Drømmen (2006)), and the (unsubtle over)lighting is just bad.
Chop Chop is amusing (probably especially to Danes), but it also isn't smart enough to really score, and it has the mark of 'learning picture' written all over it. - Which it probably was for Oplev, who experienced much bigger success later on in his career: After Dragon Tattoo, he was invited to make Dead Man Down (2013), a Hollywood actioner that totally flopped, so he returned home after that to make the more successful (and homely) Speed Walking/Kapgang (2014).

Related review:

Niels Arden Oplev: Speed Walking/Kapgang (2014) - Funny and sweetly nostalgic 70s coming-of-age in rural Denmark
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo/Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (2009) - An exciting adult ride in sadism and mystery from cold cold Sweden

Martin Buch and Anders W. Berthelsen before their home in Niels Arden Oplev's Chop Chop

The trailer for the film is available here, with Spanish subtitles

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Unknown
[But most likely a flop. The film couldn't have faired well outside of Denmark, if it even had theatrical premieres anywhere outside the small Scandinavian country. There, just over 100k people paid admission to see it, which isn't considered a hit (that would be more like at least 250k). The film won one Bodil and two Robert awards (Danish film awards). - 2001 was a weak year in Danish film.]

What do you think of Chop Chop?

The Hunt/Jagten (2012) - Vinterberg's strongest film since 1998 is a reversed Celebration

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Mads Mikkelsen and the effect of 'the others' on the chilling poster for Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt

QUICK REVIEW:

Our hero Oscar is a kindergarten caretaker in the village where he lives, and he is just about to get his teenage son back from his vindictive ex-wife, when a little girl tells the kindergarten manager a story, which comes to drastically change his life.

Getting into the story here, we know where it is heading; The Hunt is the kind of movie that feels somewhat like tripping and falling down a rocky mountain in slow-motion. - It just goes downhill pretty much for the whole film.
But with the help of a generally good script, - co-written by director Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration (1998)) and Tobias Lindholm (A Hijacking (2012)), - and fine performances, this steady downwards motion avoids growing dull or overly depressing. - Although it is not a film most people will find themselves coming back to for a second watch.
Mads Mikkelsen (The Salvation (2014)) plays Oscar, the man who gets side-tracked in his little rural world, and he shows us all the emotions connected to this perfectly. Susse Wold (Matador (1978-81)) is eminent as his boss; and Thomas Bo Larsen (Pusher (1996)) is good as his best friend.
However, there is one scene, which was a fly in the soup for me: SPOILER The church scene, in which Oscar makes a big, loud and even violent scene during Christmas Mass. I lost sympathy for him in the scene, and I didn't think it was needed to go overboard like that. It's just too much. Also, the particulars concerning the prayer and the priest are obviously written by people unfamiliar with the rituals, and who also seem to be driven by their own prejudices of the churchly realm. This is disappointing.
The ending of the film is on first look pretty good. But on further thought, what does it really imply? SPOILER That despite the fact that Oscar is found innocent of the charges and is taken back into the community, he will always feel hunted? This seems to be it. It goes contrary to the scenes preceding it, and I don't quite buy it. I also don't want to feel bad for the strong male hero in perpetuity, somehow.
Still, The Hunt is a good Danish film and Oscar-contender for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2014, which it lost to Paolo Sorrentino's masterpiece The Great Beauty (2013).
It is curious that this arguably Vinterberg's greatest film since he erupted internationally with the Dogme-masterpiece The Celebration/Festen (1998) is also a film that deals with child sex abuse. - However, The Hunt presents, in a way, the exact reversed situation of The Celebration: There the awful truth was shushed away and hidden for ages as a taboo, while in The Hunt, a viral lie of an imagined sexual abuse becomes the basis of a mass hysteria.
Vinterberg is at the moment putting his last touches on a remake starring Carey Mulligan, Far From the Maddening Crowd (2015).

Susse Wold and Annika Wedderkopp in Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt

Watch the excellent trailer here

Cost: 3.5 mil. $
Box office: 16.7 mil. $
= Big hit
[Strongly supported by The Hunt's win in Cannes '12, where it also had its world premiere, for Best Lead Actor (Mikkelsen), it enjoyed nice runs, particularly in countries like the Netherlands and its originating Denmark.]

What do you think of The Hunt?