Elling Reviews
Cynthia S
Super Reviewer
October 14, 2010
I am really amazed at how much I liked this movie. At first I had my doubts, but then I just found myself unable to turn it off. These two guys were a hoot! I like how it all turned out. Very nice.
flixsterman
Super Reviewer
January 18, 2009
Two middle-aged, mentally challenged men team up to live as roommates in urban Oslo. Somehow , their odd, symbiotic relationship allows them to cope with the day-to-day challenges of independent living. Even though their methods might be peculiar, the results are frequently hilarious and sometimes inspirational.
Thank you Norway for this wonderful gem of a film.
Touching and delightful!
Two middle-aged, mentally challenged men team up to live as roommates in urban Oslo. Somehow , their odd, symbiotic relationship allows them to cope with the day-to-day challenges of independent living. Even though their methods might be peculiar, the results are frequently hilarious and sometimes inspirational.
Thank you Norway for this wonderful gem of a film.
Lanning :
Super Reviewer
As Monk says, no friendship is perfect. A kind, quirky, and quiet look at friendship and mental illness. Long live the Sauerkraut Poet!
Theta Sigma
Super Reviewer
January 22, 2011
Per Christian Ellefsen stars as Elling, a man recently released from a state institution. He is shy, neurotic, obsessively neat and tidy, agoraphobic and is unable to operate in the real world as his mother handled all of his decision making processes for the first 40 years of his life.
As part of his release into the community, he is required to share a state funded apartment with fellow released patient, Kjell Bjarne, portrayed by Sven Nordin. Kjell Bjarne is the total opposite loud mouthed and foul mouthed, scruffy and sex obsessed. If he isn't thinking about sex, he's talking to Elling about sex and if he isn't talking to Elling about sex, he is running up phone sex bills of 4000 Krone.
The conditions of their release are seemingly simple, they must prove to their social worker that they can operate as normal members of society or they lose the apartment, but when going to the grocery store to shop is a major challenge how can they meet their release conditions?
Through two chance meetings, Elling with poet and author Alfons Jorgensen (Per Christensen) and Kjell Bjarn's meeting and subsequent romance with pregnant neighbour Reidun Nordsletten (Marit Pia Jacobsen), the pair look to unconventional methods to cope with the society that is unleashed on their existence.
As this is a foreign language film, you are reliant on the subtitles. However, you can see from Ellefsen's and Nordin's performances that this is your basic "odd couple" storyline.
Ellefsen's portrayal is that of small compact spring - a bundle of nervous energy which looks to take up as little screen film as possible. Elling's voice is that for the majority of the film as you hear his opinions of his relationship with Kjell Bjarne and of life in general.
As befitting a man with a large personality, the portrayal of Kjell Bjarne is a big bear of a character, when he's loud he's very loud. When he swears or talks about sex it's for all the world to hear.
This is a darkly comic script which deals with life problems. However, the script never mocks the issue of mental health and you laugh with Elling and Kjell Bjarn and not mockingly at them.
Whilst this is a film that won't change your life and delivers quiet chuckles rather than belly laughs, please seek this out in your home entertainment store to rent. You may be pleasantly surprised.
I went to see the stage production based on this Norwegian film in London in 2007 and due to my enjoyment, I bought the film.
Per Christian Ellefsen stars as Elling, a man recently released from a state institution. He is shy, neurotic, obsessively neat and tidy, agoraphobic and is unable to operate in the real world as his mother handled all of his decision making processes for the first 40 years of his life.
As part of his release into the community, he is required to share a state funded apartment with fellow released patient, Kjell Bjarne, portrayed by Sven Nordin. Kjell Bjarne is the total opposite loud mouthed and foul mouthed, scruffy and sex obsessed. If he isn't thinking about sex, he's talking to Elling about sex and if he isn't talking to Elling about sex, he is running up phone sex bills of 4000 Krone.
The conditions of their release are seemingly simple, they must prove to their social worker that they can operate as normal members of society or they lose the apartment, but when going to the grocery store to shop is a major challenge how can they meet their release conditions?
Through two chance meetings, Elling with poet and author Alfons Jorgensen (Per Christensen) and Kjell Bjarn's meeting and subsequent romance with pregnant neighbour Reidun Nordsletten (Marit Pia Jacobsen), the pair look to unconventional methods to cope with the society that is unleashed on their existence.
As this is a foreign language film, you are reliant on the subtitles. However, you can see from Ellefsen's and Nordin's performances that this is your basic "odd couple" storyline.
Ellefsen's portrayal is that of small compact spring - a bundle of nervous energy which looks to take up as little screen film as possible. Elling's voice is that for the majority of the film as you hear his opinions of his relationship with Kjell Bjarne and of life in general.
As befitting a man with a large personality, the portrayal of Kjell Bjarne is a big bear of a character, when he's loud he's very loud. When he swears or talks about sex it's for all the world to hear.
This is a darkly comic script which deals with life problems. However, the script never mocks the issue of mental health and you laugh with Elling and Kjell Bjarn and not mockingly at them.
Whilst this is a film that won't change your life and delivers quiet chuckles rather than belly laughs, please seek this out in your home entertainment store to rent. You may be pleasantly surprised.
lesleyanorton
Super Reviewer
September 29, 2009
Gently underplayed sweet story about two men getting it together in the real world after release from a Norwegian state home, with the help of not-so-gentle prods from their care worker. I completely and utterly loved this film.
spaulsson
Super Reviewer
February 17, 2009
Pretty funny but most of all heart-warming. Great acting and nice music. Unfortunately I could relate to the thoughts and actions of the asocial characters which made the movie both enjoyable and a bit disturbing for me.
Wu C
Super Reviewer
October 8, 2006
Funny & touching. This film may induce tears. Deserving of an Oscar nomination.
GabrielKnight
September 6, 2012
An OK odd-couple comedy, not a bad movie per se, but not crazy funny or original. Perhaps something was "lost in translation", and I didn't get the social commentary if that's what I thought it was.
thereverendtholomewplague
July 28, 2010
Definitely an up-lifting movie. And particularly heart warming! Also very entertaining and not to mention, hilarious. Sometimes ridiculous but overall a decent and riveting film.
Ida K
Super Reviewer
November 11, 2007
Charming Norweigan film about two men who are in a state institution and get assigned to share an apartment together.
omikan27
December 17, 2006
Both lead characters drove me up a tree, but I cared about them too much NOT to worry over their fate.
March 31, 2013
A gentle and heart-rending comedy and drama. I loved the character development of Elling and his friend. This film had so much humanity, and eccentricity!
December 2, 2012
The movie starts by introducing us to a pair of retards and then digs in their characters to discover their human emotions and intellect...
Jonny 9.
December 5, 2011
Very reminiscent in tone of the American Indie "Lars and the Real Girl", "Elling" likewise doesn't play the lunacy of its main character for laughs or even for drama so much but rather goes for uplift." The agoraphobic title character as played by Per Christian Ellefsen comes off very much like American actor Tony Randall playing Felix Unger if Felix was afraid to leave the Manhattan apartment he desperately tried to keep neat. Kjell Bjarne (Sven Nordin) is Elling's state-mandated flat-mate although it is never clear as to why he winds up institutionalized. Most of the movie follows the pair's slowly unfolding adaptation to life in the outside world - although Elling only makes limited and therefore seemingly realistic process. Watching this socialization unfold does provide some of the emotional uplift the film aims for; however, the climax which involves a 9-month pregnant upstairs neighbor clearly puts the "foreign" in foreign film and one wonders if it played as other than genuinely creepy in its native Norway. Eventually, Robin Williams will be cast as the lead in the American adaptation (as he was in the equally Norwegian "Insomnia"), John Goodman will play the sidekick and the studio will hire nine writers to punch up the script with more jokes and rewrite the ending. In short, wait for that version.
Luc L.
February 20, 2011
A refreshing and entertaining film from Norway.
Theta Sigma
Super Reviewer
January 22, 2011
Per Christian Ellefsen stars as Elling, a man recently released from a state institution. He is shy, neurotic, obsessively neat and tidy, agoraphobic and is unable to operate in the real world as his mother handled all of his decision making processes for the first 40 years of his life.
As part of his release into the community, he is required to share a state funded apartment with fellow released patient, Kjell Bjarne, portrayed by Sven Nordin. Kjell Bjarne is the total opposite loud mouthed and foul mouthed, scruffy and sex obsessed. If he isn't thinking about sex, he's talking to Elling about sex and if he isn't talking to Elling about sex, he is running up phone sex bills of 4000 Krone.
The conditions of their release are seemingly simple, they must prove to their social worker that they can operate as normal members of society or they lose the apartment, but when going to the grocery store to shop is a major challenge how can they meet their release conditions?
Through two chance meetings, Elling with poet and author Alfons Jorgensen (Per Christensen) and Kjell Bjarn's meeting and subsequent romance with pregnant neighbour Reidun Nordsletten (Marit Pia Jacobsen), the pair look to unconventional methods to cope with the society that is unleashed on their existence.
As this is a foreign language film, you are reliant on the subtitles. However, you can see from Ellefsen's and Nordin's performances that this is your basic "odd couple" storyline.
Ellefsen's portrayal is that of small compact spring - a bundle of nervous energy which looks to take up as little screen film as possible. Elling's voice is that for the majority of the film as you hear his opinions of his relationship with Kjell Bjarne and of life in general.
As befitting a man with a large personality, the portrayal of Kjell Bjarne is a big bear of a character, when he's loud he's very loud. When he swears or talks about sex it's for all the world to hear.
This is a darkly comic script which deals with life problems. However, the script never mocks the issue of mental health and you laugh with Elling and Kjell Bjarn and not mockingly at them.
Whilst this is a film that won't change your life and delivers quiet chuckles rather than belly laughs, please seek this out in your home entertainment store to rent. You may be pleasantly surprised.
I went to see the stage production based on this Norwegian film in London in 2007 and due to my enjoyment, I bought the film.
Per Christian Ellefsen stars as Elling, a man recently released from a state institution. He is shy, neurotic, obsessively neat and tidy, agoraphobic and is unable to operate in the real world as his mother handled all of his decision making processes for the first 40 years of his life.
As part of his release into the community, he is required to share a state funded apartment with fellow released patient, Kjell Bjarne, portrayed by Sven Nordin. Kjell Bjarne is the total opposite loud mouthed and foul mouthed, scruffy and sex obsessed. If he isn't thinking about sex, he's talking to Elling about sex and if he isn't talking to Elling about sex, he is running up phone sex bills of 4000 Krone.
The conditions of their release are seemingly simple, they must prove to their social worker that they can operate as normal members of society or they lose the apartment, but when going to the grocery store to shop is a major challenge how can they meet their release conditions?
Through two chance meetings, Elling with poet and author Alfons Jorgensen (Per Christensen) and Kjell Bjarn's meeting and subsequent romance with pregnant neighbour Reidun Nordsletten (Marit Pia Jacobsen), the pair look to unconventional methods to cope with the society that is unleashed on their existence.
As this is a foreign language film, you are reliant on the subtitles. However, you can see from Ellefsen's and Nordin's performances that this is your basic "odd couple" storyline.
Ellefsen's portrayal is that of small compact spring - a bundle of nervous energy which looks to take up as little screen film as possible. Elling's voice is that for the majority of the film as you hear his opinions of his relationship with Kjell Bjarne and of life in general.
As befitting a man with a large personality, the portrayal of Kjell Bjarne is a big bear of a character, when he's loud he's very loud. When he swears or talks about sex it's for all the world to hear.
This is a darkly comic script which deals with life problems. However, the script never mocks the issue of mental health and you laugh with Elling and Kjell Bjarn and not mockingly at them.
Whilst this is a film that won't change your life and delivers quiet chuckles rather than belly laughs, please seek this out in your home entertainment store to rent. You may be pleasantly surprised.
dfwforeignbuff
June 30, 2009
Wow what a great and funny movie! Some call this Norwegian odd couple movie. I disagree. The is a very funny real life story about two men who become roommates through the Norwegian welfare state. It is the presentation of their trails and tribulations in joining the real world (with the help of their social worker) It is so oddball so quirky so honest--this movie is just incredible on several levels. Easily one of my top 20 favorite movies of the last five years. recommended watching Five stars.
