Do you want to see ‘De Helaasheid der Dingen (The Misfo...’?

De Helaasheid der Dingen (The Misfortunates) (2010)

tomatometer

All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.7/10
Reviews Counted: 18
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 4

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 7.1/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 2

No consensus yet.

audience

liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 879

My Rating

Added to your Facebook Timeline. — undo

Movie Info

A boy growing up with a family of Flemish slobs learns more than his elders imagined they were capable of teaching in this purposefully rude comedy drama. Gunther Strobbe (Kenneth Vanbaeden) is 13 years old and living with his father, Marcel (Koen De Graeve), his three uncles (Bert Haelvoet, Johan Heldenbergh and Wouter Hendrickx), and his grandmother (Gilda De Bal). You would think that Gunther has more than enough adult role models in his life, but the Strobbes are not an ordinary family;

Unrated, 1 hr. 48 min.

Art House & International, Drama

Directed By: Felix Van Groeningen

Written By: Christophe Dirickx, Felix Van Groeningen

In Theaters: Apr 9, 2010 Limited

On DVD: Oct 19, 2010

NeoClassics Films

De Helaasheid der Dingen (The Misfortunates) Trailer & Photos

More Photos (4)

Cast

Critic Reviews for De Helaasheid der Dingen (The Misfortunates)

All Critics (18) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (4)

If Ken Loach and Roberto Benigni went into a bar, drank themselves into a stupor and emerged the next morning with a screenplay, it might look a lot like The Misfortunates.

June 14, 2010 Full Review Source: NPR

| Comment

Jeannette Catsoulis

NPR

Top Critic

A bawdy, heartfelt glimpse into a proudly dysfunctional Belgium family.

June 14, 2010 Comment

Douglas Pratt

Hollywood Reporter

Top Critic

The Misfortunates is a bleak comedy that's not as funny or grim as it needs to be.

June 10, 2010 Full Review Source: Boston Globe

| Comment

Wesley Morris

Boston Globe

Top Critic

There's whimsy and raunchy humor here, but also an underlying sense of darkness and despair.

June 3, 2010 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

| Comment

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

Top Critic

An appalling childhood may risk making you an unhappy person when you grow up, but it almost guarantees a great yarn.

April 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Top Critic

Comedy doesn't get any more tragic than this.

April 9, 2010 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail

| Comment

Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

Top Critic

A debauched clan of Belgian mullet-heads backdrop a heatfelt comedy

August 2, 2010 Full Review Source: Metro Times (Detroit, MI)

| Comment

Corey Hall

Metro Times (Detroit, MI)

The Misfortunates moves from intentionally depressing to, in the end, mildly uplifting -- but that likely comes too late to win over an audience that's been strapped to such a vulgar, offputting ensemble.

June 10, 2010 Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix

| Comment

Gerald Peary

Boston Phoenix

It's perfectly plausible that you might never want to visit Belgium after seeing Felix van Groeningen's offensive '80s tale of familial dysfunction.

April 11, 2010 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com

| Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

One thing's for certain though: The director's vision of this story allows for more uncertainty than Gunther's ever would.

April 9, 2010 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine

| Comment

Christian Blauvelt

Slant Magazine

Felix Van Groeningen's highly entertaining tale is full of hilarity, horror and heartbreak (sometimes within the same scene).

April 7, 2010 Full Review Source: Time Out New York

| Comment

Aaron Hillis

Time Out New York

The white-trash Strobbe family is investigated with both ribaldry and poignance.

March 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Compuserve

| Comment

Harvey S. Karten

Compuserve

It's a Miserable Life

March 19, 2010 Full Review Source: JWR

| Comment

S. James Wegg

JWR

A word of advice: Do not invite the Strobbe family over for Christmas dinner, as they're likely to leave the house strewn with beer bottles and broken furniture.

December 14, 2009 Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly

| Comment

Chuck Wilson

L.A. Weekly

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for De Helaasheid der Dingen (The Misfortunates)

View All

The Misfortunates works well as a coming-of-age story, because the people involved feel connected to the material. In other words, director Felix Van Groeningen has made a film that isn?t just entertaining; it?s genuine, as well. For every offbeat nostalgic moment, there are five that depict alcohol abuse and sexual

May 13, 2010

Mike T.

Super Reviewer

Certainly not a film for the masses. But the anarchic humor of the film lifts it from the broad mass-produced assembly-line production. The director makes the audience inevitably to voyeurs of a real edge of society, who drown their boredom in alcohol.

April 8, 2011

Sebastian Schwiebert

De Helaasheid der Dingen (The Misfortunates) Quotes

View All

No quotes approved yet for De Helaasheid der Dingen (The Misfortunates). Logged in users can submit quotes.

Character	Quote
	Enter quote here...	Delete

DVD

Top Rentals

29%	The Vow
94%	Mission: Impossible Ghost Protoc...
87%	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
28%	Underworld Awakening
85%	Chronicle

More…

New On DVD This Week

65%	The Woman in Black
25%	This Means War
94%	The Secret World of Arrietty
36%	Red Tails
88%	Certified Copy (Copie Conforme)

More…

Latest News for De Helaasheid der Dingen (The Misfortunates)

April 8, 2010:

Critics Consensus: Date Night Is An OK Night on The Town
This week at the movies, we've got a wild night on the town (Date Night, starring Steve Carrell and...

View All