Review of Elling (2001) by Matthew M — 03 Feb 2004

Last Saturday I rented a few flicks over at my favorite Rochester hole-in-the-wall, Global DVD. They have a nice selection of foreign and art-house indie films there. I was looking for a movie called Elling (word is, Kevin Spacey is working on the remake to this Norwegian dramatic comedy, so being a Spacey fan, I decided to check out the original). My first reaction was that the movie is quirky, so of course I felt right at home. The main character is a neurotic fellow named Elling (go figure), who has led a rather sheltered life. After the death of his mother, Elling finds himself institutionalized and paired with a sex-driven 40 year old brute (who happens to be a virgin) named Kjell Bjarne [think of that slob Lenny from Of Mice and Men]. The two soon become friends and after 2 years in the loony-bin, they are released and given an apartment to share. At this point many comical moments ensue as both men attempt to live their lives in the real world, and at times, fail miserably in process. The entire story-line reminded me of the Odd Couple, except here, both characters are completely detached from normalcy. They eventually start to find themselves and venture out into the world, encountering new experiences and people in the process.

[b][i][u]Closing thought's on Elling[/u]:[/i][/b] A quirky, warmhearted film. The subtitles are easy to follow and do not take away from the overall viewing experience. I'm not sure a remake is necessary. In my opinion, modern remakes such as Vanilla Sky, Insomnia, and The Vanishing have tarnished the original films. People need to have the sack to ante up and watch a subtitled film for once, rather than seeing the polished, watered-down Hollywood version. That said, I do look forward to seeing Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Elling. (He played a great quasi-neurotic as 'Verbal' Kint in the Usual Suspects.) Actor Per Christian Ellefsen did an excellent job conveying paranoia. And his every twitch will be hard for Kevin to match (if Kevin does actually play the role).

[b][i][u]Elling Verdict[/u]:[/i][/b] 8/10.

[color=red]* Earned an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film of 2001.[/color].