By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Petter Næss
Starring: Jørgen Langhelle | Marit Pia Jacobsen | Per Christian Ellefsen | Sven Nordin
Country: norway
Year: 2002
Running time: 89
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0279064
Janet says: “This film is said to be doing tremendous box office and even revitalizing the film industry in Norway. But if you see just one Norwegian film this year, make it COOL AND CRAZY instead. ELLING is a too-broad comedy with several truly funny moments about two men, roommates in a mental hospital, who are released and share an apartment under the watchful eye of their social worker. Elling (picture a cross between Rowan Atkinson and Felix Unger) is a neurotic mama’s boy and afraid to do almost anything. His roommate is a huge yet childlike man (sort of a Gerard Depardieu type) who is given to terrible rages but who can build and fix things. The two of them make some friends and one even has a rather erotic romance. The script lacks backstory, and the writer has problems with consistency as to what these disabled characters know or don’t know about the world, what they can do or can’t do. But the photography is nice, especially the color. If you can do cute, do this. I’d rather see something gritty and disturbing.”