Elling (2001)

Director:

Petter Næss

Writers:

Ingvar Ambjørnsen (novel)
Axel Hellstenius (writer)

Release Date:

16 March 2001 (Norway)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

They're packed and ready for the greatest adventure of their lives. All they have to do is get out of the house.

Plot:

When his mother, who has sheltered him his entire 40 years, dies, Elling, a sensitive, would-be poet...

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Poet | Horny Person | Nervous | Trip

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Per Christian Ellefsen	...	Elling
Sven Nordin	...	Kjell Bjarne
Marit Pia Jacobsen	...	Reidun Nordsletten
Jørgen Langhelle	...	Frank Åsli
Per Christensen	...	Alfons Jørgensen
Hilde Olausson	...	Gunn
Ola Otnes	...	Hauger
Eli Anne Linnestad	...	Johanne (as Eli-Anne Linnestad)
Cecilie A. Mosli	...	Cecilie Kornes (as Cecilie Mosli)
Joachim Rafaelsen	...	Haakon Willum
Per Gørvell	...	Eriksen (as Per Gørvel)
Knud Dahl	...	Waiter at bar
Knut Haugmark	...	Porter

Also Known As:

Brødre i blodet (Norway) (alternative title)
Me, My Friend and I (International: English title) (festival title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

Norway

Language:

Norwegian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:6 | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Netherlands:AL | Spain:T | Argentina:Atp | UK:15 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Oslo, Norway

Company:

Maipo Film- og TV Produksjon

Trivia:

Sven Nordin who played one of the leading roles in this movie gained 25 pounds to fit the character he was playing.

Quotes:

[Ticket ordering continued]
Train ticket salesman: That'll be 130 kroner per ticket.
Elling: 130 kroner? The last time mother and I took the train to Larvik the ticket cost 25.
Train ticket salesman: That must have been about 30 years ago.
Elling: Yes

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Holiday (2006)

An Extremely Enjoyable Film

This has to be one of the best films from Norway that I've ever seen. OK, so it's the first film from Norway that I've ever seen, but it is a great movie. Very uplifting and heartwarming, yet the characters are very interesting and believable unlike many movies out there these days. And a quick reply to Andrés M. Rais who felt that this movie was "feel-good propaganda". Sorry if life isn't always great, in fact most of the time it just plain sucks. But that is why we watch movies. If you go into every movie expecting bad endings and horrible things to happen all the time, because that is how you feel life is, you need to re-examine your view on life (maybe get some Prozac too). Go rent a documentary about genocide, famine, and global warming, and keep your negative comments to yourself please. Almost every other comment on this site has been positive, so if you are trying to decide whether or not to watch this movie, just ignore Andrés.

BTW: If you liked the movie Amelie, you will probably like this movie (also, if you liked this movie, you will probably like Amelie :).