Staying Alive (2015) Reviews

• Feelgood about divorce is mixed bag of nuts

  OJT2015-01-10

  First time feature film director Charlotte Blom, with only a couple of short movies behind her, has made a quite vibrant drama comedy dealing with adultery and separation towards divorce. Marinne is happily living together with her boyfriend Håkon and two small kids when she discovers he has an affair with the "waffle-lady" at work. Thankfully she has her best friend to talk to, when she has to deal with this. She has to discover life all over again. It takes time before the film's comic elements starts to work. This is more of a drama than a comedy if you ask me. It's not laugh out loud funny either, except for one, maybe two gags. Itzs always when Linn Skåbers character as the pregnant friend is involved. The pregnant woman which isn't at all ready to give up drinking, at least not now she's not feeling sick anymore. Skåber was obviously allowed to improvise, and giving a good comedian chance to do this, might succeed. It does here, In one discussion between the two best friends it's obvious that this turns out real heartfelt unplanned laughter. It's a good film, quite realistic, and with some odd but funny conversations. The best is among those when a learner driver is once in a while trying to park between cars. Small episodes which are important spice in this movie. An appearance of Johnny Logan on stage is to be significant to the main person, and so is the Bee Gees hit Staying Alive, which really is a part of making this a feel good movie. Well, a good film, but not a classic. It fails to engage me very much, except when playing Staing alive, and making the little gags. Agnes Kittelsen does great again, and steals the screen, here as Marianne, but I tend to feel I really don't care too much about what will happen. The main audience of the film will be women. And as such I think it'll probably succeed more than with me as audience. As a comedy it's only 30% successful, but enough to make this an OK experience, though easily forgotten.

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• Not happening

  pejansen-269262015-05-09

  I really liked Anders Baasmo Christiansen in "Børning", and thought I would give this one a chance. Bad idea. This movie is the definition of weak sauce. All the characters are so superficial. You get no real insight what is really going on. Husband is unfaithful, they get a divorce, wife wants him back, husband fights with his new spouse, wife don't want him back anymore. This movie is not a comedy, but it really isn't a drama either. I really have no clue what it is. It certainly is neither touching, funny nor memorable. Two of the four stars is entirely due to Johnny Logan's unintentionally hilarious cameo. Please leave your brain at the entrance, before you go watch this movie. You won't need it.

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