Pölhölä

This is quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. It's supposed to be a comedy, yet not a single so-called joke manages to elicit even a smile. The actors seem well aware of this and appear mostly uncomfortable on screen, but what can you do, the paycheck still has to be earned to pay the bills.

The fact that the screenplay was written by Spede Pasanen comes as no real surprise; this particular talent was responsible for quite a few stains on the history of Finnish cinema. It's no wonder that "Spede" became a derogatory term in Finnish years ago, used to describe someone of somewhat limited intelligence.

Now, I don't deny the writer's significance in the broader history of Finnish film, but this particular movie contributes nothing to that legacy. It's an astoundingly dull piece of work, lacking even the dubious charm of being "so bad it's good."

Pölhölä is a village somewhere in Finland.The inhabitants aren't blessed with too much wisdom.In this village you find an old man and his even older father, who has to keep moving.The people of Pölhölä make a funeral for Metusalem beforehand.Pölholä's (1981) directors are Taavi Kassila, Heikki Kinnunen and Pertti Reponen.The script is by Spede Pasanen.Heikki Kinnunen does a great double role as Kalevi Käppyrä and Äijänkäppyrä.Same thing with Aake Kalliala, who plays Kustaa and Metusalem Käppyrä.This was his debut in a feature film.Olavi Ahonen gives a funny performance as Jaakoppi Ähkylä.The recently passed away Helge Herala is terrific as Kauppias.Maija-Leena Soinne is fantastic as Lutikainen.And so is Terhi Panula as Hätäläinen.Sakari Jurkka is very good as Ministeri.Pirkka-Pekka Petelius is terrific as Official.And so is Erkki Saarela.Martti Järvinen plays Kiertävä Työpaikkaesivoimistelija.The young Mikko Kivinen is Rekkakuski.Sulevi Peltola plays Rakennusmies.Vesa Vierikko gives his feature film debut as Bisnesmies.The great late Jyrk Kovaleff plays Kyläläinen.Also Pertti Sveholm plays Kyläläinen.Mauno Hyvönen works as the Narrator.The movie is filled with fun stuff.One of the funniest moments is when Kustaa is sent to tell about the supposed death of Metusalem to his son.But on the way he forgets what he was supposed to tell to him, so Äijänkäppyrä tells him to talk about something else first, maybe that way he could remember.So he tells a funny story that happened to him once, and they both start laughing.The other villagers hear this and notice how Kustaa can make something like death news a fun matter.And Kustaa making different kinds of kissing positions with Lutikainen makes you chuckle.Maybe the humor of Pölhölä isn't for everybody, but it sure worked for me and my family.

Spede Pasanen, comedian/screenwriter/actor/inventor/you-name-it, in my mind had a lot more misses than hits, and probably was able to sully his own legacy just through being himself; though, at his best, he was able to deliver. This one may not be his "citizen kane", but in my humble opinion it's rather entertaining, charming and amusing (possibly underrated) and feels a lot like a faithful "Finnishisation" of monty python's comedy stylings, which truly resonates with me. But unlike the pythons, it boasts a "full" cast of top-billed Finnish acting talents of the day, some of whom have become legends in their own right, others I personally can't even name, but all-in-all, quite stellar performances (for which a huge credit must go to the director)