Shake It All About

I can't believe I live on the same planet with people so stupid and so stunted emotionally that they can like or even tolerate this movie - but the evidence is right here, all around me on this page. It's mind-boggling.

I've seen thousands of movies, and I've seen hundreds of gay movies, and this is BY FAR the most offensive and infuriating movie I have ever seen anywhere. The only way I can explain it is that the people who like this despicable movie MUST be straight, and therefore unable to help being morons.

Any gay man or lesbian, or any transsexual or otherwise non-straight human being who likes this garbage must despise themselves. There IS no other possible explanation.

This is one of those slick commercial movies - like Brokeback Mountain - made about gay people but made BY straight people and FOR straight people so that they can feel good about how liberal and open-minded they are, while producing such a warped and depraved image of what non-straight people are really like that they are only deepening and reinforcing their already deplorable ignorance of what it means to be different.

I cannot tell you how much I hate this movie, but I hope I've managed to give you at least a vague notion of how I feel about it.

Spoiled want-it-all Jacob wants to marry his male partner Jørgen, but happens to fall for Jørgen´s brother´s wife, leading to many hilarious situations and poignant moments. Actress Hella Joof´s directing debut has laugh-out-loud comedy and sensitive drama in equal measures, with excellent performances by the three leads, Mads Mikkelsen as Jacob, Troels Lyby as his long-suffering partner, and Charlotte Munck as the girl who gets between them. Gay stereotypes abound, but performed by a talented cast, with Peter Frödin and Nikolaj Steen as standouts. Film has its share of flaws and doesn´t quite steer clear of romantic movie clichés, that airport-set denouement just doesn´t ring true, but the film is so appealing that you probably won´t mind. Written by the director and actor Klaus Bondam (who appears as a priest with a red-dyed porcupine haircut) For Danish viewers: Look for an unrecognizable Lars Hjortshøj as an alcoholic and Zlatko Buric as a cab-driver. Be sure to stick around for the end credits and check out the Polaroid snapshots for one final hilarious punchline involving the identity of "Sørmand"! ***

What a cringe film, I can't believe it happened , but it really do, the story is unbelieveble, I really really want to punch Jacob, he such a jerk, I hate almost the whole story, but I can't help watching it, It's attracted, fancy, funny... I hate it but I love it too... I am such a mess , just like this film.

This film is about a man who is about to marry the man he loves, but falls for his sister instead.

"Shake It All About" is an unconventional romantic comedy. It's well written, and the story is engaging. It's an emotional roller-coaster that exposes a painful reality. Troels Lyby's acting as Jorgen is phenomenal. His character faces many adversities, and each time Lyby conveys his sadness, frustration and anger very well. I can see his pain and I can feel his pain. The lunch party scene where Jacob packs up is the best example of his splendid acting. I would certainly want to watch more of his films. Mads Mikkelsen is disappointing on the other hand. He does not carry his emotions as thoroughly as Troels Lyby. I enjoyed watching "Shake It All About".

To quote the Bard, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." It is inconceivable that a movie like "Shake It All About" could be filmed, let alone marketed, in the 21st century. The movie's only nod to the current status of gay rights in Europe and North America is that its heroes plan to get married. But no mention is ever made of AIDS or condom usage. The secondary gay characters are a kaleidoscope of stereotypes that might have been acceptable 20 years ago in "La Cage aux Folles", or 30 years ago in "The Boys in the Band" -- but not today, in the 21st century. For pity's sake, the film even fades to lavender between scenes!

My friends and I hooted and hollered our way through the screening, shouting out catty remarks, which the picture rightly and amply deserved. A jilted bride walking down the street in her wedding gown drew a reference to Rhoda Morgenstern's wedding (remember that?). And the sight of two gay men riding horseback together reminded us of the "Welcome to Condom Country" ad campaign of the AIDS Committee of Toronto, Canada. I couldn't help adding, "That's the only stallion that was ridden in the film!"

I think "Shake It All About" deserves the title of Best Film ... of 1973. I left the film, somewhat shaken that such claptrap can still be served up in the name of gay comedy -- but not at all stirred.