Der Hundertjährige, der aus dem Fenster stieg und verschwand

This movie is extremely funny. From the moment the old man crawls out of the window until the very end of the movie, it is a stitch. It is fast paced and all the characters are well drawn and fleshed out, even characters that only appear near the end of the movie. I was reminded of Peter Seller's movie "Being There" and, yes, there was a bit of "Forrest Gump" in it. I did not object to the "violent" deaths that some of the characters experienced because they were so over the top that they could not be taken seriously and the audience apparently agreed with me since everyone was howling with laughter. We saw the movie at the Chicago Film Festival and it was one of the few times I have attended a film festival when the entire audience stood up and clapped at the end of the movie.

This film follows the progress of Allan Karlsson, a simple man with a predilection for blowing things up, after he leaves his nursing home to embark on a journey that will take him wherever it takes him. Through flashbacks we see that this is a metaphor for his entire life. Karlsson has, it turns out, been with several significant figures of the 20th century and, unwittingly, has profoundly affected its course.

The film is comic, darkly comic, absurdist, farcical, a chase caper, an espionage thriller and, finally, peaceful. It is all of these things successfully in a way that Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" attempted to be, but didn't quite manage. More importantly, the characters are entirely believable despite the often fantastical story lines. It is also beautifully shot.

"Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans." — Allen Saunders

Thoroughly recommended.

Not really of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if some would make that comparison. That old man also seems to have left his mark in history. And while I haven't read the book, I can tell you that the movie is funny in a weird way. Something that you might expect from something with a title like that.

The story moves along nicely with interceptions from time to time, that tell us what happened when he was younger. And also are there to show us what sort of character he is. It's tough to really threaten a man of his age. The actor playing him is much younger of course, which we can see when he plays the younger version in the flashbacks. The makeup is more than decent enough in the "now". Really nice and good, this movie is entertaining

A centenarian in an elderly home decides to walk out moments they were about to host party for his 100th birthday.

On the surface, how eventful an event could this be? Well you would be surprised. He goes to the bus station and with the little money he had buys a one way ticket out of town. A stranger asks him to look out for his luggage and though he agreed he decided to steal it and little did he know that it was filled with money which made him a wanted man.

From then on, we follow this centenarian who tries to avoid the elderly home who sent for him, the gang who owned the stolen money as well as the police. His action plan: none! He took it a step at a time and the audience were treated to en ever ending hilarious situations all the way to the end.

Clever plot, well made in a way that actually made it somewhat believable (unlike the Hollywood tendency to go way over the top) this was an unexpected treat.

What do you get when you combine Forrest Gump style "travel the world, affect history" kind of storyline, add in a heap of dark adult humour and have the protagonist's main character trait to be that he likes to blow stuff up? In a word, this movie.

It's not as great as Forrest Gump. It's clearly imitating the latter, which is not a problem per se, but it causes us to draw comparisons. And while this film is a great deal of fun, the characters are not as nuanced and are there more for the sake of humour than story. It also doesn't have the depth and humanity, at least not to the same amount.

But let's not dwell on the Forrest Gump similarity too much. Because this film does have strength to stand on its own. It's a hilarious film about an old grump that one day simply decides that retirement home doesn't suit him. And thus he jumps out of the window and goes wandering like, as we find out through numerous flashbacks, he has always done when life gets too boring. Along the way he meets all sorts of people, including an elephant in Sweden, and hijinks ensue, like they often do in these kinds of movies.

This movie shines because of its unpredictability and fast pace. You never know what's coming next and the movie keeps up relentless pace, not letting you dwell on the unlikeness of the things happening on screen, which serves the film's purposes very well. The characters and their actors are also very charismatic and fun to follow around. Sure they're a bit stereotypical, aside from the main character, but that doesn't really bother you as you're watching them go because the events they're in are so bizarre.

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has one of the most cumbersome titles in a while, but trust me when I say that the film is anything but. If you're looking for a comedy with a dark sense of humour, this is not a bad choice.