Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire

Rarely is a film this engaging, entertaining and unpredictable, in any language! The story, present and past, of Allan Karlsson grabs you from the start. It reminded me of Peter Sellers performance in Being There. In fact, all the performances worked, from the care home workers, dim-witted bikers, bored detective and world leaders.

I had no idea what to expect, only that it was Sweden's third biggest film after the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Girl that played with fire (also both excellent films, in very different ways).

I really should rate it a 10, as there is nothing to criticise about the film, except to say that it is clearly not The Godfather, nor intended to be. However, for what it is, it is brilliant.

If you like to be surprised and entertained, I cannot really think of anyone that wouldn't enjoy watching this. Find it. Watch it. Enjoy!

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.

The type of humor that is used in this movie was so refreshing. I love dark comedies, and I love dark humor. I appreciated it even more because it was by no means a dark movie. It was incredible how they made such a lighthearted movie with such dark comedy. Think Secondhand Lions meets Forrest Gump, I know, it's worth it though. The main Character was so nonchalant it was endearing. His care free attitude was refreshing and easy to watch. The supporting cast is what really makes the movie for me though. I don't know who any of these actors are, but the casting Director did such a good job. They all melded so well together. They fed off each other's presence and they were able to share scenes extremely well with each other. It was very play-esque in that regard.

Having read some of the other reviews I will simply say, if you take this movie too seriously you've already lost the point. If you look for flaws you're bound to find them, however, it's such a fun movie. It's light, it's dark, and personally, just a funny movie.

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.