Mormor og de åtte ungene i byen

Intermittently cute but generally tedious, "Grandma and the Eight Children in Town" is a Norwegian family film tailored strictly for the home market. Shot in 1976, it is derived from popular children's books by Anne-Cath Vestly (who also stars in the pic version). And local familiarity with the material made the film a hit, even commanding a sequel. Film's charm does not extend readily to the uninitiated.

Writer-director Espen Thorstenson has chosen enough story material and character interaction to justify perhaps a 30-minute short, but with his snail's pace and unfocused direction stretched it to feature length. Three segment structure consists of the kids' adventures searching for their dad's stolen trunk, grandma's visit to town with the kids teaching her how to cope with traffic, and grandma's hitchhiking trek back to the old folks' home.

Shot in a largely realistic "heavy" style at odds with both comedy or children's films, film gains its warmth and value from the playing of star Vestly and the ebullient nonactor children. The acting of the youngest, Morten (played by a cherub named Grim Snorre Langen) yield the film's brightest fantasy moments, as he communes with an imaginary cloud or indulges in funny practical jokes.

Concept of finding adventure in the commonplace is okay, but Vesly and Thorstenson have not devised enough interesting situations to flesh out this comical "slice of life". The implicit thematic question of why grandma has to live at an old folks' home instead of with the parents and kids is unconvincingly sidestepped by having the mother say: "If only we had more room you could stay with us for good" to granny at the finish.

Tech credits are okay, but dubbing would probably remove what charm the kids have in the original Norwegian soundtrack version.