En kort en lang

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.

The premise is good, the actors excellent and the music score well chosen. It is a really hard try to achieve something really sympathetic. So why does it fail on most levels? The main blame must lie with the script. First, it is not funny! And with a romantic comedy that must be close to a deadly sin. There are a few chuckles, but otherwise nothing. Secondly, the characters are rather badly drawn. I have no doubt that they are meant to be extremely interesting, but their behaviour are absurd most of the time because we never really get to know them properly. We are thrown into the plot head first without any background to who they are and what makes them tick. Like a previous reviewer wrote, this film is filled with supporting characters, including the main protagonists! The female doctor is the only REAL person who manages to make a REAL impression, but she only has about a minute of screen time. As to the actors, they really try, but I am not convinced that they agree which kind of movie they are in. Charlotte Munch seems to think this is some kind of serious relationship drama and responds accordingly, looking troubled in almost every scene. Mikkelsen and Lyby have no chemistry whatsoever together and one wonders what they saw in each other in the first place. The usually excellent Mikkelsen seems unhappy about the whole thing and manages to look bored with BOTH his man and his woman. Lyby is the one actor who comes off the best. He is the most sympathetic in this "comedy" and responds to his plight with some kind of normal reaction. He is sweet guy with a whole lot of emotions and also some sense of humour who really deserves someone better and more focused than the guy Mikkelsen portrays. Other than that we get a gallery of more or less eccentric people who bend over backwards to get a laugh from the audience, but fail at every turn. And then there is the ending!!!! Pleeeease, take it away!! I suppose it's meant to be heartwarming but it only comes across as phony and ridiculous. But it is not hard going despite all my reservations. You can watch it if there is nothing else to do, it will cause you no pain...but nor will it stay in the memory for longer than one minute or so! Loved the score though...

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.

I loved this film. Although this film tackles serious issues such as coping with homosexuality, the break up of relationships, and family disputes - it is light hearted humorous, and fun. It will have you laughing one minute, and crying the next. Mads Mikkelsen plays his role fantastically. You can't help but fall in love with him, despite the fact that he is the one causing all the heartache. Troels Lyby's character tugs at your heart strings, as the 'dumped boyfriend', and you can't help but emphasise with Charlotte Munck's character. I won't give anything away in case you've not already seen the film, but these 3 play the title roles splendidly. The film is set in and around the beautiful scenery of Copenhagen. It is a brilliant film for people who are not already familiar with Copenhagen, and Copenhagen/Danish culture, to get a feel from. The soundtrack is another good reason to watch, containing some wonderful tracks from contemporary Scandinavian artists, and complementing the film wonderfully. My recommendation? Watch it.

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".