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Men & Chicken

Original title: Mænd & høns
  • 2015
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Mads Mikkelsen in Men & Chicken (2015)
A black comedy about two outcast brothers, who by getting to know their unknown family also discover a horrible truth about themselves and their relatives.
Play trailer2:10
7 Videos
27 Photos
Buddy ComedyDark ComedyQuirky ComedySatireComedyDramaMysterySci-Fi

Through getting to know their unknown family, two outcast brothers discover a horrible truth about themselves and their relatives.Through getting to know their unknown family, two outcast brothers discover a horrible truth about themselves and their relatives.Through getting to know their unknown family, two outcast brothers discover a horrible truth about themselves and their relatives.

  • Director
    • Anders Thomas Jensen
  • Writer
    • Anders Thomas Jensen
  • Stars
    • David Dencik
    • Mads Mikkelsen
    • Nikolaj Lie Kaas
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    15K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Anders Thomas Jensen
    • Writer
      • Anders Thomas Jensen
    • Stars
      • David Dencik
      • Mads Mikkelsen
      • Nikolaj Lie Kaas
    • 44User reviews
    • 114Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 10 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos7

    International Trailer (With Subtitles)
    Trailer 2:10
    International Trailer (With Subtitles)
    Men & Chicken - Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:11
    Men & Chicken - Theatrical Trailer
    Men & Chicken - Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:11
    Men & Chicken - Theatrical Trailer
    'Men & Chicken': Visitors
    Clip 1:03
    'Men & Chicken': Visitors
    Men & Chicken: Beating (US)
    Clip 1:24
    Men & Chicken: Beating (US)
    Men & Chicken: Chicks (US)
    Clip 1:03
    Men & Chicken: Chicks (US)
    Men & Chicken: Car (US)
    Clip 1:19
    Men & Chicken: Car (US)

    Photos27

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    Top cast38

    Edit
    David Dencik
    David Dencik
    • Gabriel
    Mads Mikkelsen
    Mads Mikkelsen
    • Elias
    Nikolaj Lie Kaas
    Nikolaj Lie Kaas
    • Gregor
    Søren Malling
    Søren Malling
    • Franz
    Nicolas Bro
    Nicolas Bro
    • Josef
    Stine Engberg Andersen
    • Epilog pige I
    Rikke Louise Andersson
    Rikke Louise Andersson
    • Sara
    Ulla Asbjørn-Damsted
    • Gæst
    Thor Bisbjerg
    • Hvid kittel II
    Valdemar Bemmann Bredning
    • Boy I
    Lisbet Dahl
    • Susan
    Johnny Didriksen
    • Hvid kittel V
    Matti Ehlers
    • Dreng børnehaven
    Daniel Engstrup
    • Hvid kittel I
    Jens Fitzau
    • Tjener I
    Agnes Franch
    • Epilog pige II
    Anders Hansen
    • Gæst
    Poul Ib Henriksen
    • Lennart
    • Director
      • Anders Thomas Jensen
    • Writer
      • Anders Thomas Jensen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews44

    6.715.2K
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    Featured reviews

    6dave-mcclain

    "Men & Chicken" is an odd, but engaging mixture of influences.

    Mads Mikkelsen has had quite an interesting career so far. What? You don't know who he is? That must mean that you're not up to date on your Danish cinema, or you don't like James Bond, or don't watch much TV… or all three. Mikkelsen is a Danish actor who is probably best known in the U.S. for playing the title character in NBC's "Hannibal" – and as the villain Le Chiffre in the 2006 Daniel Craig-led Bond reboot "Casino Royale". But, like most successful actors, Mikkelsen had to work his way up to such notable parts. As a young man, he spent ten years as a ballet dancer. In the mid-1990s, he began acting in high-profile films and TV shows in his native Denmark. The New York Times calls him "a face of the resurgent Danish cinema". Public opinion polls often crown him the sexiest man in Denmark, while his acting talent has earned him numerous Best Actor awards at film festivals around the world. More recently, in 2014, Mikkelsen played a Danish immigrant in the American West in the excellent, but underseen "The Salvation", and in 2015, he appeared in one of Rhianna's music videos. 2016 has him in Marvel's "Doctor Strange" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". Very interesting indeed. "Interesting" is an appropriate but more loaded term when us to describe Mikkelsen's film "Men & Chicken" (NR, 1:44).

    Mikkelsen stars as Elias who, along with his half-brother, Gabriel (David Dencik), seems a little short-changed in the brains department – and NO-changed when it comes to looks and social skills. When their father dies, they learn that they were both adopted and that their biological father lives on the tiny (fictional) Danish island of Ork. When Elias and Gabriel go to Ork in search of their father, they come across three more half-brothers, Gregor (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), Franz (Søren Malling) and Josef (Nicolas Bro), who live together in a dilapidated former sanitarium which is overrun by barn animals. And it seems that Gregor, Franz and Joseph have the same "challenges" as Elias and Gabriel, if not more so.

    When Elias and Gabriel show up at the home of their other three brothers and announce who they are, Gregor, Franz and Josef beat Elias and Gabriel. After regrouping at the home of the town's mayor (Ole Thestrup) and his unmarried daughter (Kirsten Lehfeldt), Elias and Gabriel return to their brothers' home the next day to try again to get Gregor, Franz and Josef to talk to them. Another beating ensues, but Elias and Gabriel turn the tables, leading Gregor, Franz and Josef to grudgingly welcome their long-lost brothers into their home. But getting to meet their father is harder than Elias and Gabriel expected.

    Getting to know their newfound brothers is no picnic either. Besides letting barn animals roam freely throughout their home, Gregor, Franz and Josef interact with each other very strangely. They fight over who eats off of which plate at dinner, they cuddle together for a bedtime story each night, and if any of the brothers breaks a family rule, he has to sit in a metal cage outside. Oh, and sometimes the brothers change into tennis whites and play badminton on a makeshift indoor court. Gregor, Franz and Josef also have an especially unusual relationship with the larger animals that live outside the house. After being stymied in their efforts to meet their father, Elias and Gabriel notice some… unique-looking chickens roaming about, which makes them wonder even more about who their father is and what he's into.

    "Men & Chicken" is… interesting (in an odd way) and can be entertaining… depending on your taste in movies. RogerEbert.com summarizes this film as "a hybrid of 'The Three Stooges' comedy and the lunacy of 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'". It's an apt characterization for what is a tough film to describe. It includes comic violence, bizarre situations, gross-out humor, very dark comedy and even some sweetness. It's fun to see Mikkelsen play so well against type, while the physical appearance of all five brothers is both repulsive and magnetic. As individuals, each character is a rail car which has gone off the tracks. As a whole, this group of people is a train wreck, but it's nearly impossible to look away. Like that proverbial human train wreck, you may find yourself wanting to keep watching out of a morbid sense of curiosity. Many will find this movie too "weird", but some will find it irresistible. "B"
    10simonsaysplay01

    A masterpiece from mastermind Anders Thomas Jensen.

    I don't often write reviews here, but I just had to write something about this film.

    I'm a huge fan of Anders Thomas Jensen, I believe he's one of the most important director/writers in Denmark at the moment. Even though he has only directed 3 feature films (all of them excellent), he has written a ton of important danish films for the last 20 years or so.

    Men and Chicken (Mænd og Høns) is in my opinion his greatest film so far. You are brought into this totally obscure insane world, but you are never bored. It is hilariously funny in Jensen's typical black humour way. But in this case also has such a a mysterious and interesting story, with bizaare characters. How did a man come up with this?

    This film is genius, might not be for everyone, but wow is this film just amazing. I just hope we don't have to wait another 10 years for his next film.
    9Brap-2

    TIFF 2015 -- Men & Chicken (Mænd & høns): Actually worth the surprising story

    Anders Thomas Jensen has been known for spawning very creative stories, ones that are arguably designed for the absurd. Even if this is the case, there's an underlying genius to what he has created with 'Men and Chicken' (Mænd & høns). Whatever the idea might have been, it came together in the end perfectly.

    The story revolves around two brothers from Denmark who suffer from grotesque appearances and other mental issues that hinder them on a daily basis. While one brother, Gabriel, is a University professor who can't maintain a relationship, the other is the loose-cannon, Elias (phenomenally played by Mads Mikkelsen), who also has relationship issues and can't seem to go more than an hour without having to gratify himself.

    The brothers learn from their now deceased father that he was not their biological father, that the real one is a Geneticist who specializes in Stem Cell Research, fathered both men with different women, and that he resides on a remote island. While this excites Gabriel at first due to his assumptions that him and Elias could not be related, they embark on a journey that reveals their true family history. They find out that they have three other half-brothers who live on the remote island, and surprise surprise, they have similar features. While Elias is able to, say, communicate with the loners of the island in far less civilized methods, Gabriel attempts to help improve their ways of problem solving by talking and not by hilarious slapstick comedy beatings.

    It seems as if the story gets its inspiration from Kafka's 'The Metamorphisis'. So very "Kafka-esque" ('Mission Hill' reference). I'll let that idea sit with you.

    The film breaks the barriers of creativity in storytelling from both a comedic and dramatic perspective. It opens and closes as if reading a kids storybook, the musical score has a certain creepy feel to it, and the makeup and design all around was made to give the characters a worn down and dirty look that couldn't have possibly been any better.

    What was really fantastic about the film was despite the absurdity, the story really gelled into something of substance and quality. It told us that aren't able to choose our family, and that being different is the best thing in the world.

    The film ends on the note that every life -- be it creature or human, ugly or pretty, fat or skinny — is truly a small miracle. Things happen that are out of your control, and when you learn about what who you really are, it is possible to find comfort and acceptance.

    "For the very simple reason that life is life, and that the alternative is not preferable."
    8dromasca

    Animal Farm

    A film appears from time to time, defying any attempt at categorization, a film so strange, absurd, disturbing but also comic and human, that a special genre must be created for it and the film declared as the head of the series. This is the case with 'Men & Chicken', a movie released on screens in 2015, written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen. It's a film that doesn't belong in my comfort zone, and the viewing experience was mixed for me, alternating moments when I wondered 'what is this nonsense about?' with moments of real cinematic fascination. This is the second film by the Danish director that I have seen in the last ten days and the fact that Jensen is one of the most original and interesting screenwriters and directors not only in Denmark but also in the whole world seems undeniable to me.

    Elias (Mads Mikkelsen) and Gabriel (David Dencik) are brothers. On his deathbed, their father confesses to them that they are in fact adopted. Their biological father lives somewhere, on an isolated island with a population of 42 inhabitants. While searching for hime, they will discover a landscape worthy of horror movies, a farm full of animals and the fact that they have three more brothers. The two are already pretty weird characters, but that's nothing compared to how their brothers look and behave. From here the film slips into an intrigue and an atmosphere that combines the absurd with the grotesque, the rude with the bizarre. Almost anything I can write here would be a spoiler, so I'll just say that the five brothers will discover the hidden secrets of their own origins and natures together.

    Anders Thomas Jensen practices a kind of humor in this film that is far from my personal taste. The film is full of extremes that can only be taken as a joke. Even if I am resistant to many of the types of effects that are current in modern horror movies, I dislike some of the stuff exposed in this film. Mads Mikkelsen is formidable and the whole team of actors is able to build a world of strange characters whose behaviors, if they follow any rules, these are totally different from the usual. The scenario holds surprises at every turn, it is impossible to predict what will happen in the next minute, especially since what is happening does not always make sense. There is a message in this film, and it is an important one, but before I got to it I had to make the effort to endure many scenes and situations that were hard to digest for me. 'Men & Chicken' belongs to the category of films that I can appreciate in terms of cinematography and originality, but whose viewing require an effort for me.
    8BeneCumb

    Wtf! reactions and giggling through tragicomic environment

    In recent decades, in the West, it has been difficult to create a production where "variously challenged" persons are subject to irony, mockery, with characteristic violence and non-piety. The US is probably out of the question already, only Brits and Scandinavians have still dared to create something different within the subject mentioned. Mænd & høns is another fine example of them, with excellent script and direction (Anders Thomas Jensen) and strong ensemble cast (virtually all performers belong to the finest contemporary Danish film actors) have provided a meaty and distinct result.

    True, not all characters are at the same level, e.g. Søren Malling and Nicolas Bro could not reveal their talent in full, but David Dencik, Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas were brilliant again - and in such different roles! No villains, no clerks, no policemen... Those not acquainted with those names should definitely see other films with their presence - to realise how versatile actors they are.

    It is evident that some social strata may feel themselves affected and somewhat resentful, but the film should not be taken too seriously. However, it contains multiple warnings and attitudes that can/should be avoided.

    All in all, another good Danish film, recommended to them fond of twisted humour connected with society-related stuff to be pondered on and over.

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    Related interests

    Steve Martin and John Candy in Un ticket pour deux (1987)
    Buddy Comedy
    Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sian Clifford in Fleabag (2016)
    Dark Comedy
    Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Bud Cort, Anjelica Huston, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, Matthew Gray Gubler, Seu Jorge, and Waris Ahluwalia in La Vie aquatique (2004)
    Quirky Comedy
    Peter Sellers in Dr. Folamour ou : comment j'ai appris à ne plus m'en faire et à aimer la bombe (1964)
    Satire
    Will Ferrell in Présentateur vedette: La légende de Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in L'Empire contre-attaque (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The old sanatorium from the movie was part of the sanatorium in Beelitz, near Berlin, Germany. The complex consists of 60 buildings built between 1898 and 1930. When the sanatorium was used as a military hospital in WWI, Adolf Hitler was among the wounded. After WWII, it was used as a military hospital by the Soviet Union until 1994. Since they passed on any modernization, the complex has been very popular among movie companies for history pieces. Parts of Le Pianiste (2002) and Walkyrie (2008) where shot in the area.
    • Connections
      Featured in Dansk films bedste: Gak, vold og sex (2022)
    • Soundtracks
      Tango Jalousie
      Composed by Jacob Gade

      Performed by Nikolaj Lie Kaas

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Men & Chicken?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 25, 2016 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Denmark
      • Germany
    • Official site
      • DCM Film Distribution (Germany)
    • Language
      • Danish
    • Also known as
      • Men and Chicken
    • Filming locations
      • Fyn, Denmark
    • Production companies
      • M&M Productions
      • DCM Pictures
      • DCM Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $30,207
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,654
      • Apr 24, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,765,472
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 44m(104 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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