One of my all time favorites.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

A comedy masterpiece. Sometimes tragic but more often outrageously funny, this wonderful tale of two mentally challenged outcasts caught me fully unprepared.There wasn't a single face without a wide grin in the audience after this film. An amazing script, fantastic actors: this was the feel-good movie of 2001. 9 stars out of 10.In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites: imdb.com/list/ls070242495

This movie can be reduced into a heartwarming story about two guys who aren't like everyone else. I'd argue that the fact that this movie is so appealing, is that these guys are just like everyone else. All the characters given screen time in this movie, are all normal people, but with each their struggles. Elling and Kjell Bjarne aren't crazy or even all that weird. Most of the things they struggle with, everyone can relate to on some level. This movie is appealing because it's relatable, and because it shows lonely people finding each other. And that's something that most long for.The movie does have some darkness to it, but I would not call it a dark comedy. It's just plain funny, sometimes in an awkward way, other times in a cute way.

Petter Næss's Elling tells the coming of age story of Elling and Kjell Bjarne, a pair of middle- aged Norwegian men taking their first steps into the world after spending time as roommates in a state institution. Through their adventures and misadventures, the two learn how to fit into the world around them, encompassing love, friendship and freedom. Unsure about how to approach even the simplest of social situations, the two find support in the everyday people around them, newfound friends, and each other. Per Christian Ellefsen gives a strong performance as the introverted and sheltered man in the title role. Elling struggles to interact within the world around him, and his anxiety towards becoming a part of the greater society can be felt subtly, yet earnestly. It would be easy for an actor to portray this nervous, if not fearful emotional reaction in the more traditional film role of the externally visible schizophrenic, but Ellefsen holds it in for much quieter, genuine depiction of the socially meek character of Elling. As he makes new friends throughout the film, and participates in new activities such as poetry readings and shopping at the local market, the audience can see Elling's social comfort level rise ever so slightly. Many times he is extremely uncomfortable, and Ellefsen's performance illustrates this detail beautifully, especially in showing a progression of the character throughout the film in minuscule incremental steps.Kjell Bjarne, on the other hand, played by Sven Nordin, performs a contrasting role to Ellefsen, as a girl-crazy, gentle giant looking for love. The two work together beautifully, filling in for the parts the other lacks. The relationship between the men is touching to watch unfold, and their dependence on one another is overtaken only by the encouragement each provides. Always the practical one, Elling keeps Kjell Bjarne on track on such important things as wearing fresh underwear and acting with decency in public, while Kjell Bjarne opens the social doors to the world outside, most notably with their pregnant neighbor, Reidun. Many times the situations acted out by Kjell Bjarne are hilarious thanks to his obliviousness to social expectations, such as when he attempts to ask Reidun out on a date, though his heart is in the right place, and the audience can't help but root for his successes.Elling also gives a look into the perceived condition and effectiveness of the Norwegian State institution–it's a positive one. The film explicitly accepts the men as valid members of society who need just a small push to get them involved. As the two men begin to participate to a greater extent within their environment, many supporters appear, and of particular note, a man Elling meets at a poetry reading named Alfons Jørgensen. A man of some loneliness himself, the intellectual Alfons plays a part in encouraging Elling to take risks and live life fully–even if that entails Elling secretly planting his poetry in boxes of sauerkraut at the local market. Alfons in fact gains as much from the company of Elling and Kjell Bjarne as they do from him. In time, the once very private gentleman learns again what friendship means, and the impact he has in the lives of those around him. In addition to the instances with Alfons, interactions with their social worker, Frank Åsli (Jørgen Langhelle) yield revelations of the possibilities open to Elling and Kjell Bjarne, and his positive reinforcement gives the audience yet another reason to love the two men growing into their respective roles in society. Elling is heartfelt, yet humorous and entertaining at the same time. In many scenes, one could easily laugh or cry at the situations being acted out by Elling and Kjell Bjarne in their attempt to discover how to live life on their own. Petter Næss does a remarkable job in making a film with subtlety that also gives a strong emotional connection with its characters. Elling's look into the daily activities of Norway is anything but monotonous, and the interactions taking place can be seen for the very influential effects they have on real people. The journey we take with Elling and Kjell Bjarne is a coming of age tale for the two men, and a confirmation for the rest of us in considering the significance of even the seemingly simplest individuals.

ELLING(2001) Upon learning about a film about mentally challenged people, some people could be offended. You would have to go with your gut instinct that some director would take every precaution to be politically correct and show just the right amount of sensitivity to make a movie that anyone would ever take the time to watch. But when you throw in the fact that this is not only a film about mental illness, but also a COMEDY!? Well, hey. That has to be tasteless and trashy, right? Wrong. Norwegian director Petter Næss shows the world that, given the right touch of compassion and humor, one can portray the lives of those struggling with vices such as mental illness to be charming, reflective, and laugh out loud funny. Set in present day Norway, Elling portrays two middle aged men that have gone through "hectic phases" in their lives and are just being discharged from their lives as roommates in a mental institution. Paid for by the Norwegian government, the two are entrusted to live on their own despite their apparent inability to function as contributing members to society due to their mental illness. The two men, Elling (Per Christian Ellefsen) and Kjell Bjarne (Sven Nordin) never are given a diagnosis as to their mental status, nor is any medical jargon ever thrown around during the entire span of the movie. This allows the characters to be more real and allows viewers to connect with them more than if they carried a medical label. The movie portrays their daily lives, as enthralling or monotonous as it may be, as they re-acclimate themselves to Norwegian culture. The audience comes to applaud Elling and Kjel Bjarne as they accomplish even the smallest of tasks, such as answering the telephone or enjoying a meal at a restaurant . Throughout the movie you find yourself cheering on the odd couple along with a "Go, Go, you can do it!" because Naess creates characters you want to see succeed. The viewer can't help but laugh with Elling (but never at!) as he struggles with answering the phone at his own apartment. While he usually proclaims "They hung up, must have been another wrong number!" after listening to the phone ring for 3 minutes straight, he takes on answering the phone with much persuasion from his tough love social worker, Frank Asli, played by Jørgen Langhelle. After around 30 seconds of silence and a highly dramatic sigh, he proclaims very quickly something about being thirsty and hangs up. These scenes make the audience giggle and empathize with the characters as they grow and take care of each other along the way. However, this film this is no dramatic Girl, Interrupted or inhumane display of people as absolute, well, Idiots in fellow Nordic director Alex von Trier's The Idiots, but instead successfully takes on a lighthearted take on such a serious topic. Elling is truly revolutionary in its successful portrayal of mental illness in a manner that does not make you empathize with the characters in a negative way, but instead brings out a lighthearted side of the idiosyncrasies in all of us. Through the portrayal of a man with severe anxiety and dependency issues, we are able to see that mental illness is no more than the extreme of a personality, and we all are all able to identify with the daily trials and tribulations these characters face. This film is truly a masterpiece no matter what language you speak. With Petter Næss ability to delicately craft characters and dialogue that engage viewers, as well as Per Christian Ellefsen and Sven Nordin's tasteful and spot on acting, it is sure to be a hit no matter who you are. It shows the global audience that there are anxieties and quirks in all of us that are not always easy to overcome, but with a little help from our friends, it's always possible to turn a bad situation into a good, and comical, one.