** Some spoilers in here **
This is perhaps the 4th or 5th Danish romantic comedy I've managed to get my hands on, and it seems like Danish cinema is *still* trying to repeat the success of a now 13 year old film. Yes, here we have another example of a film which I would suggest is almost certainly influenced by 1998's brilliant "Den Eneste Ene" (The One and Only), which I've also reviewed here on IMDb, even going as far as using "Den eneste anden" (which, and forgive my limited Danish, I think means "the only other one") as its tagline. Sadly, it doesn't quite reach the same heights as Susanne Bier's original.
Firstly, the title confused me - the original Danish title is "Simon & Malou", whilst the "international" title appears to be "No Time For Love", as if those within the industry don't think that us non-Danes will understand that it's a romantic comedy, that "Malou" is a girl's name, and that we'll think it's about a man called Simon and his dog. Very odd decision.
Secondly, like so many others which have tried to emulate Den Eneste Ene's success, it fails to recognise that one of the reasons the original was so successful is not because of the storyline itself (couple fall in love with each other, even though the don't feel they can have each other, villainous boyfriend, etc.) but the fact that the story thread is so tight - everything falls neatly into place, and it's believable. This is where Simon & Malou falls short. Instead, much of the storyline feels "forced", and unrealistic or just plain daft elements are thrown in the mix to keep the viewer entertained.
*** SPOILER *** For instance, when Simon has his accident, it appears the only reason this was written into the script was so that a few cheap gags could be used - oh look, he can't use his arms, so let's have Dejan Cukic trying to type on a keyboard using a pen on his mouth and, of course, he won't be able to go to the toilet by himself either (the toilet joke is repeated TWICE, as is a joke in which it looks like two of the characters are having sex, but are doing something completely innocent). Laughs all round...and, miraculously, he's cured soon after once these "jokes" are out of the way. /end spoiler.
Other problems I've got with the film (**SPOILERS**): - How did Malou manage to get the flat if Simon hadn't handed in his keys? Surely someone from the estate agents would have informed her there was a problem and she couldn't move in yet... - How did Malou manage to get to become a partner so quickly? It seems that she managed to reach this level after a few days, rather than the several months or even years that it realistically takes to get to partner level.
That said, it's a pretty inoffensive film, and I did laugh at Simon trying to (and this is a family site, so I'll keep it clean) "offer his reproductive wares" while dancing away to a tune on the radio. So, maybe one for a rainy Tuesday evening.
This is perhaps the 4th or 5th Danish romantic comedy I've managed to get my hands on, and it seems like Danish cinema is *still* trying to repeat the success of a now 13 year old film. Yes, here we have another example of a film which I would suggest is almost certainly influenced by 1998's brilliant "Den Eneste Ene" (The One and Only), which I've also reviewed here on IMDb, even going as far as using "Den eneste anden" (which, and forgive my limited Danish, I think means "the only other one") as its tagline. Sadly, it doesn't quite reach the same heights as Susanne Bier's original.
Firstly, the title confused me - the original Danish title is "Simon & Malou", whilst the "international" title appears to be "No Time For Love", as if those within the industry don't think that us non-Danes will understand that it's a romantic comedy, that "Malou" is a girl's name, and that we'll think it's about a man called Simon and his dog. Very odd decision.
Secondly, like so many others which have tried to emulate Den Eneste Ene's success, it fails to recognise that one of the reasons the original was so successful is not because of the storyline itself (couple fall in love with each other, even though the don't feel they can have each other, villainous boyfriend, etc.) but the fact that the story thread is so tight - everything falls neatly into place, and it's believable. This is where Simon & Malou falls short. Instead, much of the storyline feels "forced", and unrealistic or just plain daft elements are thrown in the mix to keep the viewer entertained.
*** SPOILER *** For instance, when Simon has his accident, it appears the only reason this was written into the script was so that a few cheap gags could be used - oh look, he can't use his arms, so let's have Dejan Cukic trying to type on a keyboard using a pen on his mouth and, of course, he won't be able to go to the toilet by himself either (the toilet joke is repeated TWICE, as is a joke in which it looks like two of the characters are having sex, but are doing something completely innocent). Laughs all round...and, miraculously, he's cured soon after once these "jokes" are out of the way. /end spoiler.
Other problems I've got with the film (**SPOILERS**): - How did Malou manage to get the flat if Simon hadn't handed in his keys? Surely someone from the estate agents would have informed her there was a problem and she couldn't move in yet... - How did Malou manage to get to become a partner so quickly? It seems that she managed to reach this level after a few days, rather than the several months or even years that it realistically takes to get to partner level.
That said, it's a pretty inoffensive film, and I did laugh at Simon trying to (and this is a family site, so I'll keep it clean) "offer his reproductive wares" while dancing away to a tune on the radio. So, maybe one for a rainy Tuesday evening.
