Allan Karlsson would not be a fan of simile, metaphor, or flowery comparisons of any sort; he's much more of a "things are how they are, que sera sera" kind of guy. So he might issue one of his patented crinkly grimaces to hear his film, The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (a title as cutely apt, lumbering, but functional as the film itself), allegorized as 'Forrest Gump through the eyes of a Swedish Kurt Vonnegut'. Still, it's impossible to imagine a more conducive description for the film. It's cute, clever, and laced with a very welcome sense of dark Swedish humour, but a bit too light and gentle to dig into the weightier, more Vonnegutian themes of other aging road trip contemporaries. Does this impact our enjoyment of the film? Not at all. It is what it is, and what it is is worthwhile and hugely watchable.
The plot is rather episodic, with the series of accidentally poignant flashbacks integrated amusingly but playing out more clumsily here than in book form. Ultimately, it's hard to shake the feeling that we might be better off forgoing Karlsson's colourful past altogether. His present-day caper, an almost Coen brothers-y road trip involving a mysterious bag of mob cash, an entourage of quirky companions, and an ever mounting, morbidly hilarious body count, is so much more watchable than the amusing but more contrived Gumpiness of his reminiscences. Still, Karlsson's amiable, nonchalant acceptance of all things that pass - political regimes, life, loss, Gulags, drinking, doppelgängers, xenophobic vasectomies, unexpected elephants, and lots and lots of explosions - is infectious, and perfectly portrayed with crusty warmth by (48 year old!) star Robert Gustafsson, aided by some pretty impressive makeup. He's an engaging enough narrator that all events, revolutionary (literally) and inconsequential, add flavour to his characterization and film alike.
As with all 100 year-old things there are growing pains. The film fights somewhat distractingly hard to play as a comedy sometimes, none the least through its carnivalesque, Nino Rota ripoff musical score, and the ending's cloying schmaltziness won't be to all tastes (though it's hard to find fault with any film that brings us to a Balinese beach vacation). Nonetheless, just as the film urges for nonjudgmental acceptance and enjoyment of everything that drifts on by, it dictates its own ideal viewing state. And as a night's hearty entertainment, untaxing but seasoned with just enough discerning weirdness, The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared could prove the perfect fit. So it goes.
-7/10
The plot is rather episodic, with the series of accidentally poignant flashbacks integrated amusingly but playing out more clumsily here than in book form. Ultimately, it's hard to shake the feeling that we might be better off forgoing Karlsson's colourful past altogether. His present-day caper, an almost Coen brothers-y road trip involving a mysterious bag of mob cash, an entourage of quirky companions, and an ever mounting, morbidly hilarious body count, is so much more watchable than the amusing but more contrived Gumpiness of his reminiscences. Still, Karlsson's amiable, nonchalant acceptance of all things that pass - political regimes, life, loss, Gulags, drinking, doppelgängers, xenophobic vasectomies, unexpected elephants, and lots and lots of explosions - is infectious, and perfectly portrayed with crusty warmth by (48 year old!) star Robert Gustafsson, aided by some pretty impressive makeup. He's an engaging enough narrator that all events, revolutionary (literally) and inconsequential, add flavour to his characterization and film alike.
As with all 100 year-old things there are growing pains. The film fights somewhat distractingly hard to play as a comedy sometimes, none the least through its carnivalesque, Nino Rota ripoff musical score, and the ending's cloying schmaltziness won't be to all tastes (though it's hard to find fault with any film that brings us to a Balinese beach vacation). Nonetheless, just as the film urges for nonjudgmental acceptance and enjoyment of everything that drifts on by, it dictates its own ideal viewing state. And as a night's hearty entertainment, untaxing but seasoned with just enough discerning weirdness, The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared could prove the perfect fit. So it goes.
-7/10