Nothing's All Bad (2010) User Reviews

Beautiful People

[ssesben · 7/10 · 28 September 2010]

I am a devoted fan of the danish about-movies program 'Premiere'. Mikkel Munch-Fals, former host of the program, has made his first film: "Smukke Mennesker" With the directly converted English tittle: "Beautiful people".

My family and I went to the cinema to watch this on the premiere. Disappointing to see that we, four people, were half of the audience. What a shame! We enjoyed the picture, it had good acting, was well directed and photographed. Mikkel Munch-Fals has written himself a nice script. Four persons, all in someway strange, encounters each other. This leads to uncomfortable situations, those are at times grotesque. That said, there is also many funny moments through-out. Mikkel creates some breathtaking feelings. It also catches emotions pretty good. I walked out of the cinema with the feeling of having watched something quite extraordinary for a danish movie. If only it had a bigger audience.

I suggest you go see it, if you like twisted drama's. Interesting debut. I certainly hope there is more to come!

Sex, lies and therapy

[pbn · 8/10 · 21 October 2010]

"Smukke mennesker" is being cited as the box office bomb of the year in Danish cinemas, but I was captivated by it. Its multiple story lines of connected characters and its somewhat bleak and depraved point of view have critics throwing up comparisons to this and that source of inspiration, but I found the characters and the themes of sexual identity engaging on their own.

I was particularly impressed by Sebastian Jessen in arguably the leading role as the attractive, even beautiful young man who seems to decide to spend his youth on his own, away from parents or obligations, selling sexual favours with little discrimination, but not without empathy. Mille Hoffmeyer Lehfeldt is equally daring as a school teacher who chases some kind of physical fulfillment after losing a breast to cancer surgery. Bodil Jørgensen ('Idioterne') comically retires from the company where the young boss doesn't know anything about her, then loses her husband on the same day and has absolutely nothing to do. Henrik Prip, who I have never before considered an interesting actor, makes his woman-abusing, self-hating, therapist-seeking character seem almost likable. The supporting cast make excellent contributions.

There are numerous surprising or poignant or plain funny moments, some of them cringeworthy like the meeting of the young man with the old widow - on her couch. The characters, flawed as they are, made me care. I could have done without the chapter headings, which gave the proceedings a pompous edge and seemed to slow down an otherwise well-edited film. The ending presents an absurdly coincidental chance meeting, but I was happy to see the story go there.

Beautifully accomplished film about not-so-beautiful people

[BeneCumb · 8/10 · 18 March 2015]

Well, the composition of the film is not apparently novel, the all major elements - direction, script and performances are so wittily and skilfully carried out that you become a viewer feeling both compassion and embarrassment. The mood and background are rather tragic, but the related events and statements make you giggle, at times involuntarily, and you realise that those crazy things and intertwines could possibly take place. Especially in smaller Western societies where official openness and actual reticence are often in deep contradiction.

All the characters are elaborated, performed well, with many small supporting roles played by known Danish actors. My most favourite were Bodil Jørgensen as Ingeborg and Sebastian Jessen as Jonas; I have seen their versatility before, and it was pleasant to acknowledge again that they are continuously good actors.

A must-see to all fond of modern Danish dramas. Even if you guess what happens next, the less than 1.5 hours pass smoothly and engagingly.

Good, but almost too absurd

[madsp1234 · 7/10 · 13 February 2018]

As the title says. This movie goes far, almost too far. At some point you stop watching this as a realistic movie and just start laughing at the absurdities. Not really sure if this movie has any true messages, but anyway lots of awkward fun, and a good alternative to corny comedies. Watch this movie if you enjoy movies like Happiness (1998), Magnolia, Requiem For A Dream etc.

Beautifully engineered script, showing what happens with 4 people in pitiful circumstances, and how a happy ending may come within reach

[JvH48 · 9/10 · 12 December 2011]

I saw this film at Noordelijk Filmfestival 2011 (in Leeuwarden, province of Friesland NL).You'd better be a bit of a masochist when booking this film. Not that anything sadistic or painful in the physical sense is shown, but you get several awkward moments presented on the screen, that are not pleasant to see. Each is kept short, luckily, as some would be unbearable otherwise. No blood, no horror, just embarrassing. On the other hand, the uncomfortable scenes can better not be left out, as that would have devoured the film from its core.

Beautifully engineered script that succeeds in tying these scenes together, though everyone in his right mind will maintain how statistically improbable it is that these four main characters eventually have a Christmas dinner together. The looks exchanged when these four meet in the final scene, conspiring to hide that they met before in completely different circumstances, are priceless.

All in all, in spite of the awkward (albeit short) moments, I could do nothing else than giving the maximum score for the audience award when leaving the theater. Don't let my choice of words frighten you, and don't let it withhold you from seeing this film.

The critics movie

[Jimpansy · 2/10 · 26 September 2010]

Let me start out by admitting that the acting and the technical side of things are up to scratch, so what exactly is the problem with this movie? Well, first and foremost, there's too much of a good thing. Obviously Mikkel Munch Fals, a movie critic turned director, is very keen on making this a rather gloomy experience for everyone concerned, with various perversion in ordinary people are being examined. Everybody likes a bit of perversion, but it is soooo boring that every single male person in the movie is a pervert and an absolutely terrible human being. It took me about five minutes to realise this, and then the vie's pretty much over. New guy get's introduced, seems nice in the very beginning and then turns out to be atrocious. Repeat until bored to death.

A little bit of unfunny humour in there too. It in every Danish movie a minimum of unsexy nudity is compulsory, as is a couple of jokes. Nudity for seriousness and jokes because the directors are insecure about being serious.

Anyway, not the worst movie I've ever seen (The King Is Alive takes the cake) but it is very predictable, very much the same as any other Danish movie from the past 15 years and very unimportant.

Point given for not using hand held cameras and not having Troels Lyby play an modern sensitive guy in a woolly sweater.