101 Reykjavik on DVD (2000)

Great

TheBigBoss from Greater London , 13/07/2004

Great little movie, kind of a slacker adventure reminiscent of if anything early Mike Leigh movies like Meantime. Good portrayal of the lives of 20 something Icelanders intent on partying hard despite the sub zero temperatures.

A great Billy Liar moment when he pretends to machine gun his family over a tedious xmas dinner and a couple of diverting plot twists add to the quirky charm, no real belly laughs or special effects as none needed. Kind of an Icelandic Trainspotting without the class A drugs and withdrawal.

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All in the Family

johnnyL from County Antrim , 25/02/2005

I found this film to be thoroughly engaging and delightful.

I got to like living up there in the Cold Dark North with the Icelanders for an hour and a half of my life.

I grew to like the people and the pervasive greyness, and I especially liked the laid back and sardonic main character. The conversation with his mother ‘the morning after’ was so well done. If you do watch this – you will understand. If not – you are missing a treat.

All the minor characters managed to be extreme without being caricatures and the pervasive subtle tune ‘Lola’ set exactly the right tone.

You don’t get a chance to see an Icelandic film very often. This one is a treat!

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Whacky and dark

yogajoga from london , 26/03/2004

Having never been to or seen an Iceland film I wasn't sure what to expect but I liked it!

The film starts out quite slowly but then picks up pace nicely. I loved the dark humour / the stark depiction of Icelandic life and the twist in the tale kept me interested right until the end.

I would recommend this film to anyone who likes whacky humour with a shot of dark realism. This should appeal to Coen Brothers fans.

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Crazy crazy crazy

JKmoviebuff from London , 04/11/2003

101 Reykjavik will have you laughing til you cry! This multi-lingual movie is a breath of fresh air! Really crazy and inventive! I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes off-beat films or black comedies! Brilliant!

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A 30° below zero Masterpiece

Andy Heath from Manchester , 22/05/2005

Although 101 Reykjavik is a comedy, there are few laughs. Author and Director Baltasar Kormákur has crafted a bleak yet poignant tale, set in the biting suburbs of the Icelandic capital.

Hlynur (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) is a lonely 30 year old who likes to go to sleep with women, but not to wake up with them. His unorthodox but unspectacular life suddenly changes when the exotic Lola (Victoria Abril) arrives, a guest of his mother (Hanna María Karlsdóttir). The two become closer until, days after spending a graphically illustrated night together, Lola comes out as a lesbian, and the girlfriend of his mother.

Baltasar takes full emotional and comical advantage of this offbeat situation, as the characters try to redefine their lives. The eclectic but seamless mix of Icelandic, English and Spanish adds further interest to an already sharp dialogue that fulfils the complexities of the story. The film at times strays into cliché, not least the lying-in-the-snow scene, seemingly ubiquitous in Icelandic cinema, and the sex and nudity, at first refreshing and salient, soon seems gratuitous rather than necessary. However, the overall picture is a masterly realised portrait of the absurdity and lonliness of life in Iceland, this glacial outcast of Europe. This is a remarkable and memorable comedy, albeit one more likely to make you cry that laugh.

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All in the Family

johnnyL from County Antrim , 25/02/2005

I found this film to be thoroughly engaging and delightful.

I got to like living up there in the Cold Dark North with the Icelanders for an hour and a half of my life.

I grew to like the people and the pervasive greyness, and I especially liked the laid back and sardonic main character. The conversation with his mother ‘the morning after’ was so well done. If you do watch this – you will understand. If not – you are missing a treat.

All the minor characters managed to be extreme without being caricatures and the pervasive subtle tune ‘Lola’ set exactly the right tone.

You don’t get a chance to see an Icelandic film very often. This one is a treat!

Read all highest rated reviews