Yes, I enjoyed it. As much as the first Klovn movie and the TV series that went before it. It's brilliantly funny. If you don't know Klovn, be aware that in addition to being on a different time plane, the movie also exists in an alternate universe, where everything is amplified to extremes. That is what makes the whole Klovn premise fun, to take normal everyday situations that are strangely familiar and put an extreme spin on them. Being a Dane also gives extra impact to some of these situations because Tall poppy syndrome is deeply embedded in our culture.
Just to get some basics straight right away: The main characters pretend to play versions of their real life selves. A six season TV series and one movie went before this, so I have enjoyed Klovn for the better part of a decade. Through that, the characters have not evolved much, but what little they have evolved has given them enough of an emotional core to make me care about what happens to them. This is as much due to the likability of the actors, as it is to anything else.
This emotional bond makes me less forgiving about any "out of character"-actions and though the movie suffers a few of those, they were obviously deemed necessary to move the plot on and they are somewhat forgiven due to the laugh out loud moments they bring on. Most importantly, the feel of Klovn is still here.
Talking about laugh out loud moments, the count is off the scale, as the duo pulls out all the stops to scale the summit they have built for themselves. Opening about 5-6 years after the first Klovn movie, Frank is on maternity leave with his wife and their second baby. This has caused some severe tension and control issues in Frank and Mia's relationship, which also affects the everyone around them. Casper, on the other hand is now single and suddenly decides to move to L.A. to start afresh. When the in-laws move in (The Mother-in-law is still blind on one eye after that pearl necklace gone wrong in the first movie), Frank has had enough and flies to L.A. to win Casper back. That's all you should know about the plot.
If you take Klovn Forever for what it is, I believe you will be thoroughly entertained. If you expect high art, serious talks or moral decisions imbued with a deep sense of responsibility, you should look elsewhere, but if you are not easily embarassed or just like watching other people embarrassing themselves, you will find much pleasure in this movie. I often found myself staring at the screen going "No no no...No!" and then it happened anyway. But that is the glory of Klovn, there are no holds barred.
An abundance on in-jokes are scattered throughout the movie. As opposed to real life, Casper and Frank's roles are suddenly switched, as Frank just happens to get a little too intimate with Casper's daughter. On a side note, Lars Hjortshøj is especially funny as the deeply serious friend with some dubious double standards.
Whereas the first Klovn movie followed Frank on a personal journey on his way to becoming a more or less responsible father, this sequel takes frienship as its core theme and explores just how far it can be taken, before the line snaps. As it turns out, the boundaries are near-limitless for these two, as they end up in one fucked up situation after the other.
A big part of why this works is the amount of humanity the actors put into their roles. Frank and Mia especially give their characters an emotional core that, without which, the movie would break down completely and become just another gross-out comedy without soul.
It is rather incredible that the humanity and the sense of humor saves the movie from appearing nasty. It is the fine line that Klovn walks, as sure and steady as always. It is also why this series of shows and movies is among my favorite Danish comedies ever. Both the TV show and these movies each realize its potential in the best possible way. Klovn Forever is a welcome addition to the family and I hope they will be inspired to take another round, somewhere in time.
See it, if you can stomach it. Remember, it is fun because it is so wrong.
Written By Steen
Online: Thursday, September 24, 2015