Her er Harold

"Here is Harold" is another of those Norwegian comedies I really love. Understated, real and slowly going over the top, without any grace, but with loads of charm and laughs. I've seen so many now, and I really love them all. Further down here, you'll find others like it.

Harold is close to becoming a pensioner. His wife is drifting into Alzheimer's, and 40 years of "furnituring Åsane" is over, due to a large IKEA shopping center is built up right beside his old store. He goes out of business, having to say goodbye to bis Mercedes, and nurses a hatred against the whole IKEA-thing. But Harold isn't the one accepting this without actions.

Bjørn Sundquist is fabulous as Harold, as we've seen him many times before in great roles liker this. He really deserves a movie where he can act it all out in more than a supporting role. That is what we get here. Sundquist in full bloom. Simply great acting as the grumpy man he portrays.

Gunnar Vikene has got acclaim for The features "Himmelfall" and "Vegas", which I both liked. The film closes to this is without doubt Himmelfall. But this also resembles films from other Norwegian film auteur's like Rune Denstad Langlo and Bent Hamer. We see the same great understated humor that we found in "Nord" (of which this storytelling also resembles quite much), "Eggs", "O'Horten", "A somewhat gentle man", "In order of disappearance" and so on. I really would say this is my favorite way of making a comedy. On the negative side, I'll have to note the problem that mist viewers would expect a bigger climax to this story. That really didn't bother me. But I could have gone on for another half hours watching Harold without hurting other than my laughing muscles.

If you're in for some light entertainment, though with a serious back wall, this is probably oner you should check out. Just liker in the films mentioned, you'll have some great laughs, of which you'll never forget, and remember this film for.