Prior to watching this film, I'd never heard of it, so I didn't know what to expect (I hadn't read reviews or anything). My initial thoughts were that it would be a bit like another Danish romantic comedy, "Italian for Beginners", which, while I thought was a great film, was a bit bleak for me. Hence, I wasn't really expecting much more from this one.
However, I must say this is probably one of the best films I've seen over the years - much, MUCH better than the similar Richard Curtis efforts such as Four Weddings or Love Actually. The chemistry between characters is electric and, while it is arguable that the film is a little contrived with an oh-so predictable ending, it's very much a "feel good" film. The supporting cast are great - especially Mgala (she only has one word throughout the film, and I won't repeat it!) and Mulle/Merete, who you just feel sorry for.
The only problem I had with this film was that the Italian character, Sonny, was a complete caricature - big bushy eyebrows, lots of hand waving, and, when he broke into Italian, used the most obvious Italian phrases ("Ti amo!", "Scusi!") - I guess it's because he was played by a Swede rather than a "real" Italian. The acting was fine, just a bit too contrived.
If you can find a copy on DVD, grab it. The version of the DVD I purchased was from Denmark itself (I speak a little of the language), and I was rather surprised and disappointed to find that there were no English subtitles (only those for the three Nordic nations) - I'm sure those outside of Scandinavia would find this a fantastic film, so I cannot understand why such an opportunity was missed. Incidentally, however, the film has been remade using English actors for the British market, as "The One and Only" but is, as far as I can tell from IMDb reviews, is a terrible effort.
