User reviews

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie, which in some ways probably helps. Going in with absolutely no expectations about any of the performers (or the director) may have helped make my experience more enjoyable.

The best thing about this film is Troels Lyby, who seems to have hot on just the right combination of humor, sadness, realism and indecision for "Jorgen." Particularly good is the scene where his friends try to cheer him up as his partner packs up to leave. His slow disintegration during lunch is an example of really good acting. He never lets his character get too maudlin or too "I'm putting on the cheery face for you" (as an American actor would have done).

Mads Mikkelson, however, is nowhere near as good. His "Jakob" seems mopey, bored, angry and closeted. Where is the thrill of finding a new sexual partner he's obsessed by? The script clearly calls for that, but Mikkelson never really gets the audience to believe that Jakob is truly fascinated by Caroline. Mikkelson seems to be just going through the motions in so much of the movie. One could say that Jakob is deeply conflicted by his sexual and emotional attraction to Caroline; hence, the sullen acting. But I just don't buy that. The script never calls for that explanation, and Mikkelson doesn't bring it off anyway.

Peter Frodin as the outlandish Frederik is your stereotypical hysterical queen. But he brings it off without offending us, becoming obnoxious, or turning Frederik into a cardboard cut-out. (His scene where he describes his angst over "Sailor's" refusal to come out of the closet and love him is really quite good.)

Less effective is Charlotte Munck as Caroline. In part, this is due to the material she has to work with. I never really felt that Caroline was suffering that much in her failing marriage to Tom (Jesper Lohmann). Sure, Tom is never home. But Caroline doesn't want another baby anyway, and Tom being home would increase the pressure on her. So why does she turn to Jakob? The whole movie hinges on us believing that Caroline and Jakob really share a deep, festering obsession with one another. But the film never goes there, and as a result half the movie (anything to do with Jakob and Caroline) just doesn't work that well. (Munck, however, is superb in the Swedish skating-rink scene. her physical acting and facial expressions really convinced me that she was finally, truly happy.)

Jesper Lohmann is given even less to work with, and as a result his Tom is just a caricature of the work-a-holic husband. (It makes absolutely no sense for him to be the salvation of Jakob and Jorgen's marriage. It's a cute ending, somewhat along the lines of "Flying Down to Rio." But it makes no sense.)

Watch for superb bit performances by Morten Kirkskov and Henning Jensen as the super-fag married couple (particularly their two scenes mid-movie, one where they are horrified that Jakob has turned straight and one where the "ugly secret" of their marriage comes out). Oskar Valsoe is really good as the lone straight (?) man in the bunch, without falling over into supercilious liberal guilt (as so many American films would push the character).

The editing is just superb, and the cinematography at times really reaches for your heart. The soundtrack is very good -- when it is there. It's too bad there wasn't more if it (a la "Muriel's Wedding" or "Boogie Nights").

And okay -- so the script at times falls into triteness. Jorgen loses an eye after driving drunkenly through the night after hearing Jakob's confession. Like we didn't see that one coming! (After "The World According to Garp," this is just too, too common a story-telling trick.) The ending, too, is just far too pat. The inclusion of the horse was just so bookend-ish, it really pushed the conclusion far beyond acceptable storytelling limits. But overall, this film is rather good. I had a very pleasant time watching it.

Spoiled want-it-all Jacob wants to marry his male partner Jørgen, but happens to fall for Jørgen´s brother´s wife, leading to many hilarious situations and poignant moments. Actress Hella Joof´s directing debut has laugh-out-loud comedy and sensitive drama in equal measures, with excellent performances by the three leads, Mads Mikkelsen as Jacob, Troels Lyby as his long-suffering partner, and Charlotte Munck as the girl who gets between them. Gay stereotypes abound, but performed by a talented cast, with Peter Frödin and Nikolaj Steen as standouts. Film has its share of flaws and doesn´t quite steer clear of romantic movie clichés, that airport-set denouement just doesn´t ring true, but the film is so appealing that you probably won´t mind. Written by the director and actor Klaus Bondam (who appears as a priest with a red-dyed porcupine haircut) For Danish viewers: Look for an unrecognizable Lars Hjortshøj as an alcoholic and Zlatko Buric as a cab-driver. Be sure to stick around for the end credits and check out the Polaroid snapshots for one final hilarious punchline involving the identity of "Sørmand"! ***

What a cringe film, I can't believe it happened , but it really do, the story is unbelieveble, I really really want to punch Jacob, he such a jerk, I hate almost the whole story, but I can't help watching it, It's attracted, fancy, funny... I hate it but I love it too... I am such a mess , just like this film.

This film is about a man who is about to marry the man he loves, but falls for his sister instead.

"Shake It All About" is an unconventional romantic comedy. It's well written, and the story is engaging. It's an emotional roller-coaster that exposes a painful reality. Troels Lyby's acting as Jorgen is phenomenal. His character faces many adversities, and each time Lyby conveys his sadness, frustration and anger very well. I can see his pain and I can feel his pain. The lunch party scene where Jacob packs up is the best example of his splendid acting. I would certainly want to watch more of his films. Mads Mikkelsen is disappointing on the other hand. He does not carry his emotions as thoroughly as Troels Lyby. I enjoyed watching "Shake It All About".

The film begins with a party in which Jacob (Mads Mikkelsen) and his partner, Jorgen (Troels Lyby) announce their engagement. Later, however, Jorgen and Caroline (Charlotte Munck) begin talking...and one thing leads to another and they soon begin kissing! Obviously Jacob isn't totally gay...but it's a very inconvenient time to realize this! Could things get worse? Of course. Soon Jacob realizes he's in love not just with Jorgen but with Caroline...and wonders why he cannot marry them both! Could things get even worse? Yes...and you should see the film to see just how much worse!

While at times this movie looks like a comedy, it really isn't. Instead, it's a weird sort of romance...one that is thought- provoking, though I didn't like the ending very much...you might. It brings up some interesting situations and is worth seeing.

By the way, throughout the film you see the word 'poof' in the captioning. The captions were obviously done by someone who was British or learned British English, as most Americans have probably not heard this slang term for a gay man.

This is a true feelgood movie, trying to be a more liberal but succeeding with the base genre without more ado. It is a warm, pleasing experience, best suited for anxiety-filled hung-over Sundays.

Although classical stereotypes shine through, the film makes an honest attempt to broaden the rom-com genre by being more liberal-minded and equal in attitude.

What gives the film an edge are the side characters - as previously pointed out, fronted by the brilliant doctor in the hospital scene. Joof's sense of detail (in this way most close to classic Disneys) does not save the movie however, and it ends a pleasant but short memory.

I didn't really like "En kort en lang" - 6/10 (should have been 5/10 if not for the great music and a couple of very funny comments).

The romance between Jacob and Caroline is not really believable and the ending is unbelievable and not funny or touching. There are several interesting and funny scenes set in the gay milieu but they cannot make up for the main story line. In my opinion "En kort en lang" tries to be both funny and serious but doesn't fully succeed.

I wonder who casted Mads Mikkelsen to this movie? He's absolutely not funny and his dialog would be more appropiate if he was acting in a thriller or crime movie. Troels Lyby on the other hand is doing an outstanding job being both funny and serious (Note that I'm not particularly a fan of either Mads or Troels and Troels was nominated for a Bodil an won a Robert for his performance)

This film is a mess.

From the beginning it is clear that this movie's first and foremost wish is: Your sympathy. It is clear that debutant director Hella Joof (probably Denmark's most succesful black actress!) has a lot of love for her characters. And that is probably why she has decided to fill this movie with a bunch of originals. And you wonder why there are so many of them. Many have one or two punch lines each - Peter Frödin as the only supporting role has got more! - and then they just remain there, filling the void left in which we ought to laugh. It seems as a waste of acting capacity seeing Ellen Hillingsøe, Pernille Højmark, Ditte Gråbøl, Thomas Winding, Lars Knutzon, Ghita Nørby, Hannah Bjarnhof etc. have so little screen time.

The plot surrounds the gay couple played very straight by Mads Mikkelsen and Troels Lyby. The one falls in love with the others sister in law and here goes trouble as it is in a bisexual reality.

The actors seem pretty much left to themselves and as most of them are experienced that can do. But Joof's eager to plaster celebrity Danes in every little part of the movie is ridiculous. Bodil award winner Zlatko Buric gets one line as a taxi driver - and that is symptomatic for the entire movie.

The only supporting role that earns praise is Lotte Merete Andersen as the doctor. She gets 30 second and steals the scene. That is acting!

Joof is famous for her special and somewhat childish humor as expressed in acting ensembles "Det Brune Punktum" and "Lex & Klatten" and it shows also here. Her fondness of 'dirty' words here are nevertheless not funny at all but seems misplaced in a film about very sensitive adults.

All in all this is a disappointment. Indeed one of the weakest Danish comedies in years.

The premise is good, the actors excellent and the music score well chosen. It is a really hard try to achieve something really sympathetic. So why does it fail on most levels? The main blame must lie with the script. First, it is not funny! And with a romantic comedy that must be close to a deadly sin. There are a few chuckles, but otherwise nothing. Secondly, the characters are rather badly drawn. I have no doubt that they are meant to be extremely interesting, but their behaviour are absurd most of the time because we never really get to know them properly. We are thrown into the plot head first without any background to who they are and what makes them tick. Like a previous reviewer wrote, this film is filled with supporting characters, including the main protagonists! The female doctor is the only REAL person who manages to make a REAL impression, but she only has about a minute of screen time. As to the actors, they really try, but I am not convinced that they agree which kind of movie they are in. Charlotte Munch seems to think this is some kind of serious relationship drama and responds accordingly, looking troubled in almost every scene. Mikkelsen and Lyby have no chemistry whatsoever together and one wonders what they saw in each other in the first place. The usually excellent Mikkelsen seems unhappy about the whole thing and manages to look bored with BOTH his man and his woman. Lyby is the one actor who comes off the best. He is the most sympathetic in this "comedy" and responds to his plight with some kind of normal reaction. He is sweet guy with a whole lot of emotions and also some sense of humour who really deserves someone better and more focused than the guy Mikkelsen portrays. Other than that we get a gallery of more or less eccentric people who bend over backwards to get a laugh from the audience, but fail at every turn. And then there is the ending!!!! Pleeeease, take it away!! I suppose it's meant to be heartwarming but it only comes across as phony and ridiculous. But it is not hard going despite all my reservations. You can watch it if there is nothing else to do, it will cause you no pain...but nor will it stay in the memory for longer than one minute or so! Loved the score though...

I loved this film. Although this film tackles serious issues such as coping with homosexuality, the break up of relationships, and family disputes - it is light hearted humorous, and fun. It will have you laughing one minute, and crying the next. Mads Mikkelsen plays his role fantastically. You can't help but fall in love with him, despite the fact that he is the one causing all the heartache. Troels Lyby's character tugs at your heart strings, as the 'dumped boyfriend', and you can't help but emphasise with Charlotte Munck's character. I won't give anything away in case you've not already seen the film, but these 3 play the title roles splendidly. The film is set in and around the beautiful scenery of Copenhagen. It is a brilliant film for people who are not already familiar with Copenhagen, and Copenhagen/Danish culture, to get a feel from. The soundtrack is another good reason to watch, containing some wonderful tracks from contemporary Scandinavian artists, and complementing the film wonderfully. My recommendation? Watch it.

I saw this at an outdoor showing and it had a break midway. During the break I remember a friend asking how I liked it and I said that it was good. It's pretty funny, but then comes the ending! Sappy, romantic (not that romance can't be good in a film), predictable crap! As I said in the headline the ending ruins the entire picture and overall this movie was yet another one where I said "nothing special" after it was over. Too bad as it was funny during most of the film.

I can't believe I live on the same planet with people so stupid and so stunted emotionally that they can like or even tolerate this movie - but the evidence is right here, all around me on this page. It's mind-boggling.

I've seen thousands of movies, and I've seen hundreds of gay movies, and this is BY FAR the most offensive and infuriating movie I have ever seen anywhere. The only way I can explain it is that the people who like this despicable movie MUST be straight, and therefore unable to help being morons.

Any gay man or lesbian, or any transsexual or otherwise non-straight human being who likes this garbage must despise themselves. There IS no other possible explanation.

This is one of those slick commercial movies - like Brokeback Mountain - made about gay people but made BY straight people and FOR straight people so that they can feel good about how liberal and open-minded they are, while producing such a warped and depraved image of what non-straight people are really like that they are only deepening and reinforcing their already deplorable ignorance of what it means to be different.

I cannot tell you how much I hate this movie, but I hope I've managed to give you at least a vague notion of how I feel about it.

Well performance is ok , as most gay men talking like .....i dont know . dont wanna talk so offensive. maybe that movie is not for me.

i mean, if a gay man wanna go for woman or fall in love or have feeling for a woman , then atleast , do it with SINGLE woman , going for married woman with a kid?.. thats really a stupid logic. cheater with cheater. but ofcourse the ending give some happy feeling for gay people.

unrealistic movie.

While on visiting Sweden & Denmark, I bought a heap of Scandanavian movies, "En Kort en Lang" being one of them. I had no idea what the movie was about, and from the moment it started I found it utterly charming and very funny, with some unexpected twists in the plot. The acting is great and the characters were all believable. My only gripe would be with a few bad make-up decisions, especially a less convincing mustache on a supporting character and an amateurishly assembled beard on another. But these are minor problems and did not spoil the movie for me. A real fun movie with a wonderful ending you'd expect from a romantic comedy!

The acting talent make it just minorly watchable, but 'Shake It All About' doesn't have much else going for it.

Mads Mikkelsen, Troels Lyby and Charlotte Munck are the standouts when it comes to the actors, I can't really fault them with their performances - all perfectly fine. It's very much the story and the (poor) way it is written that is this 2001 film's issue. The plot is simply a bit rubbish (and even problematic), with any attempt to add flair falling flat.

Danish and American viewers, among a couple of others according to JustWatch, seem to have this release openly available to watch, though here in the UK it is nowhere to be seen officially (unless you wanna fork out £28.98 for the DVD on Amazon)... probably for the best.

Jørgen & Jacob are a happy gay couple living in Denmark. On the night of Jacob's birthday party Jørgen proposes marriage and Jacob accepts only to find that he's fallen in love with Caroline, Jørgen's sister-in-law. While the hetero couple try gallantly to deny the attraction, its there and it quickly leads to all manner of complications.

To quote the Bard, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." It is inconceivable that a movie like "Shake It All About" could be filmed, let alone marketed, in the 21st century. The movie's only nod to the current status of gay rights in Europe and North America is that its heroes plan to get married. But no mention is ever made of AIDS or condom usage. The secondary gay characters are a kaleidoscope of stereotypes that might have been acceptable 20 years ago in "La Cage aux Folles", or 30 years ago in "The Boys in the Band" -- but not today, in the 21st century. For pity's sake, the film even fades to lavender between scenes!

My friends and I hooted and hollered our way through the screening, shouting out catty remarks, which the picture rightly and amply deserved. A jilted bride walking down the street in her wedding gown drew a reference to Rhoda Morgenstern's wedding (remember that?). And the sight of two gay men riding horseback together reminded us of the "Welcome to Condom Country" ad campaign of the AIDS Committee of Toronto, Canada. I couldn't help adding, "That's the only stallion that was ridden in the film!"

I think "Shake It All About" deserves the title of Best Film ... of 1973. I left the film, somewhat shaken that such claptrap can still be served up in the name of gay comedy -- but not at all stirred.

To give a short summary of the movie it´s about a gay couple, and their difficulties when one of them falls in love with a woman.

I had high expectations prior to seeing this movie because many of my friends had recommended it to me. On top of that, it was one of the best reviewed Danish movies of the year, but I was truely disappointed. A movie that in it´s trailer wishes to appear as a fun, light hearted movie that contains funny scenes such as one where the main character compares his boyfriends penis to vegetable. But this movie is only sporadically funny. It tries to combine a much to serious story with jokes that could have been part of American Pie. THAT does not work.

Mads Mikkelsen(perhaps THE most popular actor in Denmark) seems out of place and constantly gives one the impression that he would rather have been somewhere else. But having said that, I still must still applaud many of the actors appearing in this movie, Troels Lyby(who represents the serious(but sadly boring) part of the movie, Peter Frödin(funny as always) and Nikolai Steen(extremely funny in a quite grotesque role.

So the conclusion to my review is: if you wish to see a funny movie(that does not share the bottom level of scary movie or not another teen movie) - don´t waste your money here. Amelie or Bridget Jones´diary are much higher on my scale.

evaluation 5/10