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Cool & Crazy

Play trailer Poster for Cool & Crazy 2001 1h 45m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
83% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In the small Norwegian fishing village of Berlevåg, north of the Arctic Circle, some local men have discovered the joy of song thanks to their participation in the town's choir. These unlikely real-life crooners -- consisting of fishermen and factory workers -- get their big break when they're asked to perform in the depressed Russian city of Murmansk. But the trip there is fraught with infighting, which may ruin the group's opportunity at the big time before anyone sings a note.

Critics Reviews

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Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune 07/20/2002
So thoroughly engaging, so beautifully made, strikingly shot and chock-full of humor and humanity, I can't imagine any intelligent audience not falling in love with it. Go to Full Review
Gary Dowell Dallas Morning News 03/28/2002
C+
It's not bad per se, but it would probably play better on the small screen. Go to Full Review
Neil Smith BBC.com 02/03/2002
3/5
Jensen paints a vivid portrait of quirky eccentricity and uncommon dedication to a seemingly irrelevant pursuit. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 08/12/2005
2/5
Tom Grealis RTÉ (Ireland) 02/13/2003
3/5
Although Jenson's film is of that peculiarly insular, homespun variety, it nevertheless manages to fend off the blight of boredom with its sheer exuberance and authentic appreciation of its subject. Go to Full Review
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice 05/08/2002
A beguiling documentary about a 30-man choir in a tiny Norwegian fishing village that salutes the cathartic effect of singing. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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bill k 11/07/2013 If you're into "camp" this film is for you. The swings from shots of the individual "characters" in the group, to the ensemble clips singing out in blizzards and rain storms ranges from hysterically funny to charmingly "campy". One goes away thinking - "I've never seen anything like it". True true true. See more 09/24/2012 A documentary about a Norwegian Male Voice Choir. They talk a bit about themselves and do a road trip. On that basis you'd probably not want to see this. Beneath its frozen vistas and dour landscapes a wonderfully warm story is revealed. There is magic in the humour and the seemingly ordinary. The humour has the feel of Fargo, The Royle Family and the best of Bill Forsyth. Perhaps too subtle or gentle for some, but if like me you are drawn to the people in this film, you feel more and more like you are part of the conversation and it just gets funnier. I came away feeling moved by the humanity, humour and hardiness of these people. Living in a small island community myself, there was much here I could identify with. See more 07/31/2010 Norwegian men being Norwegian men. This movie is the best description of their personalities, in general.Although word crazy has different meaning in my vocabulary usually attached with words impulsive and unpredictable, so they aren't crazy for sure. See more 01/16/2010 This documentary is amazing, touching and gave me goosebumps. The members of this North-Norwegian choir live in the middle of nowhere, where it's dark and cold most of the year and where singing is one of the last community activities left. They tell you their life stories and you can't help but fall in love with their personalities. These men are adorable, they are vulnerable and I was between laughing and crying throughout the whole film. A must for Norway and choir lovers. See more 10/04/2009 In the harsh, fishing town of Berlevag (almost the most Northern part of Norway, at 70.85 deg N), two things help make ppl survive the elements: the choir and the breakwaters. This is a documentary on the choir in this remote town. Given the town's location, the choir's list of songs include one about fillet girls working with their knifes in packing houses. Their music has been described as sounding like "like a very, very depressed Buena Vista Social Club", but this is perhaps a reflection of the sea-faring way they live by. In this documentary, you get to see candid side of the singers...from a former drug addict, to a self-confessed socialist-communist. The choir travels to Murmansk, Russia, to give a concert...with the factories, pollution and industrial wasteland they see on the way, they came to appreciate their town of Berlevag more. The last scene is memorable, for the choir of old men sings outdoors in the middle of what looks like a snow storm, braving the wind and sing while snow sticks to their eyebrows and icicles form on their glasses ... truly cool and crazy. See more 03/16/2009 I found a certain sweetness to this documentary of a Norwegian men's choir. The music is good if choir is your thing. On a personal level I felt an eerie familiarity with some of the characters and my Scandinavian relatives. All these years I thought they were a bit odd. Turns out they were just Norwegian. See more Read all reviews
Cool & Crazy

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the small Norwegian fishing village of Berlevåg, north of the Arctic Circle, some local men have discovered the joy of song thanks to their participation in the town's choir. These unlikely real-life crooners -- consisting of fishermen and factory workers -- get their big break when they're asked to perform in the depressed Russian city of Murmansk. But the trip there is fraught with infighting, which may ruin the group's opportunity at the big time before anyone sings a note.
Director
Knut Erik Jensen
Producer
Tom Remlov, Jan-Erik Gammleng
Distributor
First Run
Production Co
Norsk Film, Barentsfilm AS
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Norwegian
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 19, 2001, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Apr 23, 2002
Box Office (Gross USA)
$28.1K
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Stereo