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Cool & Crazy

Play trailer Poster for Cool & Crazy Released Oct 19, 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

View All (18) Critics Reviews
Empire Magazine Rated: 4/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune 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. Jul 20, 2002 Full Review Gary Dowell Dallas Morning News It's not bad per se, but it would probably play better on the small screen. Rated: C+ Mar 28, 2002 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 12, 2005 Full Review Tom Grealis RTÉ (Ireland) 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. Rated: 3/5 Feb 13, 2003 Full Review Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice A beguiling documentary about a 30-man choir in a tiny Norwegian fishing village that salutes the cathartic effect of singing. May 8, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (17) audience reviews
bill k 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. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/07/13 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Cool & Crazy

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Cast & Crew

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
Distributor
First Run
Production Co
Barentsfilm AS, Norsk Film
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