Elling

R

Released May 29, 2002

1h 24m

Comedy

Drama

List

85%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

91%

Audience Score

5,000+ Ratings

Elling (Per Christian Ellefsen), a sensitive, mentally disabled man, must move to a psychiatric institution when his mother, who has taken care of him for 40 years, dies. There, he meets Kjell (Sven Nordin), and the pair become friends. After two years, Elling and Kjell are allowed to leave the institution and live in an apartment in Oslo, Norway. At first, even the simplest tasks of independent life prove challenging, but soon the roommates begin to blossom in their own unique way.

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Critics Consensus

Quirky without being overly cutesy, Elling is a gentle, warm comedy.

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Neil Smith

BBC.com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 23, 2003

Full Review

David Parkinson

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Apr 21, 2003

Full Review

Philip Wuntch

Dallas Morning News

It's affectionate and optimistic without being fuzzy.

Rated: B+

Dec 5, 2002

Full Review

John A. Nesbit

Old School Reviews

really is about a couple of crazy guys, and it's therapeutic

Rated: B

Jul 24, 2011

Full Review

Mark Halverson

Sacramento News & Review

Rated: 4/5

Aug 7, 2008

Full Review

Daniel Kasman

d+kaz. intelligent movie reviews

Rated: B

Aug 7, 2004

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dave s

After being released from a state-run institute for the mentally ill, two men with severely limited social skills are assigned to a government-run apartment and forced to integrate into society. While it doesn't sound like a comedy, it is filled with subtle humor and a sly wit as the two highly marginalized men are prodded by their impatient social worker to accept the fact that they are responsible for their own happiness and satisfaction. While it's not the sort of film that will illicit laugh-out-loud reactions, you'll probably find yourself smiling throughout the movie as you cheer for the protagonists and the courage that they demonstrate. Who'd have thought that answering the phone would cause such anxiety?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

jordan m

I didn't expect to like this as much as I ended up liking it, especially after the relatively weak first act where the two main characters hadn't started getting along very well yet. My enjoyment increased exponentially with each time the movie passed on an opportunity to make something bad happen to the guys, and by the end I had come to realize this was a rare film where nothing really bad happens at all. There's something oddly fantastic about that to me, and my viewing came at the right time in my life. It's hard to justify rating this higher than some of the other foreign language nominees of the year as they tackled more serious subject matter with aplomb, but this one was perhaps the most enjoyable of the lot. Kudos!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Liam D

It's a quirky, funny look at moving on

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/21/21

Full Review

Audience Member

A heartwarming story about two outcasts with typical features of scandinavian black humor. The actors deliver outstanding performances of these mentally challenged protagonists. It is not a "light" comedy to watch but the movie will leave you with a warm feeling in your belly. So why not all 5 stars? The camerawork is a little bit shaky sometimes and the movie, unfortunately, already looks pretty old.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Norwegian. An interesting look into the Norwegian care system. Curious characters. Humorous.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sat on this forever and nearly sent it back to netflix without watching. Then I saw it was a 2001 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film - the best category there is. I say that because the category seemed to peak right when I got into movies from about 2004-2007. Pretty sure I saw Amelie, one of the other noms in the category, but it might have been a weaker year. Still, pretty decent flick, especially look at the cover. The story starts when a man's mother dies. He's forced out of the closet, literally. No, he's not gay. Just very neurotic. He ends up in a home and meets another partially disabled man. Despite some awkwardness and some struggles, the two become the best of friends and eventually are able to make it out in the world on their own. I don't think there's anything particularly moving about the film, as many a film about disabled might do, but it's comical and just a nice movie. I can't judge the actors to see just how well they acted because I've not seen their other work. All that said, a fun, feel-good movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

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Petter Næss

Director

Per Christian Ellefsen

Elling

Sven Nordin

Kjell Bjarne

Per Christensen

Alfons Jørgensen

Jørgen Langhelle

Frank Åsli

Marit Pia Jacobsen

Reidun Nordsletten

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Synopsis

Elling (Per Christian Ellefsen), a sensitive, mentally disabled man, must move to a psychiatric institution when his mother, who has taken care of him for 40 years, dies. There, he meets Kjell (Sven Nordin), and the pair become friends. After two years, Elling and Kjell are allowed to leave the institution and live in an apartment in Oslo, Norway. At first, even the simplest tasks of independent life prove challenging, but soon the roommates begin to blossom in their own unique way.

Director: Petter Næss
Screenwriter: Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Axel Hellstenius
Distributor: First Look
Rating: R (Language|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Norwegian
Release Date (Theaters): May 29, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 7, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $313.4K
Runtime: 1h 24m
Sound Mix: Surround