XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

proitz In Cool and Crazy, we meet a group of Norwegian men who are all a part of the men's choir in a little town called Berlevåg in Finnmark. In between their performances, we get to hear some of the members talk about their lives and how they ended up in the little isolated town that has about 1,000 inhabitants. We get to follow them on a tour to Murmansk in Russia, where they seem to be very popular. The director Knut-Erik Jensen's unique way of portraying the individual characters, themes, and culture in this documentary makes it an enjoyable experience for someone that appreciates the northern Norwegian way of life.The characters in this movie all have their own individual characteristics; however, they all share the stereotypical northern Norway attitude. They speak what's on their mind and they have a way with words that makes them come off as a little obnoxious. To an outsider, this behavior can be frightening or unpleasant, but this is a part of the culture and should not be taken personally. I think their unique humor and behavior is a huge part of this film that will disappear if the movie is watched with subtitles. I would say the main theme in this movie is solidarity. One of the members in the choir claims that he would not be living in Berlevåg if it weren't for the choir. To me, living in a town only because you are a member of the choir requires some strong bonds. There is also a big gap between the oldest and the youngest person in the choir, and the older men show gratitude towards the treatment they get from the younger members. My experience with people from northern Norway is exactly that: they stick together and take care of each other. Solidarity is a key word in Norwegian culture and this movie illustrates the importance of this value.This movie does a really good job of portraying the culture of a small town and the atmosphere of isolation in northern Norway. There is an eccentric vibe that is a result of the positive attitude to life that is typically found in this particular part of the country. The landscape is beautiful and by contrasting it with the grey and rocky landscape in Murmansk, Jensen is able to highlight the extreme environment that Finnmark offers. Most places in Norway are strongly influenced by other cultures; however, this movie proves that, due to the characters' traditional lifestyle, the influence has not reached all parts of Norway. Jensen, originally from Finnmark, does an extremely good job of portraying the northern way of life. We get to see the choir perform songs in places that aim to emphasize the scenery in Finnmark. In between the performances we see personal interviews with some of the choir members. The filming during these interviews is very natural with a hand-held camera, which give the viewer a feeling of being present at the filming. In contrast, the performances were filmed with artificial light and a steady camera that made it look very professional. Jensen's use of close ups and varied camera angles allows the viewer to get personal with the characters they recognize from the interviews. Jensen's approach of portraying his message in this documentary is not the typical BBC approach. Instead of illustrating with facts, he lets the audience experience for themselves how the people in Berlevåg live their life. Cool and Crazy is a documentary that seeks to capture the mysterious atmosphere of a small town in northern Norway. I think Jensen manages to do exactly that by getting personal with the characters and letting them talk freely about the aspects of life that interest them. Personally, I enjoyed the movie; however, I feel like it would have been hard to capture the detail around the special dynamics and atmosphere if I were unexposed to the northern Norwegian culture. Even more so, if I did not speak the language and were unable to pick up on the dialect and the unique humor and behavior that comes with it, I think I would have had a hard time sitting through it. Losing this aspect of the movie would make a huge difference.

gretemiller Who doesn't like a movie that exposes the exotic lives of those living in northern Norway? Cool and Crazy delves into the culture of the folk from Finnmark in northern Scandinavia. The film follows the journey and history of the men in a church Choir in Finnmark. They are witty and very blunt. The men are lighthearted about life, love, and singing. This film is interesting in many aspects, but specifically the characters, filming techniques and the organization of the film.The film starts out with the choir and then proceeds to enter the first interview. The character is an old man, like most of the men in the movie, and he talks about his love life and women. Next, he talks about his history with the choir. This is a common theme with the interviews that were documented in this film. In between the interviews were performances by the choir in outdoor, often remote, areas. They sang on the coast in all sorts of weather from blowing wind and ice in the dead of winter to the warm glow of the midnight sun peaking over the ocean. The songs they sang were mainly about life and seemed to match the seasons. For example, they sang of hardship and the longing for spring during the dark winder months, while they rejoiced for the renewal that spring brought for the land and their own spirits. This film also followed the choir to a concert they had in Mermansk, Russia. They mostly bantered about politics and how the land was in such bad shape during the bus-ride. They were appalled and disgusted at the destruction Russia had afflicted to the environment. This film shows how content these men are with the lives they live in Finnmark. Although it is a remote location and the weather is harsh, they still see a reason to stay. Their dedication to their homeland shows how much home means to them. They take pride in the fact that they are from Finnmark.There are many characters in this movie. Of the men that were interviewed, a few stuck out to me. Firstly was the primary interviewee. His wife (even though they were never officially married, they lived together for 40 years) was dead, he had lived in Finnmark his whole life, and he had been singing in the choir for 60+ years. So, let's first address the culture differences. People in Norway aren't necessarily in a huge hurry to go to the alter. It is very normal for them to live together and even have kids together without being married. For some reason, it seemed like there were many widowed men in this chorus. Do men live longer in Norway than women? In the US, I have observed more widows than widowers. This is strictly a personal observation, but I thought it interesting. The second subject that stuck out to me was the younger man with two kids. He was the odd one out. He really exhibited a strong camaraderie with the older folk in the choir. And lastly, I took a special interest in the 90-year old man who still drove a car in the snow. He was so classic and traditional. It seemed like he had a routine for everything. This choir spanned across multiple generations and the film explored that.This documentary is very raw and basic because of the home-video quality of the interviews. Some newer documentaries are still very "Hollywood" and use all sorts of filters. This film doesn't, and it shows. The camera was hand-held, there was little artificial light(except shooting the choir singing at night), it was not staged, and all of the filming was shot in a very natural setting, which reminds me of the Dogma 95 movement. Bottom line, this movie was as real-life as you can get. The setting was held in multiple seasons, which captured the isolated frozenness of the arctic winter and the crisp summers under the arctic sun. Working in shots of the midnight sun during the summer season also very realistically portrayed the contrast.The organization of this film was very confusing. I wonder if there is even a plot to this film. I think it was challenging to catch a lot of the significance of this movie by watching it with subtitles. I understand the interview-song-interview-song pattern, but I was many times lost as to the significance of the movie as a whole. It did not keep my attention and I didn't find it very funny. I think that they did the best they could with this movie and I think the structure is very creative, the songs were too long to focus on for long, and the interviews were dragging and somewhat boring. I think the subject is a tough one to make into a super entertaining and engaging film.Honestly, I thought the fact that the 90-year old man was still driving in the winter and the younger man's story the most engaging parts of the film. Cool and Crazy is not for everyone and was not for me. Unless you are into desolate places and old men, you might not appreciate this film. Although, seeing the village and landscape of Finnmark through such a realistic lens is fascinating. That fascination is dulled, however, as the film progresses and that landscape is all you see. Although Cool and Crazy is very slow moving and may not appeal to some, what you see is what you get. The title of this film captures the climate and overall dull feel of the film, while exposing the craziness of the men's characters. Although I would not recommend this film nor enjoyed watching it, there were some interesting aspects achieved.

M "Why was the movie made?" - Well it all started with Knut Erik Jensen listening to them in church then making the movie.For me the movie was real. People who say is fake is wrong. Under the filming they cried, laughed and had discussion. The movie made Berlevåg visible on the map, and people still comes to Berlevåg to see the place and the movie.To me it was fun seeing the other side of the people then just the singing."Have the ever performed outside?" - Yes they have, before the movie and after the movie. And during one of those out sides people got sick, but no one complained and everyone was just happy about the movie..Knut Erik Jensen is a great man and he made a fantastic movie, maybe he should have showed us other sides of the movie, but then again, maybe he did?

Alexander Millier Why would anyone want to see a film about the lives of people in a mens' choir in Northern Norway? I first saw this film in Norway without subtitles. As my command of Norsk is not so good, I missed much of the nuance but still enjoyed this delightful film. I now own a copy with subtitles and love sharing it with friends and family. As a professional musician I delight in a story of music bringing people from all walks of life and generations together. This film conveys that and more.It shows how economic and physical hardship and adversity are not barriers to a fulfilling and happy life. Some may think it trivializes the lives of the subjects of the film, but I feel it celebrates them. It shows us how all our lives however ordinary they may seem to us, can be inspirational to others.Sport is often lauded for its heroes, yet this film conveys the team spirit of a mens choir striving for a collective and individual best. Their pride and enthusiasm is infectious and uplifting as is their earthy humour.This film is all that a blockbuster is not. It is about the human condition, about community, about respect for others and about real people.