I just recently watched this movie and thought it was really good, yet not what I expected.
My question is, is there any subtle humor that one would HAVE to be Swedish or Norwegian to get? I found myself watching it and not really laughing or anything - I know that some humor to have to really know about a culture or people to understand/appreciate.
ANy help?
Well, it is known though that scandinavians are not in fond of "Beny Hill humor" which is the default humor mode in Southern Europe. I guess Germany is somewhere between having "subtle" and "vulgar" humor.
share> I guess Germany is somewhere between having "subtle" and "vulgar" humor.
It's true humor in northern germany is very dry and "scandinavian" and in contrast in bavaria it's offen load and rural. (I like both)
But I don't think thats the point here.
The question is more about inside jokes.. for instance when Folke gets his packet from his aunt and eats tons of swedish specialities, the joke could be based on a cliche about swedish cuisine.
Or the guy flying between Finnland and Norway with partymusic all the time could be based on a cliche of Swedes as corrupted party guys...
I was raised in the Southern US. I found a lot of the film very funny. I can't imagine going into my kitchen and having a man perched on on a 7 foot high chair watching me and expecting me to ignore him.
And the stubborn old Norsky refusing to be observed from 6 feet away.
In the end I was moved and charmed by the way the men settled down and accepted each other. The comedy got me involved but in the end I cried for the old Norsky and then was cheered by the Swedes deciding to stay.
Well I don't think you HAVE to be Scandinavian to get this, but the way they sit in total silence (especially the Norwegian) without issue cracked me up. Reminds me of all the old men in my family who could sit around for entire evenings without so much as a "yup" or a "youbetcha". It's a very Norwegian thing to sit in silence in that way.
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