Reviews & Ratings for
Shake It More at IMDbPro »En kort en lang (original title)

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14 reviews in total

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8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Good, funny but inconsistent, 18 October 2003

Author: Tim Evanson (tevanson@earthlink.net) from Washington, D.C.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie, which in some ways probably helps. Going in with absolutely no expectations about any of the performers (or the director) may have helped make my experience more enjoyable.

The best thing about this film is Troels Lyby, who seems to have hot on just the right combination of humor, sadness, realism and indecision for "Jorgen." Particularly good is the scene where his friends try to cheer him up as his partner packs up to leave. His slow disintegration during lunch is an example of really good acting. He never lets his character get too maudlin or too "I'm putting on the cheery face for you" (as an American actor would have done).

Mads Mikkelson, however, is nowhere near as good. His "Jakob" seems mopey, bored, angry and closeted. Where is the thrill of finding a new sexual partner he's obsessed by? The script clearly calls for that, but Mikkelson never really gets the audience to believe that Jakob is truly fascinated by Caroline. Mikkelson seems to be just going through the motions in so much of the movie. One could say that Jakob is deeply conflicted by his sexual and emotional attraction to Caroline; hence, the sullen acting. But I just don't buy that. The script never calls for that explanation, and Mikkelson doesn't bring it off anyway.

Peter Frodin as the outlandish Frederik is your stereotypical hysterical queen. But he brings it off without offending us, becoming obnoxious, or turning Frederik into a cardboard cut-out. (His scene where he describes his angst over "Sailor's" refusal to come out of the closet and love him is really quite good.)

Less effective is Charlotte Munck as Caroline. In part, this is due to the material she has to work with. I never really felt that Caroline was suffering that much in her failing marriage to Tom (Jesper Lohmann). Sure, Tom is never home. But Caroline doesn't want another baby anyway, and Tom being home would increase the pressure on her. So why does she turn to Jakob? The whole movie hinges on us believing that Caroline and Jakob really share a deep, festering obsession with one another. But the film never goes there, and as a result half the movie (anything to do with Jakob and Caroline) just doesn't work that well. (Munck, however, is superb in the Swedish skating-rink scene. her physical acting and facial expressions really convinced me that she was finally, truly happy.)

Jesper Lohmann is given even less to work with, and as a result his Tom is just a caricature of the work-a-holic husband. (It makes absolutely no sense for him to be the salvation of Jakob and Jorgen's marriage. It's a cute ending, somewhat along the lines of "Flying Down to Rio." But it makes no sense.)

Watch for superb bit performances by Morten Kirkskov and Henning Jensen as the super-fag married couple (particularly their two scenes mid-movie, one where they are horrified that Jakob has turned straight and one where the "ugly secret" of their marriage comes out). Oskar Valsoe is really good as the lone straight (?) man in the bunch, without falling over into supercilious liberal guilt (as so many American films would push the character).

The editing is just superb, and the cinematography at times really reaches for your heart. The soundtrack is very good -- when it is there. It's too bad there wasn't more if it (a la "Muriel's Wedding" or "Boogie Nights").

And okay -- so the script at times falls into triteness. Jorgen loses an eye after driving drunkenly through the night after hearing Jakob's confession. Like we didn't see that one coming! (After "The World According to Garp," this is just too, too common a story-telling trick.) The ending, too, is just far too pat. The inclusion of the horse was just so bookend-ish, it really pushed the conclusion far beyond acceptable storytelling limits. But overall, this film is rather good. I had a very pleasant time watching it.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Feel good film, which will leave you laughing one moment & crying the next., 19 March 2007

Author: Peniann from United Kingdom

I loved this film. Although this film tackles serious issues such as coping with homosexuality, the break up of relationships, and family disputes - it is light hearted humorous, and fun. It will have you laughing one minute, and crying the next. Mads Mikkelsen plays his role fantastically. You can't help but fall in love with him, despite the fact that he is the one causing all the heartache. Troels Lyby's character tugs at your heart strings, as the 'dumped boyfriend', and you can't help but emphasise with Charlotte Munck's character. I won't give anything away in case you've not already seen the film, but these 3 play the title roles splendidly. The film is set in and around the beautiful scenery of Copenhagen. It is a brilliant film for people who are not already familiar with Copenhagen, and Copenhagen/Danish culture, to get a feel from. The soundtrack is another good reason to watch, containing some wonderful tracks from contemporary Scandinavian artists, and complementing the film wonderfully. My recommendation? Watch it.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Loved it, 16 January 2006

Author: Casper from South Africa

While on visiting Sweden & Denmark, I bought a heap of Scandanavian movies, "En Kort en Lang" being one of them. I had no idea what the movie was about, and from the moment it started I found it utterly charming and very funny, with some unexpected twists in the plot. The acting is great and the characters were all believable. My only gripe would be with a few bad make-up decisions, especially a less convincing mustache on a supporting character and an amateurishly assembled beard on another. But these are minor problems and did not spoil the movie for me. A real fun movie with a wonderful ending you'd expect from a romantic comedy!

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4 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
The Not-so-straight Story, 12 December 2001

Author: McBuff from Slagelse, Denmark

Spoiled want-it-all Jacob wants to marry his male partner Jørgen, but happens to fall for Jørgen´s brother´s wife, leading to many hilarious situations and poignant moments. Actress Hella Joof´s directing debut has laugh-out-loud comedy and sensitive drama in equal measures, with excellent performances by the three leads, Mads Mikkelsen as Jacob, Troels Lyby as his long-suffering partner, and Charlotte Munck as the girl who gets between them. Gay stereotypes abound, but performed by a talented cast, with Peter Frödin and Nikolaj Steen as standouts. Film has its share of flaws and doesn´t quite steer clear of romantic movie clichés, that airport-set denouement just doesn´t ring true, but the film is so appealing that you probably won´t mind. Written by the director and actor Klaus Bondam (who appears as a priest with a red-dyed porcupine haircut) For Danish viewers: Look for an unrecognizable Lars Hjortshøj as an alcoholic and Zlatko Buric as a cab-driver. Be sure to stick around for the end credits and check out the Polaroid snapshots for one final hilarious punchline involving the identity of "Sørmand"! ***

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
An emotional roller-coaster, 26 September 2009

Author: Gordon-11 from Hong Kong

This film is about a man who is about to marry the man he loves, but falls for his sister instead.

"Shake It All About" is an unconventional romantic comedy. It's well written, and the story is engaging. It's an emotional roller-coaster that exposes a painful reality. Troels Lyby's acting as Jorgen is phenomenal. His character faces many adversities, and each time Lyby conveys his sadness, frustration and anger very well. I can see his pain and I can feel his pain. The lunch party scene where Jacob packs up is the best example of his splendid acting. I would certainly want to watch more of his films. Mads Mikkelsen is disappointing on the other hand. He does not carry his emotions as thoroughly as Troels Lyby. I enjoyed watching "Shake It All About".

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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
The cinema's first closeted heterosexual?, 18 April 2003

Author: Havan_IronOak from NYC/FL

Jørgen & Jacob are a happy gay couple living in Denmark. On the night of Jacob's birthday party Jørgen proposes marriage and Jacob accepts only to find that he's fallen in love with Caroline, Jørgen's sister-in-law. While the hetero couple try gallantly to deny the attraction, its there and it quickly leads to all manner of complications.

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Trying to broaden the rom-com..., 6 January 2005

Author: elsa a from France

This is a true feelgood movie, trying to be a more liberal but succeeding with the base genre without more ado. It is a warm, pleasing experience, best suited for anxiety-filled hung-over Sundays.

Although classical stereotypes shine through, the film makes an honest attempt to broaden the rom-com genre by being more liberal-minded and equal in attitude.

What gives the film an edge are the side characters - as previously pointed out, fronted by the brilliant doctor in the hospital scene. Joof's sense of detail (in this way most close to classic Disneys) does not save the movie however, and it ends a pleasant but short memory.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Truely Unforgettable, 14 February 2002
Author: ghettosvend75 from Copenhagen, Denmark

To give a short summary of the movie it´s about a gay couple, and their difficulties when one of them falls in love with a woman.

I had high expectations prior to seeing this movie because many of my friends had recommended it to me. On top of that, it was one of the best reviewed Danish movies of the year, but I was truely disappointed. A movie that in it´s trailer wishes to appear as a fun, light hearted movie that contains funny scenes such as one where the main character compares his boyfriends penis to vegetable. But this movie is only sporadically funny. It tries to combine a much to serious story with jokes that could have been part of American Pie. THAT does not work.

Mads Mikkelsen(perhaps THE most popular actor in Denmark) seems out of place and constantly gives one the impression that he would rather have been somewhere else. But having said that, I still must still applaud many of the actors appearing in this movie, Troels Lyby(who represents the serious(but sadly boring) part of the movie, Peter Frödin(funny as always) and Nikolai Steen(extremely funny in a quite grotesque role.

So the conclusion to my review is: if you wish to see a funny movie(that does not share the bottom level of scary movie or not another teen movie) - don´t waste your money here. Amelie or Bridget Jones´diary are much higher on my scale.

evaluation 5/10

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1 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
What is the chance that both the director and writer get kidnapped at the end?, 30 December 2008

Author: Stein Erik Aulie from Norway

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This movie use the Hollywood recipe how to do a romantic holiday movie. At the start, I though that this has something else, some kind of Nordic irony to the whole genre. The script had a lot of these ironic and sarcastic views on the romantic story - the audience didn't know that the Mads Mikkelsen was a gay until quite a few minutes. Further on, I think the director, cinematographer and editor do a very good job. There's a bunch of minor, but important, details that I really appreciated. This is actually a good, funny and interesting movie....until I found out that it actually DID the whole f¤%#n Hollywood set phrase.

-----------spoiler------- The last 20 min was awful. It seems that the writer stopped breathing, and the hired some monkey from the Hollywood film school to finish it...yes the actually ripped the movie apart and executed it while the audience couldn't do a thing about it. How can you underestimate people like that? Had the writer NOT written an end for it? Why the hell does Mads Mikkelsen's character run back? On a bloody horse? Nothing indicated that he would get back to his fiancée! A happy ending? This was an awful ending. This is why Dannish (and Scandinavian films generally) fails to make it big....they follow the same boring footsteps as all the wanna be film-makers. Do your thing! This is Europe! The director is the king here! Not the producer! If the producer f#¤s you up, it's probably a Hollyowood one.

A movie that goes from a 8-9 to 1 because of the the last 20 min...need I say more. I'm frustrated that I spent one and a half hour of my life + ten minutes writing this comment.

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5 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Supporting role's everywhere!, 6 May 2002

Author: Longo Vital from Copenhagen D.C.

This film is a mess.

From the beginning it is clear that this movie's first and foremost wish is: Your sympathy. It is clear that debutant director Hella Joof (probably Denmark's most succesful black actress!) has a lot of love for her characters. And that is probably why she has decided to fill this movie with a bunch of originals. And you wonder why there are so many of them. Many have one or two punch lines each - Peter Frödin as the only supporting role has got more! - and then they just remain there, filling the void left in which we ought to laugh. It seems as a waste of acting capacity seeing Ellen Hillingsøe, Pernille Højmark, Ditte Gråbøl, Thomas Winding, Lars Knutzon, Ghita Nørby, Hannah Bjarnhof etc. have so little screen time.

The plot surrounds the gay couple played very straight by Mads Mikkelsen and Troels Lyby. The one falls in love with the others sister in law and here goes trouble as it is in a bisexual reality.

The actors seem pretty much left to themselves and as most of them are experienced that can do. But Joof's eager to plaster celebrity Danes in every little part of the movie is ridiculous. Bodil award winner Zlatko Buric gets one line as a taxi driver - and that is symptomatic for the entire movie.

The only supporting role that earns praise is Lotte Merete Andersen as the doctor. She gets 30 second and steals the scene. That is acting!

Joof is famous for her special and somewhat childish humor as expressed in acting ensembles "Det Brune Punktum" and "Lex & Klatten" and it shows also here. Her fondness of 'dirty' words here are nevertheless not funny at all but seems misplaced in a film about very sensitive adults.

All in all this is a disappointment. Indeed one of the weakest Danish comedies in years.

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