In Tune with the Time

Anyone who intends to review this movie will have to take into consideration the earlier film, Með Allt Á Hreinu, to which Í Takt Við Tímann is a sequel. 20 years after Með Allt á Hreinu ended, the story picks up again. Harpa and Stinni (whose parting at the end of the first movie was not entirely voluntary) are living separate lives but have never forgotten about each other. Stuðmenn, the band they were both members of, is now a miserable trio playing in bars in Spain, and Dúddi, their former roadie, has discovered new-ageism and become a "guru". None of them are entirely happy with their lot, and things start heating up between Harpa and Stinni when Stuðmenn re-form (without Harpa) and enter a band competition where they will be competing with the band Harpa's son is in. Like the first film, this one is full of good music and funny incidents. The humour is the same as in the earlier film - for example the costumes Stuðmenn always perform in, each more ridiculous than the last - and it's a nice way to spend a couple of hours. The movie is a bit self-conscious, and it feels staged in a way the first film was not. Með Allt Á Hreinu is a tough act to follow, and although this is a funny and well-made movie, I don't think it will ever reach the cult status of the previous effort.