I don't know how to start ... First of all, let me tell you that I loved the first "Elling" ... almost literally fell in love with him when I saw the first film. It was a bit of the Norwegian answer to "Forrest Gump" - two extraordinary guys takes care of themselves, trying to fit in and find their place in this strange world. It was fun and a bit sad at the same time. But here comes the prequel, still with its great spots (and also a few funny scenes), but with more focus on the dark sides of the character Elling. This shows more of his personal problems, and his mothers reactions towards his "fits" or "outbursts" or what we shall call it. It becomes worse throughout the movie, and finally it became so uncomfortable to watch, I didn't even finish watching it. So, no spoilers here.More serious than the first one, so if you expect something as heartwarming as the first one, you'll just get disappointed.UPDATE: If you want something closer to the first one, skip this one and watch the third installment "Elsk meg i morgen" ("Love me tomorrow"). It picks up the track more or less where the first one ended, it's "serious enough" to handle, and still have that warm feeling over it.

So Elling adds another experience of Nordic Films for me. Not being familiar with the previous movies staring this special person I stumbled into this little gem of a movie. To my opinion characters are fairly good depicted and act in rather believable way. Add to this a nice plot, some very comic and also some tragic moment and it will make up the kind of film I love: you may laugh at times, you even shed the small tear at times and you feel the world is not as bad as it may seem sometimes after watching.Very enjoying, I recommend to everyone who is interested in some good European cinema. Punchline: "They translate the menu into German, English and Swedish. Why not Norwegian - the oil business language of the world?"

I haven't seen its prequel or sequel and from what I witnessed in this travesty of a film, I don't intend to. Although a different director than the other two, this adaptation of Ingvar Ambjørnsens book butchers my interest in the other films. And sadly to say also the source material.This film deals with Elling, a character so unlikely that he could only appear in a Norwegian film. Not only are the characters walking clichés, but they talk like no Norwegians ever do, except when on stage as actors in a play.And Elling is an impossible creature. Supposedly a social imbecile and lightly retarded, he somehow is portrayed as one of the most eloquent and poignant individuals you'll ever meet. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Elling is a fantasy concoction of how a mentally challenged person is. When was the last time you met a socially inadequate human being who could easily spellbind pretty much anyone? Never happened, never will... I'm not trying to offend mentally challenged people, I'm simply deconstructing how Elling's character is put together. At least when you want to make a portrait of someone at the side of what's "normal", please make an effort to give him more than one dimension, no matter how bogus they are. Respect your audience.The dialogue in this film means only one thing for me: sheer, physical pain. I wonder how I managed to stay tuned in for as long as I did. As I said, the dialogue executed in this film is non-existent outside Norwegian theaters and unfortunately many previous Norwegian films. But even if the script was better and the director had at least the tiniest clue about preparing actors for talking on screen, this film kind of looks like a theater play converted to the big screen: The framing is cheap and uninspired, the locations are uninteresting, the set pieces are poorly put together, the pacing is nothing but sub-standard and completely predictable, the situations looks constructed, the scenes are embarrassing to watch in all their awkwardness and the list could go on and on.Excuse me for being such a sourpuss, but it had to be said. The best thing about this trilogy is that it (hopefully) is completed.I rest my case.

As sequels (or prequels in this case) go, "Mors Elling" is a good movie.Everyone who's seen the successful movie "Elling" (2000) probably remembers that Elling was a bit... attached to his late mother (to put it mildly). "Mors Elling" is based on one of author Ingvar Ambjørnsen's books written before "Brødre i blodet" (the basis for "Elling"). It tells the story of Elling, living with his mom in downtown Oslo. She knows she won't be around for ever and in an effort to get him out in the world, and help him stand on his own two feet, she buys tickets for them both for a trip to sunny Spain!What follows is a series of mishaps as we tag along with Elling through situations he's never been in before. Riding on an airplane, on the beach surrounded with topless women, the Spanish nightlife, befriending the Norwegian woman in the neighbouring hotel-room, etc. It is at times funny but never as light-hearted as the original movie. Here there is more emphasis on the seriousness of Elling's condition, and we rarely find ourselves laughing like we did with the first movie. More melancholy, and thus less of the warm-hearted air that made the first "Elling" so special.But don't get me wrong, it's still a good little movie. Director Eva Isaksen is always great with actors, and the acting is as expected good, the story is entertaining, and it is surprisingly short. Around 75 minutes (!) and when it is all over I felt myself REALLY wanting to see the Elling-character again, now that I knew that much more about him.