This movie gives you a chance to laugh out loud. It`s not so very great but some of the actors are really outstanding. It stars Helena Bergström (as Mona) and she´s always believable but the acting of Jonas Karlsson(as the CP-injured youngster) and Björn Kjellman (as Monas "transa"-brother Candy-Kenny) are really outstanding. If Oscar-nominees for best co-acting were giving to actors in a non-english spoken movie this year, these two guys should really be in the "pipeline".
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clwi27 November 2000
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Mona Bergström is a sweet eurovision-obsessed woman in her 30's. She is married to a lazy husband and have 4 children, all named after her favorite Swedish eurovision popstars. Her brother is a crossdressing guy selftitled "Candy Darling". Mona works on a retirement home for disabled people, where she is responsible for taking care of a young man named David who suffers a movement restricting disease forcing him into a wheelchair. Davids parents has abandoned him as they wanted a normal child. Mona holds a big place in Davids heart, and vica versa. Davids goal is to get his parents to come and visit him, and he wants to show them that he is a great person, despite his handicap. Therefore he works with music on his computer, and his goal is to create a song, send it to "The Cardigans", a famous Swedish band and have them play the song and credit him, hoping his parents would spot it and want to visit him. One day when Mona is seeing David, she listens to one of Davids songs. Surprised by the great melody, she *steals* a copy and brings it home, where she writes lyrics for it. Being satisfied with the result, she records her voice along with the song and send it to "Melodi Festivalen", the Swedish preliminaries for Eurovision Song Contest, hoping she could archieve the fame she had dreamed about many times. Weeks later she gets a call from Swedish television, saying her song has been approved and she will be one of the 10 performers in the Swedish eurovision preliminaries...
I'm not spoiling anymore here.... view this movie - you have my best recommendation to do so. :) -
sweedie716 January 2002This is a feelgood comedy about ordinary people living extraordinary lives. It centres around a woman who is living her lifelong ambition and how it affects her and those who are close to her. Some parts can be seen as sickly sweet, but there are several dark undertones about how certain "different" people are perceived and treated in society today. Definitely worth watching.
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djnate7721 February 2003After having lived in Sweden for half a year, I truly appreciated this look into modern Swedish living. Schlager is to the Swedish what the ocean is to lemmings. They are all drawn to it instinctively.
A full-time nurse with three kids and an unemployed husband gets her lucky break and breaks through as a Swedish superstar.
A lot of laughs and frustration. Good acting, nice photography and above all a compelling story. 9/10. -
As a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest I knew I had to see this movie the moment I saw the trailer. It revolves around Mona, a not very glamorous woman, working with the handicapped David. Mona, played by the multi-talented Helena Bergström, is also a huge fan of the ESC and has named her four daughters after stars from the contest. This film is a great vehicle for Bergström, whom you may know from films such as Änglegård I and II, but both Jonas Karlson as David and Björn Kjellman as Mona's brother Candy Darling, offer strong support and, at moments steel their scenes. Actually Karlson's and Kjellman's only scene together is the film's strongest point. Inevitably there is a lot of music, some a bit cheesy and bad.
This movie has several beautiful aspects, and touches many of the problems we face every day, the importance of keeping your dreams alive in order to survive, and at the end of the day: How important it is not to loose sight of your friends and family in the process! -
katy191_130 November 2005I just love this movie. OK, I admit, it is a bit cheesy plot, BUT I still love it. Helena Bergström is just brilliant as Mona, a women of 4, who's obsessed with Melodifestivalen and with Swedish pop scene. Her obsession is so hard, that she even named her daughters after Carola, Lena Ph, Kikki and Anna Book. She lives with an unemployed husband(hot Thmas Hanzon), who doesn't help her at all. She works with an disabled guy David(If I haven't seen Jonas Karlsson in Gustav den IIIs Äktenskap and Miffo before, I would think he's really disabled!He was just amazing!).She has a brother Candy, who is a transvestite with AIDS.Candy is good brother, he's always in a good mood, although he's very sick and he's quite similar as Mona, 'cos he's also Eurovision fan.Well a little bit more about David.Mona is his only and real friend.He talk with her about everything.But, he's also a good musician, who has a vision to send one of his songs to the group The Cardigans.They would credit him and then his parents, who were avoiding him would visit him.But Mona thinks, that the song is just perfect for Melodifestivalen, so she "steals" the tune, writes a lyrics and her husband puts the CD into the envelope. Mona then sends it to Swedish television. And then, couple of weeks later, she gets a phone call, that David's song with her lyrics has been accepted to the selection.When David founds out, he's really hurt and he doesn't want to talk to Mona. Mona doesn't understand why, but she becomes a star. She's invited to the "VIP party" where she meets her and also my idol, singer Carola.Later she comes to Melodifestivalen on first rehearsals, she feels really nervous and she's singing false all the time. Then another thing happens, when she lies on TV, that song is entirely hers. David, of course goes crazy. Then, then, she's really in trouble.First, all her family stops trust her and also her attitude changes. But then, on the big night, she goes to the hospital gets a dress her brother made.Then she runs into another hospital, where she becomes friend with David again. She's rushing, the program is interrupted because of her.But then, she gets a chance to perform after all and at the end..........well I won't tell you everything. Watch the movie and enjoy! Highly recommended. And the music is great also. My favorite song is If Life Was A Song, by Carola and the song, that is all about, Aldrig ska jag sluta älska dig by Helena Bergström herself.
This movie rules!A++++++++! -
dekel_dd25 November 2004OK, this movie is the greatest! It's an optimistic movie about a couple of Swedish folks who are totally unfortunate. One day they get a one-time chance to improve their lives and they take it! Mona, a nurse and amateur-singer who lives in Sweden with her family (sick brother, 3 girls and a husband) get the opportunity to participate in a famous Swedish song contest - Melodifestivalen. But Mona has many unsolved issues to deal with if she wants to win the contest. Except her pessimistic family, the writer of the song she submit, a patient she takes care of in the hospital, is totally against any publishment of his song. Will it stop Mona? See for yourself. In this movie many famous Swedish artists appear as guest stars - Carola, Lena Philipsson, Lasse Holm and many more... A very exciting movie - for romantic & comedic fans from all over the world.
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This (Swedish) movie is the worst thing I have ever seen from Danish Susanne Bier's hand. This is too bad. Susanne Bier has made so fine movies as "Freud flyttar hemifrån..." (1991), "Brev til Jonas" (1992), "Det bli'r i familien" (1994), "Sekten" (1997) and the beautiful "Den Eneste Ene" (1999). After this one she made "Brødre" (2004) and the Oscar-nominated "Efter brylluppet" (2006). This script stinks. Not her fault altogether, as the script is by Jonas Gardell. But the fine, fine actors make some of the story believable. Most of all Helena Bergström as Mona, and Jonas Karlsson as David, and that may be a credit to the director, too.
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multivitamin29 August 2003ANYTHING LESS THAN A 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 IS IN- APP- RO- PRI- ATE!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Did you get my point there? Good.) -
kongstad29 December 2000Susanne Bier achieved great fame in Denmark for her previous movie "Den eneste ene" so her new movie was eagerly anticipated in Denmark even though it was in Swedish.
It is a new comedy about everyday people. This time it is about a woman who is crazy about "Melodi Festivalan", a song contest for pop music. Helena Bergström is simply wonderful as the main character and it is mainly because of her that the movie is bearable.
Otherwise the movie is predictable, so sweet it is bad for your teeth and with a ending that might been played down a notch or two. -
tildiz14928 August 2023In "The Life Is a Schlager" we meet the nurse, mother and wife Mona. She is really interested in Melodifestivalen, a huge music competition in Sweden. She has even named her daughters after famous singers from Melodifestivalen.
Mona takes care of David, who is a disabled man. One day Mona discovers that David works on a melody. She writes the lyrics and sends it to Melodifestivalen. They accept and love the song! Therefore, Mona becomes famous overnight. But Mona soon learns that fame comes with a price.
I must say, in all honesty, that I really like this movie. Personally I think that it is a delightful tribute to Melodifestivalen. Mona could have been a little more honest. And yes, Monas husband could have been a bit nicer. But other than that I can´t find anything else to dislike.
I believe that you don´t have to be a fan of Melodifestivalen to like this movie. "The Life Is a Schlager" shows other important subjects. Family, diseases, respect, love and support is here too. At least if you ask me. I recommend this one. Grab the snacks and watch it.