I am very surprised to see how many people thought this is a feel-good , crowd-pleaser movie. To me it is the exact opposite: a very well done hard movie that explores all the kinds of relationships in today's world. So you see the cheater with a wife with cancer (a few names of political figures in USA come to mind), the gay who tries to fight his gayness, the mother who does not love the daughter, the man who still mourns his loss and does not pay attention to what he has, the son who wants to please the distant father, and so on. In a way a very sad, gut-wrenching movie. Now in this human-heart exploration the director, I think, threw in also the visual difference between a gray Copenhagen and a very colorful, beautiful Sorrento: this might be the way to suggest the difference between reality and want we WANT to believe. The only predictable part of the movie is the ending ... and may be even this it's Mrs Bier's way to tell us that in spite of all the terrible things we saw, there is always hope for all of us! I enjoyed very much this great movie. The only thing I did not like is the Englis translated title. The original title (The Bald Hairdresser) is much better in my opinion.
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dexkirb20 April 2013I think the Italian review above is very harsh - what do we go to see films for? To be entertained and moved emotionally in at least one way. I laughed, cried, smiled and thought this was a great way to spend two hours. It is not pretentious or highbrow but that is good in my opinion - the locations are good on the eye, music enjoyable and a few interesting characters. Whilst it may not be Brosnan's most challenging role he is a likable guy and character and does portray a man with baggage, emotional issues and regret over his relationship with his son. many people will recognise some of the issues in this film, so lighten up in Italy and just regard some films as light entertainment - nothing wrong with that.
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JvH4821 October 2012I saw this film as part of the Ghent filmfestival 2012. Usually I've little interest in feelgood movies, and particularly not when wedding festivities are an integral element. But the synopsis in the filmfestival brochure had that little something that made me book tickets, and I'm not disappointed. That does not mean that important questions of life and death are discussed, but rather that it proves solid entertainment for the whole duration (nearly 2 hours), no more no less. You will forget about the movie later on, to remember only that it was pleasant and amusing throughout.
The story line develops steadily, and all important characters get time to be introduced to the audience. In other words, we really get the chance to know them. These introductions are spread evenly, and luckily not condensed in the first quarter.
Center of the proceedings is hairdresser Ida, who just returned from hospital after a cancer treatment. She is wearing a wig as a result, hence the original title "The bald hairdresser" (possibly for commercial reasons translated to "Love is all you need"). Still not certain about the ultimate success of the cancer treatment, she returns home. There she finds her husband Leif with the much younger Tilde (from "accounting") doing it on the couch. Ida does not take it lightly, and a divorce seems imminent.
As her daughter Astrid will be getting married in Italy within a few days, she travels alone to the airport. In her nerves to park the car in order to catch her flight, she collides with the car of a business man in vegetables (Philip). He happens to be the father of the groom (Patrick), and on his way to the same marriage. This coincidence seems a bit of a stretch as well as statistically impossible. Luckily it is the only thing in this film that I consider far fetched. Combining that encounter with the fact (we learn that later on) that he is a widower, allows us to predict the main story line from that moment on. However... It does not happen that way, at least not exactly.
Apart from the developments around the relationship between Ida and Philip, there are ample opportunities for sub-plots and new characters to be introduced along the line. All this gets gradually interwoven in the story, without giving us a feeling that the film makers are overdoing it. The time that the film takes, much more than the average 90 minutes, offers sufficient room for parallel story lines to develop and come to a (sometimes happy, sometimes not so happy) conclusion. The script mixes all these many ingredients in an ingenious way, and stays believable from start to finish (aforementioned car accident being the only exception).
I don't think it makes any sense to delve deeper in the scenario. Which is next to impossible anyway without revealing how the story develops, and without introducing spoilers in the text. That would take away much of the surprise, a definite no-no, since surprises are the main ingredients out of which this film is made.
Apart from superb casting and acting that we are allowed to witness, the story line (better: story lines) suffice to keep the viewer interested all the time in what will happen next. I could not spot any dull moments, in other words fully qualified entertainment for the whole family. Expecting no more than what the label says, I scored it deservedly with a maximum (5) for the audience award when leaving the theater. -
blogurious4 October 2012It doesn't matter how much you have, materialistic speaking. The one and only thing that makes sense in life and never fades away is the love we all feel inside, regardless of how many times it seems to let us down. Love is like an endless spring, always digging other ways to keep on flowing, if you'll let it.
"Love Is All You Need" doesn't need to say much. It's just a look into dysfunctional families and the many secrets we all hold, trying to avoid confrontation because it's much easier to pretend everything is okay. It's a very romantic and, yet, sad journey that takes you through the pain and determination of a character fighting to stay alive in every sense of the way. Sometimes love may seem to have abandoned you until it kisses you from behind, restoring the hope you thought was lost. Simply lovely. -
m196511 March 2014As an American, sometimes it tough to watch a movie that doesn't feature at least one or two well known Hollywood actors. Granted, Pierce Brosnan is what lured me in - but it was Trine Dyrholm that stole my heart. There were several wonderful performances, and the locations and camera work were the icing on the cake.
This movie weaves a beautiful tapestry of the struggles and triumphs of a family. It exposes the most vulnerable emotions we all feel in our own families.
This was a well written movie. If you love beautiful Italian scenery, good dialog and the occasional dysfunctional family antic - then this is the movie for you. Relaxing, beautiful and a wonderful message. -
Reno-Rangan13 December 2013Surprisingly this movie expelled all my expectations. It was a simply good movie with nice characters and places, not an awesome-awesome one though. So diverse romance-drama told in the perspective of the elder people's beginning of a new relationship. It is a predictable plot so there's no surprise twists at all. From the director of 'In a Better World' this movie narrates the story of a widower and a hairdresser whose husband is cheating on her.
A widower businessman in his 50s probably is preparing to attend his son's wedding in abroad. In other side of the story a woman who successfully completed her cancer treatment as well getting ready to attend her daughter's wedding in Italy. In an accident these two meet at the airport. With a little discomfortable at beginning they start to like each other. For the sake of children these two must sacrifice what they have found within them. So the lives goes on as it forced them to move along with it.
Extraordinary performances by Pierce Brosnan and a woman on his counterpart character called Ida was awesome. I can't finish this review without mentioning the bride, she looked so pretty. Sadly it was not her story. The seaside locations in Italy were beautiful, played a crucial role in the movie's pleasant presentation. They shot it at the right season I guess because it was alluring. Everyone might not enjoy the movie because it deals about older people's romance and I am not old but I liked it. -
Quietb-114 May 2013It's very predictable but that makes it comfortable. It's another dysfunctional family getting together for a wedding. We've seen it before, but this time the mother of the bride has just completed breast cancer treatment.
An interesting touch is that the credits all seem to dissolve into.a gold like Pixie dust. There are good performances, beautiful scenery and great use of a Dean Martin song. There are subtitles that sometime blend into the background, but not to much dialogue as much of the story doesn't need dialogue.
Some of the characters are thinly written. The sister-in-law and her daughter were almost cartoonish.
There are laughs and tugs at the heart. It may not be the best wedding movie but it is a good time at the movies. Don't expect a wide summer release, but it is a pleasant change of pace. See it. -
corrosion-221 October 2012Love is All You Need is a real crowd pleaser, feel good type of movie. It may not be very original and ground breaking but it is expertly put together and will make the viewer leave the cinema feeling good and uplifted.
Somehow, it is reminiscent of Mamma Mia!, specially with Pierce Brosnan's presence in both movies. Here, he plays a successful businessman whose son is marrying the daughter of a Swedish hairdresser with an unfaithful husband. The wedding is set in romantic Sorrento and unexpected events happen which keep the film continuously interesting. Brosnan is particularly good and this film has the potential to become a big hit. -
AvidClimber18 June 2013Love Is All You Need is a wedding, romance, and family movie from Denmark mostly taking place in Italy. It is about solving the riddles within yourself, not necessarily succeeding, but at least acknowledging them.
The good. Superb Italian panoramas. Fascinating and touching story with a lot of depth. Very realistic. Solidly built scenario with interesting twists and turns. Excellent background. Perfect ending. Nicely romantic with a few laughs. Well grounded. No clichés.
The actors. Trine Dyrholm is absolutely fantastic, beautiful and compelling. Pierce Brosnan, while not playing too far from his usual roles, is just great. And I have to mention the work of Paprika Steen as the annoying, mean, and self-centered aunt/sister-in-law.
The bad. I can't thing of anything. That's how much I appreciated the flick.
The ugly. Nothing.
The result. Something much different from Hollywood's romantic films. A true breath of fresh air. A must for everyone, to the exception of those not interested in romance or family conflicts. -
stephanlinsenhoff2 January 2014This sweet comedy shows when everything has happened that should not happen happens. Surgery and chemotherapy for breast cancer, her husband with a much younger work colleague on their sofa. Ida travels without her husband to Italy to their daughter's wedding in Sorrento. At the airport in the parking area she backs in to Philips car. Philip, movie-coincidence, is the father to the boy her daughter will marry. Of course and what else. After the arrival, with Philip on their way to their children she has to listen how he treats his staff ("I pay them") bluntly telling him in the taxi that she dislikes him. What else: the movie follows the well known scheme. In a touching monologue in front of everybody her daughter calls off the wedding. The call-off is the cover-up for the real romance and the real 'happy end': the between-the-lines-romance of her mother and the widowed father.
Back home where life goes on ... until Philip comes to the hair salon for a haircut the expert she is, talked of he needs. But it is her he needs. But: too early. First other things has to happen. She has to take care of. One: her unfaithful husband. This husband that appeared at their daughters wedding with his latest love affair. Not only 'Love is all we need', the English title: but more.
The movies centerpiece is the scene at the beach. She swims. Without clothes and wig, lying there in the sand: naked and bald. Discovering what she does Charles rushes down to warn her of the dangerous undercurrents in the water. Coming out of the water, she: "Don't look" and he: "I am not looking. Take your clothes on". He does not look. But what he does is he sees! Beyond her nakedness, beyond her baldness. The 'skaldede frisør', she is. Seeing her what and as she is. Beyond.
The reason for their happy ending. Not in the hair salon. He tried but came too early for a haircut he does not need. First she must take care with the business with her husband. First then, later and now she comes and asks him to open the answer from the hospital and read it to her. By looking at her and his eyes we 'see' what the letter says without hearing him reading the letter: their second Chance.
new years eve 2013, for Clemencia -
howard.schumann11 June 2013Oscar-winning director Suzanne Bier has crafted several emotionally resonant films that have had a strong impact on the viewer. Unfortunately, Love Is All You Need is not one of them. Hitting all the right buttons, the film makes a concerted effort to appeal to the requisite demographics but forgets to aim at constituents with intelligence and sensitivity. Filmed mostly in Italy on the Bay of Naples, its gorgeous natural surroundings and talented cast cannot redeem it from a nonsensical plot and characters who are irresponsible jerks. Billed as a romantic comedy, its originality is immediately suspect when we hear the song, That's Amore, open the film a la Moonstruck.
Ida (Trine Dyrholm), an attractive middle-aged hairdresser, is a cancer survivor with a guarded prognosis. Coming home from the hospital, she is shocked when she sees her husband Leif (Kim Bodnia) on the living room couch in heated embrace with Thilde from Accounting (Christiane Schaumburg-Muller). Telling his wife that he was so stressed by her illness, he had no choice but to cheat on her, he asks for forgiveness. Obviously, if he had thought, like most adults, about moving to a more private setting or had given one second of thought to the timing of his tryst, it would have ruined the plot. The incident aside, Ida, traveling alone, is on her way to Italy to attend her daughter Astrid's (Molly Blixt Egelind) wedding. Flustered, she backs her car up in the airport parking garage and runs right into - wouldn't you know it? That's right, Pierce Brosnan of all people.
Not only is Philip (Brosnan), the head of a fresh-produce company and one of the myriad of uber-wealthy people in the film, going to Italy as well but is, wonder of wonders, the father of the groom. Now how's that for a coincidence? Of course, they are both angry and fighting mad, a prerequisite for living happily ever after. Philip is particularly bitter since he lost his wife several years ago in a car accident and has been taking it out on the rest of humanity ever since. Things are only heating up, however. When we get to the wedding, held at Philip's luxury villa in Sorrento, we meet Benedikte (Paprika Steen), Philip's rowdy and obnoxious sister-in-law who tells him that she's always been madly in love with him. This prompts one of the nastiest speeches in movie history where lovely Benedikte finds out just how awful she really is. Tender is the night.
To make the gathering even more cringe-worthy, Leif shows up at the wedding with his floozy girlfriend who's all smiles. Much to Ida's horror, her soldier-son Kenneth (Micky Skeel Hansen), floors his father with a right cross from his only one good arm. There is much more melodrama, however, including a laughable twist involving Patrick (Sebastian Jessen), the husband-to-be, but I had better stop now. If all of this was played as a farce, it would be moderately amusing even with all its stale sub-plots, predictability, and banal dialogue. Unfortunately, the film has an aura of profound seriousness that makes it insufferable in any genre. Despite some moments of genuine warmth, Love Is All You Need wastes some fine talent on a romantic comedy that has neither romance nor comedy. If this film is any example, love isn't all you need. Some maturity and responsibility would also help. -
diane-3419 December 2012Diane and I saw this, to me interesting but to Diane delightful, movie this afternoon at Paradiso in Perth. I found the initial first-half of the movie fairly unnerving because I am a total coward at movies in all their aspects including domestic difficulties and this movie had them in spades; having said that I found the entire movie engaging and very watchable with no "dead" spots anywhere in the film.
The movie is composed of viewer looks into the lives of all the principal characters but centering around the mother of the groom and the father of the bride. The larger family all have their pieces to add to this bubbling pot of individuals who all seem to have significant parts to play as the principals go through the steps of their routine. Not to be overly trite about the metaphor but speaking of dance it plays a larger than expected role in the movie or at least to me.
This is a lovely movie and one that should be watched by any person whose mind is stable enough to appreciate good story telling without the need for guns, killing and the mindlessness of the normal Hollywood dross. -
paul2001sw-124 November 2013I liked Susanne Bier's earlier films, but her later work has become more conventional, and not in a good way. There are standard elements to many mainstream romantic comedies, and sadly, her film 'Love Is All You Need' uses several off-the shelf-elements: the Darcy-esque male (played by Pierce Brosnan, looking startlingly like Ronald Regan), superficially arrogant and possessed of enough money to allow a fantasy setting; the heroic characters' unworthy rivals for love, the ghastly relative painted utterly without sympathy. It says a lot that the key moment in this film is of the Darcy character, who has everything, telling his dreadful sister in law how awful she is; the film seems less interested in what makes people "bad" than in the nuisance they cause for everybody else. Although there are some original components to the story, principally its trilingual Italian-Danish-English structure, this mainly feels like a device to add a little bit of glamour, rather than any depth.
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cath85814 April 2013I'm a huge Danish cinema fan. I've seen many movies from that wonderful country. I've never been a huge fan of Susanne Bier but I thought "open hearts" or "brothers" were much better than this one. One of the main issue with this picture is that it was shot in Italy and of course including Pierce Brosnan is the cast was nothing but a huge mistake. He is far too smooth for a Danish film...This movie contains a considerable amount of clichés, the end is so predictable that it becomes unbearable. Every good danish actor is misused, the plot is so terrible that a new word should be invented to describe it. I'm being harsh because I'm afraid Danish cinema is going to lose its touch with people like Susanne Bier. Keep it inside Denmark without trying to get it closer to "general" cinema. As far as I'm concerned, cinema in Denmark is best represented by Festen or Mifune aka Dogma. Every film Danish directors have made outside Denmark with American or English actors (thinking of Thomas Vinterberg's It's all about love : a complete disaster...) has been a complete washout. Please keep on making good films without feeling the pressure to do something else just because people have started to get interested. Nothing much said about this film because it's so poor, nothing is worth mentioning. It's like a bad TV-show without anything of the brutal and realistic intake on human beings you usually see in Danish movies. It's sadly empty...
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scottieweiss30 April 2013The brief preview I read of this film described it as an antidote to "shrill, soulless Hollywood romantic comedies" with the power to "restore your faith in the entire genre". I was unsure whether it would live up to such high praise, but decided to give it a go.
The film follows the story of Ida, a lovely lady recovering from chemotherapy and the antics of her unappreciative husband Leif. Separately we follow her daughter Astrid as she prepares to wed her fiancé Patrick in a beautiful secluded grove in Sorrento. But marriage is not portrayed in this film as a straightforward or predictable process, and hints of challenges soon begin to emerge, both for the engaged couple and for Ida herself.
My attention was gripped more than anything by the characters themselves. All confused to some degree, I found them likable to a person - even Leif, whose "activities" were less than admirable. Their hidden depths are revealed through their struggles. I'd like to give a special nod here to Pierce Brosnan's Philip. Emotionally constricted from the start, his defensiveness and wariness gradually ease to reveal a man of real depth and warmth.
The photography in this film is gorgeous, but there again, it's only important as the backdrop to the characters' personal development. It's also a very humorous film in places, and I found the two hours flew by. 10/10. -
SnoopyStyle19 August 2016Ida is a Danish woman near the end of her successful chemotherapy treatment. She gets home early and finds her husband Leif having sex with young Thilde. She is in shock when she crashes into Philip Saunders (Pierce Brosnan) at the airport parking. She is on her way to her daughter Astrid's wedding in Italy. Phillip turns out to be the father of Astrid's fiancée Patrick. He is bitter and closed off after the death of his wife. Ida tries to keep the situation secret from Astrid and then Leif shows up at the wedding with Thilde. The wedding includes gay worker Alessandro who has a crush on Patrick, Astrid's injured brother Kenneth returning from the military, Philip's rude flirtatious sister-in-law Benedikte and her bitter suffering daughter.
Ida is a compelling character and Trine Dyrholm does a nice job. I like her story. Pierce Brosnan is a bit of a Hollywood distraction but I understand his use. Eventually, I got used to him and their relationship is good romance. There are a lot of crazy relatives going off in that wedding and a couple of them could have less screen time. There's no reason to spend so much time with Benedikte and her daughter. They are one-dimensional comedic side characters. Ida's struggles make this a good romance despite a few too many dramatic developments at the wedding. -
Caught this about 15 mins in on tv, i noticed it was a Scandinavian language film with Pierce Brosnan in a leading role, so I continued watching for that reason principally.
It's a familiar premise of two-worlds-collide with an international, interlingual aspect. The film takes place in Denmark and Italy with a disgruntled executive (Pierce) meeting a demure danish hairdresser while both hurrying to get to their respective children's wedding in Italy.
The heart of the film takes place there in Italy, where, in the prelude to the wedding all becomes clear about our protagonists. There are moments of tenderness and angst in equal measure carried along nicely by all actors and all set against sumptuous scenery.
As my title suggests, I doubt Brosnan has ever said "I'm sorry" more times in one film and that was the most -although unintentional - comedic aspect for me in this serene yet quaintly engaging drama/romance. Though I felt the film belonged to the female lead who's dealing with crisis manifold and ultimately finding her place in the world.
It won't make you laugh or cry but the core concepts and nice performances should keep you watching. -
estebangonzalez1011 March 2013¨I really don't understand why anybody would work for you when you are so awful.¨
I really don't understand why Academy Award winner, Susanne Bier, chose a character so unlikeable to play the lead romantic role in this film. Pierce Brosnan plays this really awful and hateful lead character that is upset at the world, but ends up falling in love with a recovering Cancer patient played by Trine Dyrholm. The two seem like complete opposites, but end up falling for each other after the film magically transforms this unlikeable character into a somewhat sentimental one. I really hated the first half of this film, but once Brosnan's character became more human the film really picks up and has a strong and emotional second half. The second part is what makes this film worth the while and where Susanne Bier's magic reappears. This is perhaps her weakest effort after having directed Brothers and In a Better World, two films which I really enjoyed. The Danish director combines some elements from her homeland as well as a touch of British and Italian, but the real problem with this romantic comedy has to do with the pacing of the film. The screenplay was written by Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen who had also worked with her in her previous productions. Love is All You Need doesn't really live up to their prior work, but it still is a decent comedy that works better in the second half. The Danish title translates to The Bald Hairdresser, but the English title works a lot better. This was a bit of a disappointment for me despite feeling a connection towards the end, but I expect much more from Bier's upcoming film, Serena, staring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.
Ida (Trine Dyrholm) is a hairdresser who has lost her hair after battling with cancer, and at the same time has found out her husband (Kim Bodnia) is having an affair with his accountant. She finds some comfort in her daughter, Astrid (Molly Blixt Egelind), who is getting married with Patrick (Sebastian Jessen) as she travels to Italy for the wedding reception. At the reception she meets Philip (Pierce Brosnan), a successful widowed businessman who is angry at life. Philip is Patrick's father and he falls in love with Ida's charm and goodness. She reminds him a lot of his wife and the two spend a lot of time together while their children are getting ready for the wedding. At the same time Astrid feels like Patrick is having second thoughts about the marriage after feeling him very distant the last few days. Conflicts arise at the beautiful and romantic Italian seaside villa as we get closer and closer to the ceremony.
Susanne Bier has made some great dramatic films, but here she falls a little short with this romantic comedy. It has its touching and emotional moments, but the pacing of the film really doesn't help. She does manage to deal with the complexities of life and love, but in doing so she does make this movie a little more complex than it should be for a romantic comedy. Trine Dyrholm is a delight on screen and she gets much more screen time here than in A Better World. Pierce Brosnan does what he can with his character, but he is so unlikeable at the beginning of the film that it is really hard to cheer for him. It's hard not to fall in love with the beautiful Italian cinematography and it really adds to the romantic atmosphere. Kim Bodnia, playing the unfaithful husband also adds to the comedy. The young couple has very little chemistry with each other, but we see why during the second half of the film. Despite all my complaints it's hard not to leave with a smile by the time the credits begin rolling. If you can get through the painful first half of the film you might actually enjoy this film.
http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/ -
jeppe-jacobsen23 June 2013My girlfriend talked me into seeing this... he he. Well, I'm not much into Susanne Bier's movies but I think "Hævnen" and "Brødre" are pretty decent after all. So is this one. It's the typical complicated narrative which is Susanne Bier's trademark and it is not always that successful in my opinion. But where as "Hævnen" was quite far stretched at times, this one is actually a lot better. It's hard to understand the very naive traits of the main character Ida (Dyrholm) as the script doesn't really let us get to know very much about her relationship with her husband and kids before she got the illness. The husband "Leif"(Bodnia) is in my opinion a character way too exaggerated to be very interesting. Dyrholms performance is pretty good even though the script for the character is a bit thin. If you like what she has done previously just by her sheer looks, see this one! The aunt, Benedikte, however, a devilish snob (Paprika Steen) is really well played with much enthusiasm, indeed. She is the black humour of the film and it's kind of ironic that her relationship with her own daughter is far far more intriguing than the relationships between any of the other parents and kids. The film is made in the bay of Naples and if I'm not mistaking, many of the panoramas are of the town of Sorrento. this really does portray a very stereotypical romanticized Italy setting which would be worthy of a Hollywood movie. There are many things to be said about this area well worthy of many films but this is not the errand of this one. I think, however much exaggerated and romanticized, the setting of a wealthy upper class environment in the bay of Naples does works well. Especially bearing in mind that the issue of materialism IS touched upon and debated in the film. For a film depicting the conditions and horrors of southern Italy, I recommend "Gomorra" by Matteo Garrone. A very good film! It is very obvious that much of the script writing was done to fit Pierce Brosnan's part. If he hadn't been in it, none of the dialogue would have had to be in English. So, why is he in it? Well, this could have been such a disaster! But luckily it's not - and as much as his part may BE just because of the intention of making this a box office film, an international film, I actually think his role is pretty well written for him. It might not be a world class super performance worthy of an Oscar but the scenes where the sub characters speak danish to him actually do make a story of their own. It makes his appearance seem pretty natural. Philip (Brosnan) has had a Danish wife, he has worked in Denmark for over 20 years. He understands what is said, the others know that! - But he doesn't speak it unless the really has to. This makes for building the character of the reserved Englishman, I believe, and in terms of film narrative, I think this is quite an achievement, really. Brosnan IS actually very very smooth and the lingual reserve gives him the edge he needs to play the part. This way he is not ONLY in the film because all the girls liked him in "Mama Mia". That being said, making his appearance seem natural might have taken a lot of effort. So much so that other aspect have been played down to a degree where we might have a hard time getting under his skin and really understanding his relationship to the son, Patrick, and his mom who died. All in all, "Den skaldede frisør" is a decent film. It has issues, but also potential. I'd give it 6.5.
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se-milton22 November 2013Arrow Films presents a Danish feature directed by Susanne Bier that brings together Trine Dyrholm and Pierce Brosnan as Ida, a woman battling with a cheating husband and the aftermath of chemotherapy, and widower Philip, protagonists in a romance that begins as they meet at their children's wedding.
The encounter takes place in Sorrento, Italy where Brosnan's character met his first wife who died several years before. The beauty and warmth of the setting naturally inspires a feeling of romance, but it all has a slight Mamma Mia air to it – minus the singing.
That aside, Bier instills a tenderness in Ida whose struggle with cancer functions as a sub plot, the focus being on her beauty and delicate, intelligent nature. Dyrholm is astonishing to look at on screen, and the grace that she brings to Ida is moving. Brosnan's Philip begins as a wounded, uptight businessman (recognisable from previous films like Remember Me,) but he gently and gradually weaves a vulnerability that proves his fine technique as an actor.
There are some glorious moments for Philip's desperate sister-in-law, Benedikte (Paprika Steen) as she is batted away in her attempts to woo Philip. Ida's husband Leif (Kim Bodnia) brings his new woman Tilde (Christiane Schaumburg-Muller) to the wedding unannounced, with both characters lending a comic naivety to the film. The reaction from Ida's children is a dream, particularly Kenneth (Micky Skeel Hansen) with his biting tongue and later, brilliantly well-placed left hook.
The focus of Love Is All You Need is of course on love, in a rom-com that is naturally charming and relatable. It doesn't sicken, and the story is plausible and raw. It explores sexuality, sensuality, and the nature of love in a way that is considerate and inquisitive. Susanne Bier has a clear vision with her directorial story, admitting that she is "very romantic" herself but insisting "you can't be heavy handed in a rom-com" – and this very human clarity works in the film's favour.
Emotionally engaging and a relatively easy watch, Love Is All You Need is subtitled, but not noticeably, with fluid scenes in English interjected throughout (our leading man understands Danish but never speaks it). It's gorgeously shot and a very open, appreciative film. -
leonblackwood7 September 2013Review: I enjoyed this emotional drama which is based around 2 characters who in up falling in love under the weirdest of circumstances. The film was really written and directed well by the main character in the movie. You can't help but feel for the 2 main characters, who were played well, and it was good to see another side to Pierce Brosnan, who was a weird but great choice for the film. There are many stories running parallel to the main story, which is what made the film a joy to watch. It has a mixture of subtitles and English, but it doesn't spoil the film. For a Danish low budget movie, I was surprised how the director was able to touch every emotion and I hope that the film gets what it's due. Enjoyable!
Round-Up: I really didn't know what to expect from this movie and when I found out that it was Danish, I nearly took it off of my rental list, but I'm glad that I gave it a go because I really enjoyed it. It's not the type of movie that you will watch time and time again, but its really worth giving it a go. For a romantic comedy, there are some extremely deep subjects that people will find touching, but its all pieced together well. It's also worth watching just to see Pierce Brosnan at his best.
Budget: 5.5million Worldwide Gross: $10million
I recommend this movie to people who like there emotional dramas about love and marriage. 6/10 -
ek-hlewagastir1 October 2012What a disappointment. A perfect wedding which turns to be not perfect, love triangles, a middle aged hair dresser (Paprika Sten) who after chemotherapy feels ugly but for some inexplicable reason receives courtship from mister Gorgeous (Pierce Brosnan). The depiction of Italy could not be more stereotyped (there is a mandolin trilling throughout the film). I went to see it because of Susanne Bier's name, but not only did it turn out to be not my kind of film, but the script is in fact objectively boring with few surprises or suspense. Anybody can guess the rest of the plot after some time. In spite of a few funny lines and embarrassing scenes, I bored myself to death, especially towards the end of the film. Now I am supposed to write at least 10 lines but I don't know what to do with the rest of the space! My summary: A good film for my granny, maybe. Everyone else - use your time for something else.
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sixandstones30 December 2013I originally watched this movie because I have a film (writer)coming out with English subtitles and I wanted to experience watching a film with subtitles. What I experienced was a heart-warming and totally enjoyable experience. It has a wonderful blend of romance, drama, comedy and that acting was fantastic. There are lots of unexpected twists and fantastic subplots. The characters are well developed and the pacing is perfect. Never a dull moment. I would highly recommend to anyone with a heartbeat! I would watch again. Sorry I didn't dvr this gem but I'll be sure to dvr an upcoming showing. Watch this with someone you love and double the experience. Highly recommend.
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msas-5354610 April 2022Although the characters and the story are a bit thin it was interesting enough to watch this movie - Pierce Bronan is intriguing not at the right spot but gets better near the end.
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tjsprik27 October 2013When I saw that Suzanne Bier was the director, I decided to rent this movie on the spot since she directed my all-time favorite film "After the Wedding."
However, 'Love is All You Need' is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. About the only thing is has going for it is the solid acting of the cast, which gives Ms. Bier their best efforts despite the vacuous story line.
One implausible incident piles upon another, until the viewer has completely lost interest. The characters of Leif and Bennedikte (?) are so unrealistic that they are downright ridiculous. Leif is a dufus who is so heartless and stupid that he brings his young arm-candy lover to his daughter's wedding mere days after he's caught sleeping with her by his cancer-stricken wife, Ida. And Bennedikte, the groom's aunt, is a mean-spirited, cruel mother who publicly berates her daughter for obesity and goes so far as to try to teach the daughter to induce herself to vomit so she can lose weight.
While the movie is lacking in plot and script, it is not lacking in immorality--an attempt perhaps to garner viewers who might be titillated by nudity and gay lovers making out.
The only reasons I give this movie a '3' instead of a '1' are because the message is a positive one, and I thought the ending was nicely done. Also I believe Pierce Brosnan's wife died of cancer not long ago, so this was perhaps a subject that held special meaning for him.