They're packed and ready for the greatest adventure of their lives. All they have to do is get out of the house.
Overview
40-year-old Elling, sensitive, would-be poet, is sent to live in a state institution when his mother, who has sheltered him his entire life, dies. There he meets Kjell Bjarne, a gentle giant and female-obsessed virgin, also in his 40s.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.7/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.72/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 70
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Petter Næss
Production
Maipo Film
Cast
Per Christian Ellefsen, Sven Nordin, Marit Pia Jacobsen, Jørgen Langhelle, Per Christensen, Hilde Olausson, Ola Otnes, Eli Anne Linnestad, Cecilie A. Mosli, Joachim Rafaelsen, Per Gørvell, Knud Dahl, Knut Haugmark
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, gently funny character study about two damaged but lovable men learning adulthood, friendship, and independence. It balances awkward comedy with real tenderness, and its humane tone makes it easy to recommend even when the subject matter is sensitive.
Best for
viewers who like compassionate odd-couple comedies
fans of understated Scandinavian humor
people drawn to stories about friendship and recovery
audiences who prefer character-driven dramedy over plot-heavy films
Skip if
you want fast pacing or big set pieces
you dislike socially awkward humor
you need a very broad, mainstream comedy
you are uncomfortable with depictions of mental health institutions
Overview
Elling is one of those rare comedies that finds its humor in fragility rather than cruelty. It follows two middle-aged men who have been kept from the world for so long that ordinary life feels like a foreign country, and the film treats their fear, vanity, loneliness, and small triumphs with real affection.
Worth noting
What makes it work is the balance: the jokes are often awkward or absurd, but the movie never turns its characters into punchlines. Instead, it builds a sweet, observant portrait of friendship as a survival skill, with enough social embarrassment and emotional honesty to keep the comedy grounded.
Bottom line
The result is modest but memorable, especially if you like Scandinavian films that mix deadpan wit with a strong humanist streak. It is not a high-energy crowd-pleaser, but it is deeply likable and quietly uplifting.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Amelia (4.5★) · 69 likes
faen i hælvete dem har ikke flesk oG DUPPÆÆÆ 🤜
📀 Cammmalot 📀 (4★) · 59 likes
Cinematic Time Capsule2001 Marathon - Film #60
”…we are going to attempt a return to reality”
Imagine being 40-years-old and the mother who sheltered you your entire life suddenly dies.
Meet Elling, the hero of this adorably-odd Oscar nominated film from Norway. Where he, along with a food & sex obsessed friend that he met in the institution, set out to see if they can function in the real world. I loved this film all the way through and as… more
sniperman720 (3★) · 53 likes
Scandinavian cinema usually comes buried in levels of dark humor/subject matter that might seem alienating, offensive, or farcical. But you can never mistake the essence of what's going on. Their films are consistently embued with (cliche'd and corny to say, but it's neverthless true) life-affirming humanity. You feel fucking fantastic after these films. You don't feel depressed by cynicism, or indifferent by shallowness. The earnestness level is unreal. There are exceptions, always, of course, but the general trend with what I've seen is that, and Elling's a wonderful example of it.
stella (5★) · 38 likes
VI SKAL UT Å ETA MED OSLO KOMMUNE!
Louis Flemming (3.5★) · 34 likes
A big horny guy and a small autistic guy try to live together.
Hilarious!
2015 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 56m · PG-13 · Curator 7.6/10 (128.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, OVID, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A warm, audience-friendly Scandinavian dramedy about isolation, grief, and being pulled back into community.