Leningrad Cowboys Go America

My favorite Kaurismaki film and a great road movie. Wonderful, freaky music, weird hairdos, an offbeat look on America, wry, deadpan humor and a cameo by Jim Jarmusch, what else do you need in a movie to have a good time?

Strangely compellling.

It's impossible not to like this movie

The Finnish version of The Blues Brothers. All of Kaurismaki's films are rich with humor, but this is the closest I've seen him come to straight comedy, with plenty of sight gags (has anyone ever gotten so much mileage out of a hairstyle?) although the tone is still characteristically deadpan. It also showcases his deep love for classic rock 'n' roll, and the enthusiasm is infectious. The movie is a giddy delight that evokes laughter and warmth.

How this movie manages to be so good I have no idea. It is though. Some scenes had me laughing till I nearly cried.

Kaurismäki's first (mostly) English-speaking movie is a real treat, definitely one of his best. It's like a Blues-Brothers-inspired minimalist road movie, with Calamari Union's absurdism and big all-male cast -- but it's considerably better than either of those movies. It's an unpretentious art movie; a hilariously silly but totally deadpan comedy; and as a musical it is kicking - before and after the band is told to play American music by Americans who then hate it. It's pretty bloody unique.

Good music, weird characters, crazy story, just pure fun. There is the usual Kaurismaki oddness to it, but all still mainstream enough for practically everyone to enjoy. Who does not like this movie?

The deadpan style of humor by Kaurismäki is real here, but the movie itself has a lot more cheerful mood than expected. Despite the setting being one of crumbling little towns and dirty ol' bars, the onion-eating and beer-drinking fellowship manages to keep their handsomely decorated heads up despite their continuous hardships. Maybe not my favorite by Kaurismäki so far, but certainly has plenty of funny bits.

Slightly amusing, but I got tired of the wackiness about 25 minutes in.

Not one of the better films of Aki Kaurismäki but more as a humorous promotion for a band. Ok introduction for the Kaurismäki humour though.

Aki Kaurismäki #1

Some scenes are so absurdly funny that they absolutely make up for the occurrences when the film just falls flat.

early slapstick kaurismaki. does not have the minimalism and refinery that his longer work has. but still a fun watch.

I thought I was going to get sick of this quickly, but it somehow stayed funny and interesting the whole way through. It just has a strange charm to it.

Not much of a story and certainly not funny. There came a point when the deliberately bad acting and effects, done for comic effect, stopped being comic and were just bad. The best bit was the rendition of 'Wild Thing', especially the lead guitar.

Some strange stuff

A Finnish Spinal Tap but the humor is alien and uncanny. Jarmusch's cameo seemed apt, as the whole project has an air of Coffee and Cigarettes to it.

Obviously this is Kaurismaki's silliest and most purely comedic film, so it goes without saying that it lacks some of the nuance of his best work. That said, it is still really funny. Also, considering he's had a bad rock band in every one of his movies it seems almost inevitable that he would make that the focus sooner or later.

If this is Finnish sense of humour, I love Finland.

You could call this a hypothetical mix of SPINAL TAP and BORAT, but with a tone of its own, perhaps best described as Finnish. The story: a bizarre Finnish band make their way across America, toting a dead former member...with an insane groupie in hot pursuit. Slight, to be sure, a bit repetitive, but often quite funny, thanks in large part to Aki Kaurismaki's deadpan script and subtle, deft direction. Solid acting, especially Matti Pellonpaa as the band's arrogant manager...and some fine music.

I gave it 20 minutes and only saw maybe 5 jokes, all of them pretty pitiful, even a bad comedy should surely have more jokes than that