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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
Honestly, only watch this if you have a thing for 1930s Swedish comedies or you're doing some deep dive into the history of domestic dramedies. It’s light, it’s fluffy, and it doesn't try to change the world. If you want high-stakes drama, look elsewhere. If you want to see how people lived (and complained about their help) nearly a century ago, pull up a chair.
It’s the kind of movie that feels like a stage play caught on camera. You can almost hear the floorboards creaking under the actors' feet during the quiet scenes.
The Rosenqvist family is just a mess. They are the sort of people who would lose their own heads if they weren't attached to their necks. Watching them try to navigate life without a steady hand in the kitchen is like watching a toddler try to operate a toaster.
The humor is very much of its time. Some of it lands, some of it feels like it’s trying a bit too hard to be cheeky. There’s a specific look the lead actress gives when she’s fed up with the family's nonsense—I swear I’ve seen my own grandmother make that exact face at a Thanksgiving dinner.
Sometimes the film feels a little thin, like it’s running on fumes by the second act. You get the sense that they were just improvising the next joke as they went along. It’s not quite as sharp as The Fifth Wheel, but it has its moments of genuine, weird charm.
The pacing is a bit all over the place. One minute you’re deep in a domestic dispute, and the next, everyone is laughing for no clear reason. It’s disorienting, but in a way that feels oddly human.
There’s this one scene where they’re talking about the laundry, and it goes on for about three minutes too long. It stops being about the clothes and starts being about how much the writer probably hated doing chores. We’ve all been there, I guess.
It’s definitely not on the level of something like Alice in Wonderland, but it isn't trying to be. It just wants to exist for an hour and a half and make you giggle at a few rich people being foolish.
If you enjoy films where people just bicker in rooms, you'll find something to like here. If you need explosions or a tight plot, skip it. It's a bit dusty, but it’s got a pulse. ☕️
IMDb 5.2
1916
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