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5.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Kaikki rakastavat remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you want a high-octane thriller, steer clear. You will probably hate this if you get annoyed by people talking in circles about who is dating who. But, if you like old-fashioned black-and-white comedies where everyone is dressed nicely and the problems are mostly about who gets to hold whose hand, you might actually enjoy the ride.
Honestly, Kaikki rakastavat feels like stepping into a time machine that only goes back to a very specific, polite version of the past. It’s light. Maybe a bit too light at times.
The whole movie is built on the idea that romance is a spectator sport for the older generation. You have these young guys trying to be suave, but every time they get close to a win, there’s an aunt or a mother lurking in the background with a raised eyebrow.
It’s funny, in a way. You can almost see the actors trying not to trip over the stage furniture while they deliver their lines. There is a certain charm to how stiff some of the interactions are.
There is this one scene where a conversation about a garden party drags on for an eternity. I’m pretty sure they just left the camera rolling while the actors forgot their next cue. It’s weirdly hypnotic.
Also, the hats. Everyone in this movie has a very serious hat game going on. I spent way too much time staring at the millinery instead of listening to the plot. It’s that kind of film.
It reminds me a bit of the lighter moments you find in Money, Money, Money, just with way less globe-trotting and a lot more polite tea-drinking. It isn’t trying to change the world. It’s just trying to get a few laughs and maybe a smile.
The movie doesn't really have a 'point' in the way modern films do. It doesn't need one. Sometimes it's just nice to watch people navigate a mess of their own making without the world ending or someone having to save the universe. ☕
It’s imperfect, sure. The pacing sags in the middle, and you can tell the budget was probably spent on the catering and the costumes. But it’s got a heartbeat. That’s more than I can say for a lot of stuff hitting the streaming services lately.
