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6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Københavnere remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, Københavnere is exactly what you expect it to be. If you want a light, breezy piece of Danish history with enough charm to get you through an evening, you’ll dig it. If you’re looking for something that breaks the mold or keeps you on the edge of your seat, you might want to look elsewhere.
It’s the classic story: boy meets girl, mother objects, chaos ensues. You’ve seen this rhythm before in movies like Beauty and the Bus, where the social class divide is more of a minor hurdle than a real problem. Everything just sort of... works out.
The parts of the movie set in Tivoli really shine. There’s this energy there that feels almost accidental, like they just started filming real people having fun. It makes the rest of the movie feel a little stiff by comparison. Erik and Gorm running around looking for trouble? That’s the real heart of the film, even if the script tries to shove them toward the romance plot every five minutes.
The mother character is a total caricature, though. Every time she shows up on screen to fuss over Erik’s future, I felt like checking my watch. We get it, you’re fancy. Move on.
The chemistry between the two leads is… fine. It’s sweet, but it’s not exactly electric. It feels more like two people playing roles in a play than two people falling in love. Still, Aase has this way of looking at the camera that makes you forgive the clunky dialogue. 🎭
There’s a moment near the end where the whole thing just loses steam. It feels like the director realized they had to wrap it up and decided to do it in the most boring way possible. You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you that this big emotional reveal is a surprise. It isn't.
Is it better than The Lamb? Maybe? It's less heavy, that’s for sure. It doesn’t try to be anything other than a pleasant way to spend an hour or so. Sometimes that’s enough. Just don't expect to remember much about it by next week. 🍿
