Sweden 2016
Opening March 16, 2017
Directed by: Felix Herngren, Måns Herngren
Writing credits: Felix Herngren, Hans Ingemansson
Principal actors: Robert Gustafsson. Iwar Wiklander, David Wiberg, Shima Niavarani, Jens Hulten
In 2011 one of Sweden’s most successful books hit the book stores: The 100-year-old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. It was quickly translated into many languages and sold around the world. Director Felix Herngren realized the potential and made the film of the same title. This, too, was translated into many languages, showed at film festivals and opened in cinemas worldwide. With such success, it is only one more step to making a sequel. However, there was no sequel to the book. Herngren, after conferring with the original author, Jonas Jonasson, hooked up with Hans Ingemansson and together they wrote a film script which includes the original characters.
The film opens with the old man, Allan Karlsson (Gustafsson) and his friends, Benny (Wiberg), Miriam (Shima Niavarani), and Julius (Wiklander) living in high style on Bali with the money they managed to pinch in the first film. Alan celebrates his birthday, and finds that blowing out 101 candles is rather strenuous. Their fortune has slowly dissolved and it’s time to investigate a new source of revenue, namely how to produce a popular Russian folks’ soda. Allan and Julius out to find the recipe. Benny and his pregnant girlfriend Miriam are no longer in the picture, having returned to Sweden to have the baby, although they reappear when the action gets hot. In the meantime, Alan and Julius remember their Russian contacts and set off for Berlin. There is an emergency landing in Russia, contacts with spies, references to the U.S., the CIA, and former president Nixon, as well as Brezhnev. Others get involved, so that there are chases, a break-in in Allan’s former old folks’ home, etc.
Probably the best actor is Erlander, the monkey, played by a real monkey named Chrystal, who has successfully appeared in 24 films since 1997. Go for fun, especially if you liked the original version. ()