Rent Men and Chicken (2015)

Nobody thought of the chickens.....well Elias did but that's enough about that. - Men and Chicken review by Strovey

Mads Mikkelsen is well-known in the English-speaking world nowadays having successful work in both major movie outings and TV shows. I have to say from my own perspective his, lesser-known, Danish work is much more interesting and thought-provoking and without doubt downright weird. Mikkelsen along with Kass, Bro and a few other Danish thespians work as what most probably can be called a troupe with director/writer Anders Thomas Jensen, who himself was on the fringes of the Dogme movement, so if you dig out Mikkelsen’s work after viewing his more mainstream stuff you should be aware of what branch of the tree it grows from.

From ballet dancing to Jensen and onto Star Wars. An odd journey for Mikkelsen and a metaphor for this film in some way.

Men & Chicken is not an easy watch. Gabriel is the most likable or relatable character in the entire movie and everyone else is repulsive or just too odd. Yet somehow they are funny and despite themselves and how you see them, it is difficult not to warm to each of them as the film moves along.

Be warned there is little that is taboo in the runtime and nothing that is not addressed either directly or indirectly and we are stranded on the odd and uninviting island of Ork.

The film really gets running once we reach the island which and this is not apparent to start with appears to Dr. Moreau’s Island run by Fred Karno’s Army. The brothers live in a run down and revolting large mansion where animals run freely, some odd animals too, and they seem to spend their time bickering over family rules and trivial things, the dinner plate is a disturbingly odd and strange example, like all familiar conceits but taken to odd and disturbing extremes.

It is by any standard an awful thing to view but you cannot look away.

Depending on your point of view Men and Chicken is not an easy watch, there are those that might be offended or bored and turn off, others will love this. It really is, for want of trite observation, a true Marmite film.

The entertainment is there. Violence, mainly played for realistic and painful laughs, sexual deviance, oh yes it is there, gross-out humour, dark, pitch-black, comedy and as with much of Jensen’s output a final and positive outlook on the world and his characters. This is definitely a trademark.

Men & Chicken is an odd and weird look at the dynamics of an extremely dysfunctional family and people, you do not really want to spend any time with them, but the longer you do the more you stay. It is a car-accident slowdown to view type of film. The acting is exactly what is needed for the story, Anders keeps it zipping along at a good pace, very little slack to let the mind wander, and overall if you can put you with some gross ideas – especially what Gabriel gets up to – it is worth a viewing. I will add a caution though, it is clear there is an audience that will not like anything about this film, except for Mr. Mikkelsen, but how can anyone not like good old Mads?

Weird in a forced way - Men and Chicken review by PR

This film is meant to be funny, but fails dismally. It could have been an intriguing plot very relevant to our century but in spite of a token effort and interesting message toward the very end (won't spoil it), it fails dismally. I'm patently not in tune with Danish humour.