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29 out of 35 people found the following review useful: We were in the movie., 1 April 2006 Author: colonelrobert from United States
My wife Irene, and myself, (Robert Morris) owned "The Lonesome Bar" in Memphis where part of the movie was shot. This is where they performed "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay" and my buddy, George Kunkle played the banjo and sang one of his songs. The barber was Bill Robertson, who was a real barber next door to the bar. He passed away shortly after the film came out, but it allowed him to sing in a international film. The whole cast and crew was wonderful! We played pool and got drunk every night after shooting. One night we sat on the curb out front and took turns picking and singing our favorite songs. That was a experience I will never forget.We hope you like the movie, as we will never forget it.Colonel Robert morris
23 out of 25 people found the following review useful: "Have you ever heard of rock and roll?...Study 'dis book!", 10 August 2002 Author: enicholson from Venice Beach
This is without question one of the greatest rock and roll movies ever made. It's sort of THE BLUES BROTHERS meets STROSZEK with some MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON thrown in. Aki Kaurismaki has to be admired for making this gutsy and crazy film. There is not much of the European "art film" here, nor is there any real serious social commentary or aesthetic stunts underneath the comedy here either. There is also no condescension toward America or Americans. In fact there is a wide-eyed, dreamy fondness for America, especially its messy landscapes that hug the interstates and its simple, likable working-classes (but definitely not its prick cops). Here we get to meet the immensely likable dreams, music and attire of the Leningrad Cowboys, the misunderstood, maligned, salt of the earth band that comes to America to live out its rock and roll dream. Personally, I simply admire the actors for driving around the American South wearing those fantastic mullet pompadour quiffs and pointy shoes. That takes guts.Kaurismaki has a special fondness for characters with big dreams but little or misunderstood talent, who can scrape up just enough cash just get by. Here, as in his another of his great comedies, LA VIE DE BOHEME, there are some characters who are unambiguously untalented (in LENINGRAD COWBOYS: the singers; in LA VIE DE BOHEME: the composer) and there are some characters who have some or much, but quirky, or misunderstood talent (in LENINGRAD COWBOYS: the band; in LA VIE DE BOHEME: the painter). All of the performers and artists are immensely likable and amusing and their patrons and audience are just as suspect as they are in their taste, but great to be around nonetheless. Moreover, their detractors are cold, a-hole jerks.Jim Jarmusch makes a funny cameo as a used car salesman. Matti Pellonpää, probably Kaurismaki's favorite actor, is hilarious as Vladimir, the band's beer slugging, tyrannical manager. I love the scene early in the film where he meets with the New York "cousin" of the Finnish talent scout (who also, by the way, has a "cousin" in Mexico). When the New York band booker tells Vladimir that he needs to hear the band play, Vladimir says, "Is that necessary?"Anyone who loves rock and roll comedies, weird hairstyles and movies about little people with big dreams need to see this film. If you like Kaurismaki films then you may or may not like this film, depending on how square you are. I say check it out. I think it's one of the funniest films I've ever seen. But then again I have had some crazy hairstyles too.
14 out of 15 people found the following review useful: Finland`s answer to Spinal Tap!, 23 October 1999 Author: Simon (simon@dawsoncity.co.uk) from N.Ireland
This is the funniest rock `n roll polka road movie ever made! Although based around an actual band of Finnish descent (who still get airplay on MTV Europe), it sees our heroes come from the Tundra Wasteland to America, seeking fame and fortune. Not having much luck in their homeland with their unique style of folk pop, the band are advised to conquer the US ("go to America" says the guy, "they buy any old s**t there"), being exploited constantly by their greedy manager Vladimir. They "learn" rock `n roll, drink beer, go to jail, beg on the streets and play seedy pubs. Not exactly the American dream. And the most eyecatching piece, has to be those massive quiffs and even bigger winklepicker shoes!The dialogue is funny, but its not this that makes you laugh. Just one look at the band will have you rolling. And if you can`t speak Finnish, don`t worry. The director cleverly overcomes this, by getting the band to learn English on the plane to America! And if you`re not tapping along to their rendition of "Born To Be Wild" at the end of the movie, you`ll be humming that "polka" music for a long time to come.
11 out of 13 people found the following review useful: A perfect movie, 19 June 2001 Author: kalala from Washington DC
I just saw Leningrad Cowboys for the third time and think it is a perfect film. Whatever else it may be about, it is a quest into the heart of rock and roll. The Cowboys start in New York playing their soulful/klezmerish immigrant blues on a seedy rooftop, then reel back through the roots of the genre--Memphis, Natchez, New Orleans, Honky Tonk and Biker Bars, road house and funeral...to their destination in Mexico where their Finnish filtered rock returns to its original sound, converging on the joyous soulful wedding as they back up a singer whose classic Indian features are not that different from some of the singers'... The esthetic is stylish and dead pan. The cinematography is actually quite beautiful, lyric of industrial decay. If you like Jarmusch (who does a spot as a car salesman) you'll like this movie. The pacing did not seem slow to me at all--but that may just be a sign of my age. The form is a series of theatrical skits and blackouts, and the tension of many scenes owes more to mime or comedia than MTV. I think my favorite is one involving the village idiot and a shoe that is not the one he wants. Poignant and hysterical at the same time. Oh, and maybe his treck with what looks to be a 50lb catfish... If you have a chance to see it, go. It is hilarious and sweet and utterly unlike anything else you've ever seen.
10 out of 12 people found the following review useful: If you like Jarmusch movies you like this one., 13 August 2004 Author: mpeters-7 from Guelph, Canada
This is not so much a movie as it is a test of your campiness quotient. The CQ has a mean of 100. If you fall below 85, you live in a really sad world and as you advance above 100 you are able to extract the comical and farcical aspects of life with increasing ingenuity. After auditioning for a Russian apparatchick (who listens stony-faced to their music, then says "no good - try the US" and departs) the band departs for the US. As they travel from New York to the South, the music changes through a range of pop/rock genres. As another reviewer noted, the music is far more enjoyable than it has a right to be and the dead-pan stoicism of the characters is a hoot. From Steppenwolf to Mariachi music, you will hear and see it all. Try the movie again a year later and it will be even more enjoyable because now you can attend to the hilarious detail which you have missed first time around.
8 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Ever heard of rock & roll? Study this movie!, 26 September 2006 Author: Max_cinefilo89 from Italy
Has anyone ever heard of a Finnish rock band called Leningrad Cowboys? No? Then here's a great chance of catching up with a piece of music history. Jokes apart, this is a very clever and funny film chronicling the Cowboys'slow, excruciating journey towards success.It all begins in the Siberian countryside, where the musicians are trying to impress a potential producer. Sadly (for them), this guy states the obvious about their work: "It's sh*t". Hence the guys'need to go somewhere else. More precisely, the USA. Led by the ruthless manager Vladimir (Matti Pellonpää), the Cowboys try to export their music and look (Pulp Fiction-style suits, absurdly long tufts and matching boots). Not an easy task, as their efforts are way too unconventional for the yanks. "You know Mexico? Go there. My cousin's getting married. He could need people like you". And so the journey continues in a second-choice car (don't miss Jim Jarmusch's cameo as the salesman) and under miserable circumstances. Only Vladimir seems to be enjoying himself. The other band-members have to cope with his dictatorial manners. Well, except for one Cowboy (Silu Seppälä) "travelling" on the car roof (you see, he froze to death at the beginning of the film), and Igor (Kari Väänänen), the village idiot who's following the group in the desperate hope of joining them (he was rejected because his hair isn't long enough).A lot of things happen in this film, some on the brink of credibility, and to reveal them in advance would be a serious offense on my behalf. Suffice to say that this is one of the funniest films ever made: after four movies in which he dealt with various sides of Finnish society, mostly poor, Aki Kaurismäki decided to tell a different kind of story, featuring the "worst rock band in the world" (their words, of course). The result is a wildly inventive, often politically incorrect, always hilarious musical comedy.Trust me: this is one odyssey worth watching.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: A zany, kafkaesque, not terribly profound, but entertaining film, 23 June 2002 Author: bobbymeizer from Santa Cruz, California
Reminiscent of some of the best Eastern European comedies, this absurdist Finnish look at the foibles of both Communist and capitalist attempts at reality is not going to change your life, but it is an enjoyable way to spend 79 minutes. A rousing oompah band from a small Eastern European village travel to America to find their fortune. They all have hairdos like Buddy Holly on acid and wear the pointiest-toed shoes you've ever seen. In New York City they buy an old Cadillac and get a gig to play a wedding in Mexico. On the trip there they also travel through rock, blues, country, and mariachi, and meet people almost as strange as themselves. Most memorable moment: Igor, the village idiot, catching up to the band out in the middle of the Texas countryside, carrying a very large fish.
11 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Hilarious drollery, 3 September 2002 Author: Robert Connolly (Comsat Angel) from Salford, England
One of my favourite films, ever. The idea of a dreadful Soviet rock band flogging their music around the USA appeals to me, especially as I liked the music that was supposed to be so dreadful. The humour is deadpan and droll, much like Kaurismaki himself. Also interesting for an outsiders look at America. Definitely up there in the Top Ten of Finnish Rock Band Road Movies!
11 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Just good clean fun, 4 October 1999 Author: Apollo-14 from Athens, Greece
The most politically inclined and intellectual viewer would analyze this movie as a political satire, and they would be right. However, this movie is more enjoyable if seen as a road movie and a look at America through the eyes of a foreigner. Funny and poignant.
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: this movie is 100 times better than the "Blues Brothers"., 11 August 2006 Author: jokadmin (jokadmin@johnnyokeefe.net) from Cessnock, Australia
at first i thought what is this? then you let the leningrad cowboys take you along and the movie just gets better. the music is an obvious highlight all through the movie but that is just one of many. it is the costumes and hairstyles that make this movie perfect. the lost cousin is a brilliant plot twist and picks the music up and the viewer as well. keep an eye on the bass player, that is all i will say about him. a genuinely funny movie that is so far left of centre it is unbelievable, but when you watch the movie, no, this is all very believable. watch it as many times as you can. i was the only person to rent it from the video shop so they sold it to me cheap. the best buy i ever made.
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