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39 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
Good film for a general audience, 3 February 2009
8/10
Author: johno-21 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw this last month at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Based on a play by Michael Drucker and adapted for the screen by writer/director Ella Lemhagen this is the story of a gay couple living in white picket fence suburban neighborhood run by a homeowners association and populated by an all straight community. Goran Skoogh (Gustaf Skarsgard) and Sven Skoogh (Torkel Petersson)ave taken a singular surname, complete with wedding rings and a marriage but they want to adopt and raise an infant child to round out their marriage and live as a family. They have been put on a long waiting list to find a child they can raise from a baby and finally one becomes available. Or so it seems. A typing error that should have read Patrik, age 15 has been mistyped by the social service agency as Patrik 1,5. Believing they are about to bring into their lives an year and half old infant they are shocked to discover their baby is actually 15 years old, homophobic and with a history of delinquency and violence. Sven was once in a straight relationship and has an ex wife and a teenage daughter. He is hesitant of raising any child again let alone a ready-made troubled teenager. Goran wants a baby desperately but can see the good and discovers he can help bring out the good in Patrik (Thomas Ljungman). Nice cinematography from Marek Wiesner and production design from Lene Willumsen which give the film a rich textured look. It's a good cast withe some interesting peripheral characters. It's not an edgy film but is light and humorous with a some touches of drama without coming across as a message movie and it has an appeal to a general audience. I liked it and would give it an 8.5 and recommend it.

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Predictable but I really liked it, 22 June 2009
7/10
Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

A Swedish gay couple want to adopt a son. They want a baby who is around 1 year old. Through a misprint in their request (they put 1.5) they get a 15 year old boy. He's been in numerous foster families, has a history of violence and is a vicious homophobe to boot!

You can probably figure out the rest of the story--there are no real surprises here. Still, it was well-acted by all, had an intelligent script and never got too maudlin or syrupy. This movie could have tried to milk the audiences sympathies but it didn't. Everything is done in a matter of fact and low-key way. The only puzzling thing is that we see examples of homophobia that the couple face...and then that's dropped completely. What was the point of showing it then? Still this is a well-done movie showing gay adoption in a positive light. I saw it at the Provincetown Film Festival and the audience loved it! I give it a 7.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Real emotions and well-acted, 27 May 2009
7/10
Author: klc-16 from France

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I do not want to concentrate too much on the story... it is relatively predictable - no surprises. Ordinarily I wouldn't give it such a high rating. Except ... it is so beautifully acted, especially by Gustaf Skarsgård as Goran, the the doctor, and Thomas Ljungman as the kid up for adoption...that it really does deserve a high rating.

The situation is not completely realistic, in that I don't really see a gay couple deciding to live in an area that is so completely heterosexual and even a bit homophobic. I would have expected them to find a more mixed neighbourhood - but then again, not knowing Sweden, perhaps they are in a small town which doesn't really offer them many more choices?

I also found the changes in Sven, the doctor's spouse(played by Torkel Petersson, to be a little too pat, both in his original negativism what makes him so extreme in his reactions?), and later on in his seemingly too-easily arrived-at acceptance. This problem in the script might be why Torkel doesn't impress us as much with his acting - his character seems to be less dense and more obviously driven by the writer's needs than his own.

But all of this pales when the realism of the emotions is placed before you. These are people you DO care about - because they make you care. OK...the kid was perhaps too nice for someone who is supposed to be a petty criminal and all-around trouble-maker. But everyone can identify with the basics here. The need for family. The petty ignorance and discrimination of others. The problems of making a relationship work. The stupidities of officialdom. And the way people can suddenly work their way into your heart before you have even realized it.

I hope that Thomas Ljungman and Gustaf Skarsgård end up making more films on an international level. They are wonderful actors (note the look in Ljungman's eyes when told the agency has finally found a family for him; I have NEVER seen mixed emotions more perfectly portrayed..., and considering the small output in Sweden, it would be a crime not to get this talent out into the world at large.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent film, 20 September 2009
9/10
Author: Jimmy Harper (jimhinco) from Colorado Springs, Colorado

I love the low-key quality of the film and the main character. As another reviewer wrote, the couple and Patrick are faced with numerous homophobic situations. Many aren't addressed simply because that's how life is as a gay man or woman.

Best gay film I've seen in a long while. Very little sex and language but rather, incredibly deep characters and struggles in relationships.

The main character, Goran, is spectacular. He is gentle and sincere while being incredibly strong in protecting his family. Amazing work. His partner, Sven, struggles with settling down, starting a family again (he has a 16 yr old daughter from his previous marriage), and living in a typical suburban neighborhood. The neighborhood dynamic is great. Each neighbor is really big on keeping their white picket fence front yards in amazing shape to outdo their neighbor. However, perfectly pruned front yards doesn't mean the family behind the door is doing as well.

Amazing film.

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OK as a drama, not as a comedy, 14 November 2009
5/10
Author: Enchorde from Sweden

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Recap: Göran and Sven is a gay couple that recently moved into a new neighborhood. They have applied and been accepted for adoption, since especially Göran longs for a kid. Their happiness is almost total when they get a letter from the social services that states that they will be able to adopt Patrik, 1.5 years old. But the letter contains a misprint Patrik is really 15 years old with a troubled past and a criminal record. Suddenly everything is turned upside down.

Comments: Marketed (in Sweden) as a comedy, and in that genre it just doesn't cut it, like most Swedish "comedies". That's because most Swedish movies that is supposed to be comedies is really dramas. So is Patrik 1,5. It is actually a decent drama about a gay couple trying to lead a normal family life but meets prejudice everywhere they turn. It is also a nice story of how Patrik and Göran try to connect and gain each other trust. It also has some scenes that made me smile, I'll give it that.

But if I judge it as a comedy, it fails almost completely. As I said, a found a few scenes funny, but that's all. Far too long stretches aren't funny at all.

It is well acted, especially Thomas Ljungman that plays the 15 year old Patrik, a vulnerable kid that has totally lost confidence in the society. A average script too, as a drama (again) but far too full of clichés and predictable to really be something to remember.

There seem to be something between Swedish cinema and me that doesn't work. Many have spoken very highly of this, but I found it average at best. However, for me that is quite a good grade since I find too much of Swedish movies just plain bad, or worse.

5/10

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12 out of 49 people found the following comment useful :-
middle ground, 15 September 2008
6/10
Author: dumsumdumfai from Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Welllllllllllllll... I don't know. this movie doesn't seem to have a position and try to concentrate on acceptance..that's okay by me. But is it trying to be safe? Then it's not that okay.

the story traces the emotional ups and downs of a gay couple in a idyllic suburban neighborhood (a metaphor since the they are obviously in the wrong negihborbhood) and how adaption change their and a kid's view.

maybe I'm all festival out but the story didn't have a punch to knock me out. mind you i had reactions, as in not liking the country music. Some scenes like the controlling policeman is stagey. The kid was good. it is not preachy and concentrated more on the emotions - not good or bad but doesn't flip my boat if you know what i mean.

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