To me, this movie is perfection.

How sad is this?

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Viewing life through the lens of an uninspired, socially defective, 30 year old man doesn't seem particularly uplifting. Geek Hylnur, the protagonists of the film '101 Reykjavik', doesn't want much out of life. He is content living at home with his mother, spending time at the local bar and surviving purely on the social benefits the state provides. However, the story of Hlynur transpires to be one full of fantasy, humor and lust. And in the end, it gives the audience the hope that maybe meaning can be found after all. '101' Reykjavik', directed by Baltasar Kormakur, is set in Reykjavik, Iceland. The location sets the mood for the entire film, and can be seen as a representation of Hlynur. Hlynur is somewhat of an "anti-hero" - an immature, childish and socially isolated man who does not want more out of life than he currently enjoys. He spends his days half-heartedly searching for employment, without any real conviction behind his actions. He is blissfully unaware of any greater pleasure that can be found in life. How quickly life can change. A night of passion, an unexpected love affair and an unusual family dynamic all emerge, shocking Hlynur out of his lull and into a world full of confusion and complications.Kormakur's characterization of Hlynur is the driving force behind the film's success. Hlynur isn't an active participant in life - life mostly just happens to him. His life borders on the brink of tragedy, meaningless and hilarity. It's an uncomfortable balance that leaves the audience desperately entertained. Voice overs are utilized to convey the isolation of Hlynur and how desperate his struggle is to connect to the world his lives in. The coming of age of Hylnur is a huge theme throughout the film. Hlynur begins rid himself of his past life, and a chance to turn away from the dark and gloomy tones that had pervaded his life. The stunning Icelandic landscape around him suggests that there is in fact beauty and hope to be found in the world. Kormakur directs the film brilliantly. The setting of Reykjavik is used as a metaphor for for Hylnur. It is snowy, desolate and unwelcoming - a perfect representation of Hylnur and his love life. The establishing shots throughout the film of the magnificent landscapes of Iceland and it's bustling nightlife do a marvelous job of making the audience feel like they are actually at the location of the story. Dry, unexpected humor is strewn throughout the film in a masterful way. This is displayed perfectly in an interaction between Lola, a local Spanish flamenco instructor, and Hlynur Lola: "So, what do you do?" Hlynur: "Nothing. Lola: "What kind of nothing?" Hlynur: "The nothing kind of nothing."Kormakur uses humor to engage the audience, while at the same time revealing the depths of Hlynur's meaningless and loneliness extend to. I particularly enjoyed the performance of the actor who portrayed Hlynur - Hilmir Snaer Gudnason. Through him, we can get a sense of Hlymur's emptiness and longing for meaning throughout the film. I found myself feeling sympathetic towards him, despite many of his unendearing character traits. Gudnason, and all the other actors in the film, deliver their dialogue in a believable and engaging way, pushing the film along with their wonderful performances.'101 Reykjavik' is a wonderful reflection of the changes occurring in Iceland, in particular the progressive social values that the film depicts. I enjoyed the film thoroughly. I felt as though the plot progressed a little slowly at times, but the performances of the lead actors drove the film through these dull periods. Despite the fact that the plot is completely bizarre, I found myself relating to the plight of Hlynur and hoping that he could overcome the trap in which he had found himself. UItimately, the film conveys a timely message of hope. I would definitely recommend this film. If you are able to overcome the complete absurdity of the storyline, you will find yourself engaged with the characters, while at the same time enjoying the breathtaking scenery that is on offer throughout the film. Kormakur proves himself to be a fantastic director, and the dialogue between the characters is dry, witty and unpredictable. '101 Reykjavik" is constantly entertaining and well worth watching.

101 Reykjavík tells the hilarious "coming of age story" of a thirty year old man dealing with real adult issues for the first time in his life. Baltasar Kormákur's 2000 film follows Hlyner, an unemployed thirty year old who has not grown out of his teenage years. He still lives with his mother, Berglind, in a small apartment in the center of 101 Reykjavík (101 refers to Reykjavík's area code) and spends his days at home relaxing and his nights at the pub partying. He has no passion for anything and avoids working at all costs. His lack of motivation even extends into his personal relationships as he only bonds with people he can party with. Relationships that take work, such as those with family members and with significant others, are too hard for Hlyner, and he does not even try to pursue them. His maturity level is also very low for a grown man. Indeed, his deepest thought in the beginning of the film is to wonder why porn is not shown on TV in the morning. Hlyner does not really live his life; he simply exists while the government and his mother care for him.Hlyner's "perfect" life cannot last forever, though, as one of his mother's close friends, Lola, comes to visit over Christmas. The two surprise themselves by having sex on New Year's Eve while Berglind is away. They act as if nothing happened when Berglind returns home, but the incident is hard to ignore as she and Lola announce their love for each other and their plans to live together. The relationship between Lola and Hlyner becomes more awkward when Lola announces that she is pregnant (presumably with Hlyner's child) and that her and Berglind plan to raise the baby together. While all of this is going on, Hlyner must deal with another girl that claims that he impregnated her. He has slept with her several times but has always rejected her attempts at a real relationship. He must now deal with the prospect of being a father and the responsibilities that go with it. The film centers on how Hlyner deals with these problems and his inability to address them maturely. In the end, he is faced with two options: grow up and take responsibility or give up and remove himself from the lives of everyone he knows.The absolute triumph of this film is its humor. The movie is funny from beginning to end without resorting to slapstick comedy or easy laughs. The humor does not arise from the acting, but from the situations themselves. The way the actors played their characters straight, without making it seem like the characters are winking at the camera telling us "this is funny," allowed the script to take over and create humor. The part of Hlyner was played particularly well. His immaturity and inability to deal with the crazy situations in the film is incredibly funny and drives most of the humor throughout the movie.Another way this film succeeds is how it embeds real social issues into a lighthearted black comedy. Firstly, Hlyner must cope with his mother's coming out as a lesbian. While he initially acts in a politically correct manor, Hlyner does not really know what to think of the situation. He cannot deal with it emotionally and has further problems when he learns that Lola is carrying his son. This confuses him as he does not know how the child will be raised or how his family will be organized. Will he be the boy's brother or father? Can the boy be raised by all three of the apartment's residents? Do Lola and Berglind have the right to decide the boy's future when Hlyner is his biological father? Another issue brought up by the film is the abuse of the welfare state. Hlyner is completely living off of unemployment benefits. He does not even try to find work and takes it for granted that the state will take care of him for his entire life. Lola challenges him on this and encourages him to find a job and do something with his life. Issues like these give the film intelligence and relevance. However, they do not overshadow the film or take away from its comedic values.One last success of the film is Kormákur's use of several non-vocal covers of the song "Lola." Originally about a transvestite, the 1970 song by The Kinks is perfectly used to enhance scenes with Lola and Hlyner. But the real success of the score does not come from the appropriateness of the song; the score succeeds because of how slightly different versions of "Lola" can create completely different emotions in the viewers. It is amazing how one song can follow Hlyner's emotions from his initial joy of having Lola to party with, to his fear after he and Lola sleep together, to his contempt for her as she carries his son. This one song creates a perfect atmosphere for the film as an immature Hlyner deals with the emotional problems that Lola's presence causes.101 Reykjavík does have a few problems. The film is very short (approximately 90 minutes) and would benefit from an influx of more story. The plot seems thin in some places and could be expanded upon. Also, Hlyner's mother had an abnormally small part in the movie for being quite a major person in Hlyner's life. Seeing more of her could have added to the relationships in the film. These complaints, however, are small when compared to the ways that the film works. 101 Reykjavík centers around some serious topics, but these issues are woven into a charming comedy that is incredibly enjoyable to watch.9/10

I have been living in Iceland for a year and a half and got a picture of the country, its people and its capital, Reykjavík (I actually even lived in the 101 postal code in Reykjavík). This movie is really highlighting a type of persons that I have met quite often in Iceland. I think it is a clear and accurate picture of an important part of the young population. The main actor, Hilmir Snær Guðnason (Hlynur), is really expressing this disillusion that you can feel while enjoying Reykjavík's night life. If you want to go to this marvelous country or if you just interested how one can survived after a few months winter night, this is the movie to go watching. But do not worry, there is more than that in Iceland.

Iceland isn't exactly known for it's thriving cinema industry and while I hardly consider myself an expert on the films of obscure European countries; I'm not sure that Iceland have had even one major success in film-making. They do, however, have this film; 101 Reykjavik, and it's actually quite good. The first thing you will notice about the film is it's downtrodden, gritty European style; which has already been implemented in a number of smaller European country's films, most notably those of Sweden's Lukas Moodysson, to great effect. As the film predominantly aims for realism, the gritty style bodes well as the story isn't exactly a happy one. It's more weird than anything else, and it follows an under-achieving waste of space called Hlynur. Hlynur is thirty years of age and still lives with his mother, and her friend Lola, who moved in with the two. After a drunken new years eve fling; Lola finds herself pregnant with Hlynur's child, and things get worse still for our protagonist when it turns out that Lola is something more to his mother than just a 'friend'...The character 'Lola' seems to have been christened that way so that the filmmakers could implement a techo-ish rendition of the hit Kinks song 'Lola' into the plot…ah, whatever. The film delights in it's obscure plot line, and most of the humour derives from that. The movie is actually very funny, and many sequences and dialogue exchanges in the film had me in stitches. The human relationship angle of the plot is the main focus of the movie, and the way that the film analyses what happens to it's characters as they are forced into this unusual situation is actually very good. The realistic acting gives the film more credibility for it's plot, and the gritty style gives it almost documentary feel, which puts the audience in the position of the voyeur; which in turn makes the film feel more like a cross section into Icelandic life. Of course, I'm sure that not every house in Iceland is like the one put forward in this movie... Anyway, the film constantly intrigues with it's plot and characters, and although the ending feels somewhat out of place; the rest of the film is good and although this isn't a masterpiece or a must see; it's not bad, and definitely worth watching.