As Good As It Gets

Admirable film.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This series, retitled 'Dicte - Crime Reporter' here in the UK, follows crime reporter Dicte Svendsen as she reports on, and gets involved in, various cases in her home city of Aarhus, which she has returned to after some time away. She lives with her teenage daughter, Rose, and usually ends up working with policeman John Wagner. The cases typically, but not always, concern murders. These cases are each two episodes long although they were combined into single double length episodes here. As well as the mysteries there are ongoing personal stories involving Dicte and her friends' various relationships, personal and professional problems.Amongst all the 'Nordic Noir' this series is lighter fare with its shorter individual cases and a protagonist who is closer to the enthusiastic amateur of classic whodunits than more realistic police investigations. Dicte constantly gets herself into situations that put her in danger or could get her arrested in real life. The cases are intriguing and the characters' personal lives are entertaining if rather chaotic... some might say soapish. The cast does a fine job; although not being Danish I can't comment on their accents. Most notable amongst the cast are Iben Hjejle, who plays Dicte; Lars Brygmann, as Wagner; and Dar Salim, who plays photographer and Dicte's love interest Bo Skytte. Overall I'd certainly recommend this for fans of crime drama looking for something lighter than most recent Nordic offerings.These comments are based on watching the series in Danish with English subtitles.

Unless I forgot something badly (and in this case it was probably not something good enough to remember) this may be my first TV series from Denmark that I see in the last 20 years or so, and the second after Lars von Trier's The Kingdom which amazed me in the mid 1990s. It certainly is not a masterpiece as I consider to be von Trier's series (and most of his movies) but a very decent detective story and good entertainment.Aarhus is a place whose name I know about since I was a kid, and so does any kid or former kid who was a passionate of geographical atlases and was looking in the index and dreaming to travel to all those places. It was the first or one of the first in any index, a city too small to ignore on the map of a country it took me about 40 years to get to for the first time. Aarhus is also the place where the first season of Dicte - Crime Reporter happens, with the Big City (Copenhagen) reporter Dicte Svendsen (Iben Hjejle) moving to the local edition of a newspaper together with her teenage daughter, running a failed marriage. Actually almost everybody in this film runs away bad marriages, with the exception of the ones who are single (that includes also the very young ones) - I am wondering if anybody is happily married in Denmark. Dicte is joined by her two good friends who have each her own marital or relationship problems, but the skeleton in her closet (very soon taken out) is much darker, as her past includes a teenage pregnancy and having lost her child sent to adoption. All murder cases that start to appear (it is a detective series, after all, and a good one) are also to some extent related to kids, adoptions, and her own past. Of course, detective Wagner (Lars Brygmann) who is her police counterpart is ... divorced.There is a lot of fuzz about Scandinavian crime novels, films and TV series, about the foggy or snowy landscape. Dicte - Crime Reporter is a little different, maybe it's the fact that Denmark is at the Southern extremity of Scandinavia that makes this film look a little more sunny and better lit than other Scandinavian series. However, what is missing in landscape is better articulated in the characters. Good acting helps, with Iben Hjejle, Lars Brygmann, Lærke Winther Andersen, Lene Maria Christensen - all giving good performances and the unknown faces (at least for viewers not familiar with Danish TV and cinema) helps making the characters more credible. The important thing I believe is that eventually we get to know them and care about them - this makes for the good quality of this refreshing crime series. I am looking forward for the next two seasons, and I hope that the Israeli cable channel acquired them as well.

I loved this show. LOVED this show. However, in Season 3 that all changed. First, the good: There's a lot to like in "Dicte." Iben Hjelje - who was excellent way back in "Hi Fidelity" with John Cusack several years ago (check it out if you haven't) - continues to be a wonderful and versatile actress who lights up the screen with her infectious laugh and beautiful smile. The characters are well drawn; you care about what happens to them, and after two seasons I was definitely invested. The plots are interesting and don't only focus on one murder, although at times there are story lines that drift off, only to be picked up again in later episodes. Now, the not-so-good: All of this unfortunately changed in Season 3. I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that the show took a drastic turn and went off in a completely different direction - it became stressful and ultimately an unhappy experience for me, so I quit watching halfway through. The show's creators had a wonderful thing going; I understand wanting to try something "new," but in this case, it just didn't work. Without being able to give any context this is difficult to explain, but after one episode you'll see what I mean.It's too bad; there are so few great shows out right now and "Dicte" was a fun twist on the excellent-but-too-prevalent Scandanavian police drama. That said, if it ain't broke, please don't fix it. Too late on this one. Definitely check out seasons 1 and 2, though!

Denmark is a country/society well known for women with strong character and goals, women who do not lose heart because of setbacks. They are usually engaged at politics, law machinery, or journalism - as Dicte Svendsen in Aarhus, in the 2nd largest city. There is different kind of crime out there, but as there is more focus on women characters, the crimes are related to adultery, children, health, etc., i.e. "softer" topics. The course of action is quite smooth though, and leading actors like Iben Hjejle as Dicte and Lars Brygmann as John Wagner (I have discovered his talent and nicety rather recently) provide additional value to the series of 10 episodes (you better watch them in succession, flashbacks can be confusing). Moreover, there is a catchy supporting cast, particularly Dar Salim as Bo Skytte and Thue Ersted Rasmussen as Peter Boutrup; the ladies performing Dicte's best friends tend to remain in the shadow of Hjejle. Another "underplot" is provided by nice panorama of Aarhus and surroundings, making me feel like to visit the place again (after ca 20 years).Well, Dicte is no Bro/Broen or Forbrydelsen, but in line with Anna Pihl, for example. Anyway, admirers of Hjejle and Brygmann will not be disappointed.