Summary
Trouble is an amusing Swedish crime-comedy with dry humor and a touching father-daughter relationship that makes it worth watching.
Swedish Crime-Comedy Trouble caught me off guard in many ways because it’s not hilarious by any means, but it’s written with enough humor to be balanced and amusing. Director Jon Holmberg did not attempt to make this movie “laugh out loud” funny with dumb gags and diversions. He kept the story clean and allowed the writing in the script to do its work.
Trouble follows a divorced salesman who navigates the frustrating life of a working-class single father trying to make ends meet while competing with his ex-wife’s partner, who has more money than him (no man enjoys competing for best father of the year with their own children).
One day, he’s wrongfully imprisoned for murder and finds himself working with criminals in prison who mistake him for a pilot as part of an elaborate escape plan.
(The reason he finds himself in prison for murder is quite dumb itself, but it works within the context of the story due to his passion for high-definition televisions and Dolby Surround Sound).
The crux of the story is his daughter; he wants to prove his innocence and free himself from his predicament because he needs to be part of her life, a feeling that many separated parents feel often.
His innocence feels secondary to the need for the father-daughter relationship, which works well in the story’s context.
Is his situation ridiculous? Yes. Did I grimace slightly at the ease with which he could hatch an escape plan from prison with co-conspirators? Absolutely. But the story’s charm involving a father needing to do right by his daughter, no matter what overrides the comedic aspect.
The film does not sag at all, which is strange given its lack of seriousness. It’s possible, though I could be wrong that the cast was sold on this story, which translates on the screen.
Even when Trouble becomes a ludicrous cat-and-mouse involving private planes, and Conny is trapped inside industrious-sized washing machines (OK, this is technically a gag, but I respected it), it remains level-headed.
I wouldn’t say I like movies that are try-hard comedies that came after the acclaimed famous film The Hangover. I want to find scenes naturally funny due to an odd quip, character situation, or clever dialogue.
The writers, Jon Holmberg and Tapio Leopold, clearly have a dry sense of humor and do not need to shout the jokes at the audience.
Swedish film of the year? I highly doubt it. But Trouble is an earnest crime-comedy that I would not turn my nose up on. There’s enough charm to tell my readers that there’s an argument to be made here that it should be on your watchlist.
I also covered the chaotic ending with my interpretation of the ordeal.
