King Curling

Norwegian sports comedy film

2011 (2011)

CountryNorwayLanguageNorwegian

King Curling (also King of Curling, Curling King; Norwegian: Kong Curling) is a 2011 Norwegian sports comedy film directed by Ole Endresen. Atle Antonsen stars as skip Truls Paulsen, a former curling champion now medicated for his dangerously obsessive behavior, who has to reunite his team 10 years after they disbanded in order to help his mentor Gordon get lifesaving medical treatment.

The name Truls Paulsen is a pun on Pål Trulsen, Olympic champion in curling.^[1] The curling scenes were shot in Håkons Hall, Lillehammer.^[2]

Cast

Paulsen's team

Atle Antonsen – Truls Paulsen
Jon Øigarden – Marcus
Jan Sælid [no] – Espen
Steinar Sagen – Flemming

Others

Kåre Conradi – Stefan Ravndal
Linn Skåber – Sigrid Paulsen
Ane Dahl Torp – Trine Kristine
Trond Fausa Aurvåg – Ornithologist
Ingar Helge Gimle
Bård Tufte Johansen – Knut
Harald Eia – Arne
Anne Marit Jacobsen – Jill
Else Kåss Furuseth [no] – Toril
Egil Hegerberg
Ulf Brunnberg
Hans Morten Hansen
Magnus Devold – Delivery man

Reception

In Norway, several reviews were mediocre. VG and Dagbladet both gave a dice throw of 4 (out of 6),^[1]^[3] whereas NRK P3's Filmpolitiet gave a 3 score.^[4]

Critic Brent McKnight compared the film to The Big Lebowski and "Wes Anderson's aesthetic," saying King Curling "has a lot of fun twisting and tinkering with every sports cliché in the book."^[5] British critic Mike McCahill also compared the film's sensibilities to Wes Anderson, as well as to the American offbeat sports comedy Dodgeball, citing "the bouffanted rival, the flowery commentary team (seen putting on their coats and locking up the studio before Truls attempts his final, seemingly impossible shot) and a mildly smirky attitude to its chosen minority pursuit: the film's best joke involves a curling administrator who refuses to answer any question from reporters that includes the diminutive term 'niche'."^[6]

It won the audience award for best feature film at the 2012 Cinequest Film Festival in the USA.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b Selås, Jon (22 September 2011). "Psykiatriens Blues Brothers". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 June 2024.
^ Sjetne, Ole Martin (25 November 2021). "– Å være curlingsentrum er kneppet bedre enn Gjøvik som er harpehovedstad". Oppland Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 June 2024.
^ Hobbelstad, Inger Merete (22 September 2011). "Ruglete is". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 June 2024.
^ Vestmo, Birger (21 September 2011). "Kong Curling" (in Norwegian). NRK P3. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
^ McKnight, Brent (16 July 2012). ""'King Curling' Movie Review"". 'The Last Thing I See'. Retrieved 24 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^ McCahill, Mike. "At the LFF: "Curling King"". Cinésthesia. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
^ Fjellberg, Anders (20 March 2012). "Amerikansk filmpris til "Kong Curling" (American Film Award for "King Curling")". Dagbladet. Retrieved 3 Feb 2022.