If there was an Olympics for cringe-comedy, Klown would go home with a gold medal every time.
For those of you not familiar with Klown, it”s a Danish television series about two friends, Frank (Frank Hvam) and Casper (Casper Christensen), and their innate ability to make the worst choices humanly possible.
In 2010, they made a feature film which Drafthouse Films released here in the US. two years later. Klown told the story of a horrifying camping trip, meant as a bacchanal for Casper and Frank, that turns into something totally different when Frank brings along his girlfriend”s nephew in an effort to prove to her that he could make a good father someday. It is very funny, and it is mortifying in scene after scene. Mikkel Norgaard is a prolific director, helming the majority of the 60 episodes of the show and directing both the 2010 film and Klown Forever, the new movie that opens in theaters and on-demand on September 2, but it”s Christensen and Hvam who write everything. As writer/performers, they are fearless and utterly without ego. They make Casper and Frank into casual monsters, truly terrible people.
In this new film, Casper moves to LA to try to establish a solo career, and Frank follows him to convince him to return to Los Angeles. As with Curb Your Enthusiasm, the show that Klown most closely resembles, Casper and Frank are playing fictionalized versions of themselves. They”re both comedian/actors. Casper is the force of nature, while Frank is the one who has to survive the storm.
Our clip today makes it look like both of them have started to “go Hollywood,” and I can”t think of any better incentive to see the film. As a fan of the series and the movie, I was curious to see how they”d do something new this time, and this is a great choice. Los Angeles culture as seen from the outside by these performers sounds like a great ripe target, and it gives them something very different to play. As long as they keep trying new things and they keep the core creative team together, then I agree with the title of this film. Klown Forever, indeed.
Klown Forever opens in theaters and on demand on September 2, 2016.