ShangLuda
Admirable film.
FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Kaelan Mccaffrey
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Martin Bradley
Lukas Moodysson's comedy "We Are The Best" is one of the greatest of films dealing with childhood as well as one of the most uplifting, and uplift is something you're not always guaranteed with Moodysson. The kids in question are three girls barely into their teens who form a (not very good) punk band but this is only a jumping off point for a genuinely funny picture about friendship based on the graphic novel by Coco Moodysson. It has the flimsiest of plots but a surfeit of feeling and Moodysson handles his young, and not so young, cast superbly.As the young would-be punks who start the band Mira Barkhammar and Mira Grosin are absolutely terrific and if Liv LeMoyne, as the older girl they rope in to help them, doesn't make the same impact it's simply because she has the more sober role. Otherwise I can't find fault with this film and, as well as laughing out loud several times, I had the biggest of grins on my face from start to finish.
PatrickBatman
I saw this movie 2 years after it came out, and everyone told me I must see it. Everyone said it was an underrated gem, and reading the reviews about this film, I was excited as ever! It even had a 97% on rotten tomatoes, which is really impressive. So what did I get? Well, for everyone who said this movie is "unique", you probably think that a movie like Boyhood has never been done before., (Look up 35 up, 49 up, and 56 up) This movie felt like a made-for-TV movie that was delayed for 20 years. Hell, this movie wouldn't even connect with kids in the 1980s (which is when the movie takes place)OK fine, enough of me complaining I'm gonna list all the flaws and go in further detail about them.1. You have seen this film already (a billion times) This is your ordinary "oh I want to do something that I have to do with other people so I need to find another person/people to help me" type of film. And then they have to work hard to get that person to get them into doing what they want and then later they get into a fight, and everything turns out OK and then they do the thing they wanted to do and the film ends. Unique right? This film makes Synecdoche, New York look like something a 10 year old would come up with (obvious sarcasm 2. How the kids are "so punk" This is probably the thing I hate the most. I love punk music, and I know it's tough to make an aggressive and hateful human being likable, but that doesn't count as an excuse. The kids are REALLY REALLY unlikeable. They are just egotistical pieces of crap and you really hate them. And when we are supposed to feel sympathy towards them (because the other kids make fun of them) you really don't feel anything. These things pop up a lot in the film, so thats why I give this film a negative review. Other than that, nothing above average happens in this film. The directing is OK, the cinematography is OK, the acting is OK. The only praise I have for this film is that the band doesn't become amazing at the end (and that's realistic for a band that didn't practice a lot and goofed off.
Hellmant
'WE ARE THE BEST!': Four Stars (Out of Five)Swedish-Danish drama flick about three teenage girls, that decide to form a punk band together; in 1982 Stockholm. It stars a cast of mostly unknowns; including Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin and Liv LeMoyne (as the three leads). It was written and directed by Lukas Moodysson and it's based on the 2008 graphic novel 'Never Goodnight'; by Coco Moodysson (the director's wife). The film received mostly rave reviews and it's appeared on many American critics' 2014 Top 10 lists. I found it to be inspiring and beautifully natural.Bobo (Barkhammar) and Klara (Grosin) are two 13-year-old girls, growing up in 1982 Stockholm. They're outsiders at their school, due to their androgynous appearance and love for punk rock music; which many consider a 'dead art form'. They decide to form a band, despite not knowing how to play any instruments, as a way of rebelling against popular culture. Later they enlist a Christian girl named Hedvig (LeMoyne), from their school, to help them learn how to play chords and sing songs. Hedvig plays classical guitar, very well, and she's also a social outcast. The three girls form a beautiful team. The movie is very impressive; in how it captures youth so realistically. The dialogue is really believable; and the three lead performances are super natural. If I didn't know any better, I would have totally believed it was a documentary (almost). The directing is completely fitting to the material and the story is beautifully inspiring. What a great movie for all kids, of almost any age, to see. Especially social outsiders and those that love punk music. The soundtrack is also totally awesome! I highly recommend it; to kids and adults alike.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://youtu.be/fbw9P594Crc
Tejas Nair
It is very rare that you see two callow girls with rebellion/ignorance as their sole weapon try to thwart a universally accepted notion. This film tries to introduce this setup but goes haywire once hormones kick in.The film talks about three 12/13-year old girls who have certain things to worry about like religion, relationships, haircuts, etc.. They believe that punk music is still alive and burning, while the world knows it is dead. With no resources or even an idea of where to start, they play with the it. I should say these girls perform exceptionally well and it didn't look like they were acting. Sporting semi-Mohawks and punky clothes, they try to find happiness in small things as they figure out music creation is no child's play, yet do not care to accept it. Several elements like family, revolt, youth, atheism, adolescence, etc. find mention in these girls' activities and that is where we start to notice that the drama goes off-topic and we don't really know if it was purely intentional. Beauty hampers these girls' mindset as one of them finds it hard to attract boys of her age or older. This deviates the theme and climax bears the brunt. If I were to draw a graph of the storyline, it would be like a gradual response of an analogous low pass filter.Direction is brilliant and so is the music that occasionally plays when the groove picks up. It gave me an idea how Swedish rock music is. Camera seems to be handled by a 2-year old; all shaky and bumpy throughout. Editing is fine and the film never really goes off-tune. The central characters and their escapades manage to keep you hooked.All said and done, I am not very happy with the story build, yet I enjoyed what I could deduce of it. It's all about being self-satisfied at the end of the day, and not caring about what others think, isn't it?BOTTOM LINE: We Are The Best! is how youth-led, non-violent, innocent rebellion looks like in the snow-clad suburbs of Stockholm, Sweden.Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
