Love and Other Troubles

The life of a son of a pop star is never easy. Ville (Jussi Nikkilä) has bathed in the glory of his father Taisto Hietalahti (Ville Virtanen) for all his life, even now living with him in a peculiar father-son relationship and incapable of creating his own life and identity. Indecisive and troubled with lack of self-confidence Ville all too easily falls into a self-protective shell of youthful innocence. Meanwhile his father lives irrespective of tomorrow, still living a life focused on lack of responsibility and a carpe diem motto coupled with a living big logic inspired by Ronald Reagan. Son and father collide when both fall for an alluring American Sara (Emilie de Ravin)...

Fronted by some awkward mostly dry humour, "Love and Other Troubles" isn't without its perks, such as a pretty intriguing trio of protagonists and a somewhat promising story to tell. However as the story lazily unfolds with some truly Scandinavian lack of momentum, audience patience is spread very thin over a barely expanding narrative. Essentially lacking any moments worth the memory as well as enamouring comedy flair, the movie attempts to float on charm itself. With the trio of Nikkilä, Virtanen and de Ravin extremely amiable in their quirkiness the question is whether they bewitch enough to truly entice. As the love story fails to unfold, remnants of a concept attempt to shine through, as the son must grow out from under his father's shadow, change their relation, to finally find himself. Nonetheless this aspect seems somewhat unresolved with a symbolic 'defeat' of his father, lacking the impact it should have had.