User reviews

Gabriel and Elias are brothers, but they look nothing like each other save for a hair lip. Gabriel is a down at heart professor and Elias is a man who has a way with the ladies – the wrong one that is and a need for a lot of 'tension relief'. They are both a bit odd – to say the least.

Then their father 'pops his clogs' (well the film is Danish) and leaves the 'boys' a VHS message. In it they discover that he is not their biological father and that their real daddy lives on some remote island and is a bit of a scientist or something. Anyway with no time left to lose the lads decide they have to trace their real family – and so the fun begins.

Now this has some belly laugh moments and Mads Mikkelsen seems to relish the role. Then so does everyone else too and it must have been great fun to make. It is a pretty dark comedy in places but it also has a fair smattering of slapstick too. There is also a great story with lots of fun, truisms and heart. Written by Anders Thomas Jensen who brought us 'Green Butchers' and many more – this is one of those films that you will tell your friends is a must see.

In recent decades, in the West, it has been difficult to create a production where "variously challenged" persons are subject to irony, mockery, with characteristic violence and non-piety. The US is probably out of the question already, only Brits and Scandinavians have still dared to create something different within the subject mentioned. Mænd & høns is another fine example of them, with excellent script and direction (Anders Thomas Jensen) and strong ensemble cast (virtually all performers belong to the finest contemporary Danish film actors) have provided a meaty and distinct result.

True, not all characters are at the same level, e.g. Søren Malling and Nicolas Bro could not reveal their talent in full, but David Dencik, Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas were brilliant again - and in such different roles! No villains, no clerks, no policemen... Those not acquainted with those names should definitely see other films with their presence - to realise how versatile actors they are.

It is evident that some social strata may feel themselves affected and somewhat resentful, but the film should not be taken too seriously. However, it contains multiple warnings and attitudes that can/should be avoided.

All in all, another good Danish film, recommended to them fond of twisted humour connected with society-related stuff to be pondered on and over.

A film appears from time to time, defying any attempt at categorization, a film so strange, absurd, disturbing but also comic and human, that a special genre must be created for it and the film declared as the head of the series. This is the case with 'Men & Chicken', a movie released on screens in 2015, written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen. It's a film that doesn't belong in my comfort zone, and the viewing experience was mixed for me, alternating moments when I wondered 'what is this nonsense about?' with moments of real cinematic fascination. This is the second film by the Danish director that I have seen in the last ten days and the fact that Jensen is one of the most original and interesting screenwriters and directors not only in Denmark but also in the whole world seems undeniable to me.

Elias (Mads Mikkelsen) and Gabriel (David Dencik) are brothers. On his deathbed, their father confesses to them that they are in fact adopted. Their biological father lives somewhere, on an isolated island with a population of 42 inhabitants. While searching for hime, they will discover a landscape worthy of horror movies, a farm full of animals and the fact that they have three more brothers. The two are already pretty weird characters, but that's nothing compared to how their brothers look and behave. From here the film slips into an intrigue and an atmosphere that combines the absurd with the grotesque, the rude with the bizarre. Almost anything I can write here would be a spoiler, so I'll just say that the five brothers will discover the hidden secrets of their own origins and natures together.

Anders Thomas Jensen practices a kind of humor in this film that is far from my personal taste. The film is full of extremes that can only be taken as a joke. Even if I am resistant to many of the types of effects that are current in modern horror movies, I dislike some of the stuff exposed in this film. Mads Mikkelsen is formidable and the whole team of actors is able to build a world of strange characters whose behaviors, if they follow any rules, these are totally different from the usual. The scenario holds surprises at every turn, it is impossible to predict what will happen in the next minute, especially since what is happening does not always make sense. There is a message in this film, and it is an important one, but before I got to it I had to make the effort to endure many scenes and situations that were hard to digest for me. 'Men & Chicken' belongs to the category of films that I can appreciate in terms of cinematography and originality, but whose viewing require an effort for me.

Mads Mikkelsen has had quite an interesting career so far. What? You don't know who he is? That must mean that you're not up to date on your Danish cinema, or you don't like James Bond, or don't watch much TV… or all three. Mikkelsen is a Danish actor who is probably best known in the U.S. for playing the title character in NBC's "Hannibal" – and as the villain Le Chiffre in the 2006 Daniel Craig-led Bond reboot "Casino Royale". But, like most successful actors, Mikkelsen had to work his way up to such notable parts. As a young man, he spent ten years as a ballet dancer. In the mid-1990s, he began acting in high-profile films and TV shows in his native Denmark. The New York Times calls him "a face of the resurgent Danish cinema". Public opinion polls often crown him the sexiest man in Denmark, while his acting talent has earned him numerous Best Actor awards at film festivals around the world. More recently, in 2014, Mikkelsen played a Danish immigrant in the American West in the excellent, but underseen "The Salvation", and in 2015, he appeared in one of Rhianna's music videos. 2016 has him in Marvel's "Doctor Strange" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". Very interesting indeed. "Interesting" is an appropriate but more loaded term when us to describe Mikkelsen's film "Men & Chicken" (NR, 1:44).

Mikkelsen stars as Elias who, along with his half-brother, Gabriel (David Dencik), seems a little short-changed in the brains department – and NO-changed when it comes to looks and social skills. When their father dies, they learn that they were both adopted and that their biological father lives on the tiny (fictional) Danish island of Ork. When Elias and Gabriel go to Ork in search of their father, they come across three more half-brothers, Gregor (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), Franz (Søren Malling) and Josef (Nicolas Bro), who live together in a dilapidated former sanitarium which is overrun by barn animals. And it seems that Gregor, Franz and Joseph have the same "challenges" as Elias and Gabriel, if not more so.

When Elias and Gabriel show up at the home of their other three brothers and announce who they are, Gregor, Franz and Josef beat Elias and Gabriel. After regrouping at the home of the town's mayor (Ole Thestrup) and his unmarried daughter (Kirsten Lehfeldt), Elias and Gabriel return to their brothers' home the next day to try again to get Gregor, Franz and Josef to talk to them. Another beating ensues, but Elias and Gabriel turn the tables, leading Gregor, Franz and Josef to grudgingly welcome their long-lost brothers into their home. But getting to meet their father is harder than Elias and Gabriel expected.

Getting to know their newfound brothers is no picnic either. Besides letting barn animals roam freely throughout their home, Gregor, Franz and Josef interact with each other very strangely. They fight over who eats off of which plate at dinner, they cuddle together for a bedtime story each night, and if any of the brothers breaks a family rule, he has to sit in a metal cage outside. Oh, and sometimes the brothers change into tennis whites and play badminton on a makeshift indoor court. Gregor, Franz and Josef also have an especially unusual relationship with the larger animals that live outside the house. After being stymied in their efforts to meet their father, Elias and Gabriel notice some… unique-looking chickens roaming about, which makes them wonder even more about who their father is and what he's into.

"Men & Chicken" is… interesting (in an odd way) and can be entertaining… depending on your taste in movies. RogerEbert.com summarizes this film as "a hybrid of 'The Three Stooges' comedy and the lunacy of 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'". It's an apt characterization for what is a tough film to describe. It includes comic violence, bizarre situations, gross-out humor, very dark comedy and even some sweetness. It's fun to see Mikkelsen play so well against type, while the physical appearance of all five brothers is both repulsive and magnetic. As individuals, each character is a rail car which has gone off the tracks. As a whole, this group of people is a train wreck, but it's nearly impossible to look away. Like that proverbial human train wreck, you may find yourself wanting to keep watching out of a morbid sense of curiosity. Many will find this movie too "weird", but some will find it irresistible. "B"

Humorous, a bit dark and dramatic. It has a quiet relaxing atmosphere with kind of increasing tension among the characters throughout the film.

Frequent beatings with cast iron skillets and hard stuffed animals, eugenics experiments gone tragically awry, and five brothers with a propensity for extremely odd and deviant behavior, all combine in a twisted Danish comedy blockbuster. Receiving news of their father's death, brothers Gabriel and Elias reunite after a long period of not contacting each other. They set out to collect the body from a remote and sparsely populated island and dilapidated mansion with free- roaming chickens, goats, sheep and three brothers they never knew they had. None of the siblings is playing with a full deck, yet the one language they have in common is violence. Their attempts to reconcile are hilarious and result in childish fights over insane rules, cheese, who gets a plate with their favorite animal on it, beatings with rolling pins as well as a stuffed beaver, and memorable trips to town to find women. Every subject is fair game for humor including kids, science, hygiene, families, politics, the sick and dead, elders, animals, the handicapped, gender, sex and more.

This really warped and genuinely funny film is truly an original. It is an antidote to the same old gruel from the traditional studios. The soundtrack, including music from vibrating saws, is a perfect accompaniment to the bizarre behavior of this non-traditional and wacky family. The acting is well done. Yes, that is Mads Mikkelsen! The only drawback is the difficulty in translation and a wish that the film was longer. Real life inspiration for the film included the director's four kids, who fought over animal plates as the brothers do on screen. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.

In Anders Jensen's oddball film, two brother go to investigate their ancestry: they discover they have more (previously unknown) siblings, who live, both literally and figuratively, in a madhouse. What follows is a comedy that might be described as zany, but is also surreal and in places even thoughful, and a send-up of a gothic horror played with a sometimes straight face. The film's ability to make you laugh without breaking cover entirely is quite admirable; on the other hand, it does sometimes seem as if the director is using "make things as odd as possible" as his primary rationale. It's the kind of movie that one can enjoy every so often, perhaps, even if at times it feels almost like a sketch-show in alternative form.

OK. Admittedly, I'm biased. I'm an enormous fan of Anders Thomas Jensen's movies and pretty much adore everything he's ever made or been even tangentially involved in, but up until now I was very firmly of the belief that 'Blinkende Lygter' was and would always remain my favourite of ATJ's movies. That was until I saw 'Mænd & Høns' and fell completely and traitorously in love.

A perfect balance of black (oh god so so black) humour and pathos, this movie is a testament to ATJ's wonderfully deft touch with both. The characters, surreal and ridiculous as they are, are played with such humanity and conviction, that one cannot help but love them all, every last weird, disgusting one of them. As dual-lead, David Dencik is both loathsome and pathetically lovable as Gabriel. Nicolas Bro is a delight as always as the loquacious over-sharing Joseph, as is an almost unrecognisable Søren Malling as Franz. However, whereas it's normally Nicolaj Lie Haas that takes the comedic football and runs uncontested for the touchline, 'Mænd & Høns' is (definitely) Mads Mikkelsen's movie. As the compulsively masturbating, bombastic Elias, Mikkelsen reaps the lion's share of the comedic lines, delivering them with such incredible timing and bravado you can't help but think he missed his vocation when he opted for a career as leading-man heart-throb over bumbling idiotic funnyman.

I can't say enough good about this film. Watch it as soon as a UK release is available. Talk about it until there is. Petition your local cinemas. Buy 'Mænd & høns' t-shirts and bore your friends. I know I will.

If I had to sum up this film, it's like an unholy mating of "The Island of Dr. Moreau", the odd Alan Bates film "King of Hearts" and perhaps "Eraserhead"! It's twisted and strange film from Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen...that's for sure.

When the film begin, Gabriel (David Dencik) is at his father's deathbed. His other son, Elias (Mads Mikkelsen) arrives too late. However, their father left a videotape for them both to watch upon his death. In the tape, he reveals that their mother and father are not their biological parents and that their biological father is an elderly man living on a desolate island in the south. The brothers both agree to travel there and see if they can see this man. However, the trip will not be easy, as Elias is a very, very strange man with a strong psychosexual compulsion to masturbate or score with women...though as the film progresses it appears as if his prowess with women is in his strange mind.

When they arrive at a dilapidated old sanitarium where their biological father is said to reside, Gabriel is greeted with incredible hostility. His three previously unknown brothers who live there attack him and beat him severely and with no provocation. In many ways, they behave like animals. Later, the pair return and Gabriel encourages Elias to take a try in talking to this weird trio. We soon understand why....Elias is just as violent and insane as they are! After besting the three in a very violent meeting, Gabriel and Elias are allowed in to see this ultra-bizarre place. Apparently the hospital was closed decades ago and these three mentally challenged and weird men formed their own odd social structure based on who can beat the others senseless. What's more, the place is a filthy mess...with farm animals in most every room and decay all about the place. There also are indication that at least some of the brothers have been making amorous advances towards some of the animals! To make it even stranger, if it's even possible, every time Gabriel asks to see their father, his newly discovered brother, Franz, gets violent and threatens to lock them in cages! What's really going on here and why is it that all five brothers seem to possess various sorts of strange genetic disorders? To find out more, I suggest you see the film...though I promise you the answers will be rather awful and a bit disturbing!

Well, if you do see this one, don't say I didn't warn you...it's incredibly strange and is not for the squeamish. It also answers a question that fans of the television series "Hannibal" have been asking...."What will Mads Mikkelsen do now that the show has been canceled?!". Well, I'll tell you...in many ways he's just made a film that makes "Hannibal" look amazingly normal!

So there you have it...the gauntlet's been thrown. Do you dare try this strange Danish film? And, if you do, what do you make of it and its ultra-strange plot?! As for me...I still don't know what I think of it!! I do know that the acting is extremely good (particularly by Dencik who manages to more than hold his own opposite Mikkelsen) and the film deserves kudos for being unique!

I think there is a dark Danish humour element to this which I as a Brit didn't quite get. The way it tries to convey its comedy is very dry and academic. I watched it for Mads as I have seen most of his films. All of the actors were pretty good. And it has an enjoyable gothic mystery atmosphere that keeps you kind of interested to see how things are going to turn out in the end. But I didn't laugh out loud or even smile externally for that matter, and I am struggling to extract any depth from it.

Anders Thomas Jensen has been known for spawning very creative stories, ones that are arguably designed for the absurd. Even if this is the case, there's an underlying genius to what he has created with 'Men and Chicken' (Mænd & høns). Whatever the idea might have been, it came together in the end perfectly.

The story revolves around two brothers from Denmark who suffer from grotesque appearances and other mental issues that hinder them on a daily basis. While one brother, Gabriel, is a University professor who can't maintain a relationship, the other is the loose-cannon, Elias (phenomenally played by Mads Mikkelsen), who also has relationship issues and can't seem to go more than an hour without having to gratify himself.

The brothers learn from their now deceased father that he was not their biological father, that the real one is a Geneticist who specializes in Stem Cell Research, fathered both men with different women, and that he resides on a remote island. While this excites Gabriel at first due to his assumptions that him and Elias could not be related, they embark on a journey that reveals their true family history. They find out that they have three other half-brothers who live on the remote island, and surprise surprise, they have similar features. While Elias is able to, say, communicate with the loners of the island in far less civilized methods, Gabriel attempts to help improve their ways of problem solving by talking and not by hilarious slapstick comedy beatings.

It seems as if the story gets its inspiration from Kafka's 'The Metamorphisis'. So very "Kafka-esque" ('Mission Hill' reference). I'll let that idea sit with you.

The film breaks the barriers of creativity in storytelling from both a comedic and dramatic perspective. It opens and closes as if reading a kids storybook, the musical score has a certain creepy feel to it, and the makeup and design all around was made to give the characters a worn down and dirty look that couldn't have possibly been any better.

What was really fantastic about the film was despite the absurdity, the story really gelled into something of substance and quality. It told us that aren't able to choose our family, and that being different is the best thing in the world.

The film ends on the note that every life -- be it creature or human, ugly or pretty, fat or skinny — is truly a small miracle. Things happen that are out of your control, and when you learn about what who you really are, it is possible to find comfort and acceptance.

"For the very simple reason that life is life, and that the alternative is not preferable."

I was really hooked throughout the film, the setting, the characters and the pure wickendness of the story is sublime! I am not entirely sure what this film is supposed to say, but for me: No matter how weird you are, you can be a family, related by blood or not... and even if your anchestors or parents did super bad and wicked things, they do not make you a bad person. Bonus: I really loved the set design of Beelitz Heilstätten, where they shot the main mansion.

Well, Mads Mikkelsen is still a favourite actor. He can not make mistakes, doing well. This movie is not the best but I had so much fun while watching it.

Twisted, unreal, grotesque. I don't know if you can learn something from it, but will beat your brain cells well.

I don't often write reviews here, but I just had to write something about this film.

I'm a huge fan of Anders Thomas Jensen, I believe he's one of the most important director/writers in Denmark at the moment. Even though he has only directed 3 feature films (all of them excellent), he has written a ton of important danish films for the last 20 years or so.

Men and Chicken (Mænd og Høns) is in my opinion his greatest film so far. You are brought into this totally obscure insane world, but you are never bored. It is hilariously funny in Jensen's typical black humour way. But in this case also has such a a mysterious and interesting story, with bizaare characters. How did a man come up with this?

This film is genius, might not be for everyone, but wow is this film just amazing. I just hope we don't have to wait another 10 years for his next film.

Excellent cast ,great performances, quirky dark humor and a wonderful different story,what else do you want?

I don't even know where to begin with this. It's so far out, that if you're not expecting what is going to happen (as in not having seen the trailer or read the synopsis), you'll be blown away. Though even with some knowledge this should work wonders on ones brain. Just the fact that Mads Mikkelsen is in it, should be enough for anyone who's not familiar with the other cast members or the director to give it a go.

Having said that, the humor won't be everyones taste. Actually some might not even consider many things happening as funny. They might label them with other things and words. But if you like humor that is quite quirky and weird, you will relish and cherish this. Although I wouldn't say the movie can be viewed as big twist movie, I didn't see things coming ... even the ones that were right there to put together!

A strange Danish film. It was a lot like the Danish version of 'The Addams Family'. Written and directed by a screenwriter for the notable films in different languages. This is the story of two brothers who embark a journey to a remote island after their father died. Because they learn they were adopted, so they go to look for their biological parents. They end up in a strange house with the strange people, but realise how they are related to each other. So the remaining part focused on the mysteries surrounding the house. When those things come out, the narration reaches its peak and brings the end.

I think the title should have been 'Men & Animals'. If you watch the film you will know the reason, particularly after the final twist. As I had observed, many people liked it, but to me it was average. The idea seems very good, but the style was missing. Too ordinary presentation. If the approach was atypical like I said 'The Addams Family', it would have gained more popularity internationally.

The actors were good, shoot in the good places. Among all, Nikolaj was the familiar face. This is not your usual film, yet not for everyone. Maybe if you know the language, you might enjoy it better. The subtitle translated comedies are not that effective. Feels like I want to like it, since it was tagged as a comedy I did not get many laughs. So I won't stop you if you want to try it, but only tell you to be careful while choosing it, regarding what you are expecting from it.

6/10

It took almost thirty minutes for the movie to earn its first laugh, though it sustained the same shtick in the scene for too long and lost the humor, nevermind additional instances of the same gag elsewhere in the length. I was surprised when another soft laugh was elicited around the one-hour mark, though this example was in a scene that also went overboard on a joke that had been overused from the very start. 'Men & chicken' almost earned a laugh or two at a few other points owing to the exaggerated characters and situational comedy, but never quite achieved the desired effect. In fact, for the most part it's not just that this film doesn't inculcate a sense of fun, but also that it's actively antithetical to the same. Would-be humor is mostly crass, crude, cruel, and/or downright low, and sometimes altogether appalling in some of the ideas that are broached, while the characters are mostly simply unlikable. There is cleverness in the scenario, but it amounts to nothing meaningful until it's far too late to make a difference.

For my part, I don't think this is very good.

All the contributions of those behind the scenes are terrific. Despite the fact that the content is plainly dubious, I do like the cast and recognize excellent, wholehearted performances as all unreservedly embrace the absurdity. In the wildly offbeat nature of the narrative and would-be humor I see a kinship with the imaginative features of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Charlie Kaufman, Yorgos Lanthimos, and others, while there are also some genuinely worthwhile themes in the writing. Why, maybe I'd have appreciated this more from the outset if it weren't marketed as a comedy, or if the absolute tawdry boorishness were toned down. To that point: 'Men & chicken' is unquestionably at its best in the last 20-30 minutes, when it largely dispenses with its attempts at comedy and becomes a more sincere quasi-fantastical drama. If this last stretch better represented what the picture was as a whole - if the picture overall didn't try so hard (and fail so hard) to be a comedy - I think I'd be writing very different words right now.

Yet the fact remains that all the best value of this movie, a considerable amount of it when all is said and done, is cloaked behind an effort to be funny that falls terribly flat. Thoughtful, mature, and even brilliant concepts of storytelling are locked behind a screenplay that too much bears resemblance to the juvenile trolling that undisciplined teenage boys might demonstrate in the schoolyard or on the Internet. For what is done well, and for its potential that we finally see before the credits roll, I'd love to say that I like this more than I do; for the substantial obnoxiousness that overshadows that worth, I wonder if I'm not being too kind as it is. I'd rather totally hate a film than be bored by it, so I won't say that I regret watching 'Men & chicken.' I am, however, highly disappointed if not outright aghast at how wrong this went.

As good a film as I've seen in years; I can't wait to start dragging friends over to watch it with strong cheese and beer.

I do have a serious question about the title, though. Translated into English, the Danish title would be "Men and Hens", which is ambiguous and quite amusing. Instead, someone at the distribution end renamed it "Men and Chicken", which at first glance just looks like bad English (shouldn't there be an "s" at the end?), and at second glance hints at pedophilia.

Is that really the best way to sell a clever and serious film with very dark philosophical overtones?

Regardless, anyone who likes thoughtful and utterly unexpected twists in their stories should see "Men and Hens". You'll love it.

Way more "funny strange" than "funny haha" to me, and my son. Is man the only animal that enjoys slapstick comedy? La Bete Humaine on display, in a dilapidated mansion with secret chambers. Perhaps this is a surreal microscope view of our primitive drives, or a commentary on life without women. Or a vegetarian appetizer. Well, those are all long shots.

I think it's just a peculiar story, that benefits from the steadfast pursuit of the absurd by its actors. Written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, who may share DNA in addition to a homeland with Hans Christian Andersen. Both surely delivered to loving parents by storks.

For what it's worth, we watched it the day after "International Sibling" Day. Will a sequel be sponsored by 23 & Me?

Creepiness kept at bay by a cheesy kookiness.

Here's the thing with AJT films. They present a very deep sub-layer of a main theme, usually something alongside the lines of biblical themes, or the butterfly effect, and so on, and present themselves as dark comedies.

Overall, the concept is very interesting, well-executed, well-filmed, but more importantly, extremely well-acted. Where it falters, in my opinion, is that within the first five minutes of any of his films, you already know how it will end.

And while I understand the beauty in the journey, I find it regrettable that the plots are so paper-thin. Overall, this one will be another forgettable entry, despite being a brilliant dark comedy.

Ten out of ten for acting, ten out of ten for the comedy, but quite frankly, three out of ten for the plot overall.

'Men & Chicken' is... out there. Good film, though!

The only criticism I have is the run time, I reckon they could've shaved a decent chunk off so the somewhat predictable conclusion comes around quicker. That aside, I enjoyed this 2015 release. It has a strong cast, good humour (mainly across the first half or so) and has a plot that is certainly intriguing - and even manages a positive message in the end, just about.

Mads Mikkelsen is good value here, as he is in pretty much all of his films let's be honest. I watched this as part of my watch through his filmography, so it was cool to see a number of familiar faces that he worked with previously; as well as director Anders Thomas Jensen, of course. Nikolaj Lie Kaas the most obvious, to me anyway, example of that, though you also have the likes of David Dencik and Nicolas Bro.

The 80's gave us the offbeat sitcom, Newhart, a fan favorite, starring Bob Newhart and Mary Frann. The series, Newhart, showcased a number of oddball characters, though probably the oddest being three brothers who made some early appearances and later became regulars working the neighboring cafe.

The brothers, Larry, Darryl, and Darryl, initially ran the company "Anything for a Buck". They would take on questionable unsavory jobs that no one else would even consider doing.

Larry, the one who spoke, always began with "Hi! I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and that's my other brother Darryl". If you've seen it, you know. They.. were odd.

The brothers in Men & Chicken however take their strange raunchiness totally to another level.