When Frank (Frank Hvam) finds out that his girlfriend Mia (Mia Lyhne) is pregnant, it sends him into a tailspin of worry about his potential as a father; Frank is a man comfortable with being seen about in a white vest and matching Y-fronts , whereas Mia is very much in the mould of sit-com wives in that she is clearly a league above her foible-filled partner. Klown is, unsurprisingly, Danish for clown and this is the nature of Frank; comedic by his foolish presence alone.
Due to go on a canoeing trip with his friend Casper (Casper Christensen) – and by canoeing, Casper means a tour of private parts not belonging to his wife – Frank borrows/benevolently kidnaps Mia’s 12 year old nephew Bo (Marcuz Jess Petersen) as a way to prove his innate paternal capabilities.
So begins director Mikkel Nørgaard’s film, co-written with Hvam and Christensen, an adventure into well-meaning and ever-escalating entertaining absurdity. Klown canoes very close to the edge of gross out humour but at all times manages to apply a buffer of the very paternal qualities Frank fears he is lacking. Just when you think Klown isn’t going to show you what they are (obsessively) talking about, the audience is surprised into parting with giggles of shocked humour. The stand-up background of Hvam comes through in the slow development of these comedy set ups.
Though neither Frank or Casper would be classed as pillars of masculine aspiration, their loveable humanity makes their antics entertaining and repeatedly forgivable; Casper is the sort of ageing good-looking rogue who needs someone as hapless as Frank to be his lackey but also his genuine friend. Klown is light, funny and knows how to hit its numerous punchlines thanks to its leads and how far they pushed the premise of the film for an adult audience.
Mairéad has awarded Klown four Torches of Truth
