Trouble Review: Silly Humour and Delicious Twists

In this Netflix action-comedy film, Conny, a divorced man with an unimpressive job as a salesman, finds himself having the worst day when he ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time and gets convicted of murder. And if that isn’t bad enough, he gets approached by
Norinder and Musse, two other inmates in prison, rope him into an escape plan after incorrectly identifying him as a pilot. Now trying to escape under false pretences, Connie must also find a horse for his daughter before meeting him.

The Swedish film has a runtime of 98 minutes.

Trouble Review

The premise of the movie, involving our protagonist Conny being oblivious to a man getting murdered while installing a TV at a customer’s house and then holding the murder weapon while getting bopped on the head, is something that you need to suspend your disbelief for it to be palatable. It’s a little grating to believe that noise-cancelling headphones have the power to keep a murder taking place behind you quiet but I guess sometimes we have to give up our sense of reality to be entertained. Netflix’s Trouble is a painfully awkward comedy where Filip Berg’s Conny is an unassuming and confused man who seems to have the worst luck out there.

Berg is fantastic as the protagonist and his dry humour is really funny to witness. He makes some of the worst decisions out there and constantly gets himself into the worst situations possible, but he also gets out of them in the most unlikely ways. The whole thing is chaos but there’s a tension underneath that grips you to the story. Sure, some of it is outlandish and unbelievable, but the movie gets the tone right and some twists and turns keep you invested throughout the runtime.

The unfolding of the mystery surrounding Luka’s death is a delicious watch, along with the silly humour that makes you chuckle here and there. Although I do understand that this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, if you like the comedy to be understated and goofy, this movie will totally keep you invested. Towards the mid-point, we get a shocking revelation while Conny is trying to run away from the police, one that will leave you dumbfounded. We don’t always get this particular twist in films and it was quite surprising when the mystery was revealed.

The relationship between Conny and Diana is warm and there is chemistry between them that makes you smile. Conny’s dedication to doing the right thing for his daughter is his main motivator, which also makes you relate and root for his character, in spite of the antics that he pulls. I also found Norinder and Musse, played by Dejan Čukić and Joakim Sällquist, to be hilarious and the latter especially, as the trigger-happy inmate and later prison escapist, lightens the mood of the film quite a bit.

However, it’s after the first half that the film gets a bit much. The convoluted plot is full of antics, going from one insane thing to another gets harder and harder to believe. To be clear, though, the storyline is set smartly, so much so that the central mystery is intriguing as heck. However, some of the scenes in the middle feel a bit forced and desperate and will make you skip to the next scene. Although it doesn’t throw you off by a lot, it’s still a bit too out there to be taken seriously.

Final Thoughts

Some unnecessary moments aside, I found Trouble to be thoroughly enjoyable. The twists are entertaining and gripping and the comedy is uncomfortable and silly, making for an amusing combination. The performances are great, especially from Filip Berg, whose nonchalant expression is such a stark contrast to the chaos happening onscreen. All in all, totally entertaining.

Also Read: House of Spoils Review: Mediocre, Meandering