Most elements worked well for me - I loved the authentic footage of the race and the arena, I was invested in the main storylines and most of the humour was successful.
However, these separate elements did not always blend well. The large amount of real footage left little room for the fictional story to develop, and the humour disrupted the drama, with the most emotional monologue literally interrupted over and over again by comedian Kjeld Petersen's drunken character. His is a good example of the overabundance of minor characters with little significance. Their scenes were often unwelcome distractions from the storylines of the main characters.
Still, I enjoyed the film. I may well be biased as a Dane and a cycling fan, but I did think the screenplay and the (at times surprisingly experimental) direction delivered powerful moments over the course of the film.
However, these separate elements did not always blend well. The large amount of real footage left little room for the fictional story to develop, and the humour disrupted the drama, with the most emotional monologue literally interrupted over and over again by comedian Kjeld Petersen's drunken character. His is a good example of the overabundance of minor characters with little significance. Their scenes were often unwelcome distractions from the storylines of the main characters.
Still, I enjoyed the film. I may well be biased as a Dane and a cycling fan, but I did think the screenplay and the (at times surprisingly experimental) direction delivered powerful moments over the course of the film.
