101 Reykjavik (movie)

Sexual hijinx and raging hormones threaten to warm the frigid Reykjavík winter in this hilarious comedy. Hlynur is a geeky cute twentysomething slacker who happily clings to his adolescent ways. He refuses to get a job, isn't looking for a serious relationship, and is content to hang out with his friends listening to music at local grunge watering holes. With a doting mother there to take care of things, his is a real cozy situation. That is until Mom's friend Lola (Victoria Abril), a sexy Spanish flamenco instructor, arrives for an extended visit. The youth falls head-over-heels for the sultry older woman, and before Mom even knows Lola's in town, he takes her out on a wild night of drunken carousing, with a nightcap of steamy sex. Life seems perfect until Hlynur discovers that it was only a one-night stand and that Lola is in fact Mom's lesbian lover! That's bad enough, but when Lola announces that she is pregnant and his mom jumps for joy at the prospect, poor Hlytur becomes overwhelmed with barely repressed hysteria. Should he tell Mom, try to marry Lola, run off or accept his new offspring?

A zany, original comedy on coming of age and sexual confusion that is liberally spiced with deadpan humor and unexpected turns. The leads are all perfect, especially Abril as the Latin siren unencumbered by guilt and happily in love with her woman... and stepson. Features a rocking soundtrack by Blur's Damon Albarn and former Sugarcubes member Örn Benediktsson. (English with some Icelandic with English subtitles)

Ray Murray