The Almost Man

From Norway comes a movie with an all-too-familiar theme: the refusal of a grown man to, well, grow up. The titular big kid, a 35-year-old named Henrik (Henrik Rafaelson), is married to the good-natured but increasingly frustrated (and newly pregnant) Tone (Janne Heltberg Haarseth). Henrik is overwhelmed by imminent fatherhood, a new job, and a big new house—all spelling his arrival at a level of adult responsibility for which he is not ready. Awkward on the job, pampered by his indulgent mom, and incapable of relating to Tone on anything but a level of high school goofiness, Henrik retreats to familiar ground, horsing around with his immature pals from adolescence. Not surprisingly, this is a recipe for disaster. Writer-director Martin Lund doesn't telegraph any particular Peter Pan sympathy for Henrik, but there also isn't much more to The Almost Man than idiotic behavior (urinating on a children's book is certainly a low point) heading toward an obvious reckoning. Still, there are some laughs in this lightweight comedy. A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)