Click to read the article
Comment
05/13/09
The Bothersome Man (2007)
71
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:21
Fresh:15
Rotten:6
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: Bothersome Man is a surreal, comedic meditation, thoughtfully and skillfully made.
Synopsis: Andreas (42) awakens on a bus. He has no idea where he comes from nor where he’s going. The bus pulls up at a run-down bus stop, where a friendly little man greets him and drives him into town in a... [More]
Starring: Trond Fausa Aurvag, Petronella Barker, Per Schanning, Birgitte Larsen
Director: Jens Lien
Reviews for The Bothersome Man
This absurdist black comedy from Norway is unlike any other movie you’ll see this year, but as allegory, it’s a bit too literal-minded.
01/18/08
Like the Swedish/Norwegian Kitchen Stories, it's a thoughtful Scandinavian film with a bent sense of humor.
09/21/07
Is it a religious allegory? Political statement? Horror film? Perhaps all three, perhaps none.
09/21/07
This is a bizarre social satire that mixes the mild-mannered humor of Jacques Tati with stunningly gory slapstick.
09/20/07
If only all the production elements added up to great movie. Instead, they seem like window dressing on a sill looking out to nowhere.
09/06/07
Bothersome Man is a stark yet strangely lyrical, multi-layered dirge for the absurdity of human fate in the face of figuratively deadening social conformity, and on the other hand, literal mortality.
09/03/07
An absurdly funny dystopian allegory that can proudly hold its own next to Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451 and Terry Gilliam's Brazil.
08/29/07
A deliberate, thought-provoking, existential meditation on the curse of creating a neverending heaven on Earth.
08/25/07
[A] pitch-black, bone-dry comedy.
08/25/07
A surreal nightmare of gleaming surfaces and razor-sharp edges, The Bothersome Man unfolds in a sterile city where nothing is quite as it seems.
08/24/07
Top CriticDirector Jens Lien mostly favors the clean and bland, succumbing to much of the same pod-person impassivity that the movie purports to critique.
08/21/07
There are several ways to take this bothersome trifle, none of which are at all resonant.
08/09/07
It's a delectable premise, rendered with smooth efficiency but we never really get beneath the surface of this shallow parallel reality.
06/02/07
Top CriticThis Ikea-furnished existential crisis marks Lien out as a talent to watch for the future.
06/02/07
Top CriticA few flaws but this is visually captivating and psychologically disturbing.
05/25/07
Top CriticMade with formidable assurance, a compelling look, quiet skill and impressive economy.
03/15/07
full review in Greek
01/08/07
Oddball futuristic fun with a serious, if confused, message.
10/28/06
A dark, nasty little movie that's never quite as deep or as clever as it imagines itself to be.
09/23/06
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Oscar nomination for Rockwell? 
Join Moon director Duncan Jones' quest to get Sam a nod.
Werewolves Prowl the Movies
TIME tells us the tales behind 13 of Hollywood's most famous wolfmen.
The Return of Pee-wee
The 57-year-old is headed back to the Playhouse. Details catches up with the iconic star.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win Tranformers: Revenge of the Fallen and more on DVD
The year's biggest film is here and we're giving away big Transformers prize packs -- including both movies and the animated series.
IGN RSS Feeds