Ida is a hairdresser battling cancer, living in a box-like house together with her buffoon of a husband Leif. At the airport on the way to her daughter’s wedding in Italy she bumps into Philip, a widower jerk who lives in what looks like an optical illusion. Although this is their first meeting, Ida’s daughter and Philip’s son are set to get married in Italy, and when the two families meet things get explosive in more ways than one.
This is like a Danish Mamma Mia (the beautiful setting, Pierce Brosnan, drama unfolding at a wedding between two very young people), and as such obviously packs a bit more of a punch than your average American saccharin love story. There will be nudity, booze, a bit of fighting and ample opportunity for Paula to turn on her gaydar. 
There is a lot of cringe-worthy humour in the self-centered cruelty of supporting characters Leif (Kim Bodnia) and Benedikte (Paprika Steen), though some of the situations get a bit over the top for us. The children, Astrid and Patrick have a bittersweet story and you can feel their youth, joy and naivety disappearing throughout the film. Apart from the main theme about letting go and choosing life there are themes centering around parents and children, with examples of both healthy relationships and toxic, that gives us, as parents, plenty of inspiration when it comes to what not to do….
But the real star of the film is Trine Dyrholm who gives Ida tons of character and charisma. She has an amazingly expressive face and eyes, and she makes the film watchable whether you like romantic comedies or not. Pierce Brosnan as Philip gets the job done, and once you’ve seen the whole film there are explanations for some of the more jarring acting choices in the beginning. His charm is probably also appealing to some, but Paula is still cringing with the memory of his singing in that other rom-com set by the Med!
Overall a good watch, but does it make it into the cupboard? No - but it only just fails to cross the finishing line.
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