Ryhmy ja Romppainen (1941) [N/A]
Featuring:
Reino Valkama, Oiva Luhtala, Kirsti Hurme
Written by:
Matti Kurjensaari
Armas J. Pulla
Ilmari Unho
Directed by:
Risto Orko
Release Date:
November 16, 1941
Original Title:
Ryhmy ja Romppainen
Genres:
Comedy
Production Companies:
Suomi-Filmi
Production Countries:
Finland
Ratings / Certifications:
FI: S
Runtime: 79
In a comedy based on the books by Armas J. Pulla, two laid-back soldiers are given a vacation from the service during the Winter War. On their way home, skinny Ryhmy and chubby Romppainen (Oiva Luhtala and Reino Valkama) encounter a girl named Dora (Kirsti Hurme) who might be involved in harmful espionage, and of course the soldiers decide to solve the case by themselves. On their mission to catch the girl's accomplices Kars and Virt (Santeri Karilo and Sasu Haapanen), they are accompanied by an enthusiastic Argentinian photographer Santa Rosa (Ville Salminen), much to their chagrin.Despite the often amusing banter between the titular characters, the movie is ultimately not very good. The many silly incidents, like being mistaken for burglars and wreaking havoc in a costume party, lose their comedic impact because the pacing is poor and the situations are constantly prolonged too much. Despite the dragging pace, the movie also comes across as overly hectic within the scenes and there's generally too much reliance on just being over-the-top; the ridiculously exaggerated foreigner caricature Santa Rosa being an obvious example. Some moments are entertaining though, namely the dancing and singing numbers near the end of the story. Maybe a better plot and direction or more emphasis on verbal comedy could have helped the film, but as it is now, Ryhmy ja Romppainen is a somewhat disappointing effort and recommended only to the biggest fans of old Finn-comedies.
