'Klown' Filmmakers Sneak Their Outrageous Comedy in Austin

in

By Julian Singleton

A sold-out crowd snaked its way out into the parking lot of The Alamo Drafthouse, the line surrounded by innocent-looking pink posters advertising the "funniest movie of the year." Below the proclamation, an exhausted, bespectacled man wearing soiled briefs and a tank top. Excitement ran rampant for the advance screening of Danish export Klown (Klovn: The Movie), which only heightened as Alamo founder Tim League warned the audience that they would "see some things that night they could never unsee." Over the next hour and a half, League's words of warning proved themselves to be unforgettably truthful.

Klown features comedians Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen (two of the movie's writers) as themselves, two thirty-something best friends who plan a raunchy weekend getaway -- an escapade disguised to their wives as a relaxing canoe trip. After Frank's wife questions his fatherhood potential, however, Frank takes it upon himself to kidnap his introverted 12-year-old nephew Bo and take him along for the ride.

Without ruining some of the film's best jokes, much is made about the shortcomings everyone faces when seeking (and failing) to prove their masculinity -- from leaving a family member behind when escaping a burglary to accepting a flick on the nose when failing to read your book club's selection, and all the awkward threesomes in between.

Klown is based off a hit six-season TV show from its native Denmark, which as attracted such infamous talent as Lars Von Trier, who guest-directed an episode. The feature version first made its way stateside at last year's Fantastic Fest, where League bought the film for release via distribution arm Drafthouse Films. Later in the night, League hinted that the original series could be released in the United States, depending on the success of the film.

The screening was followed by an equally hilarious Q&A session between League, actor/writers Hvam and Christensen, and producer Louise Vesth. What surprised the Danish filmmakers most from their first experience watching Klown with American audiences was the crowd's overwhelming understanding of the story despite having not seen the original TV series. The film, we learned, was rooted deep in the universe of the original series, and that each character -- however briefly seen in the film -- all played a major role in the show. Other surprises came from how some jokes, like a recurring instance of "man-flirting," played strongly in the States while receiving moderate laughs in Denmark, possibly reflecting the differing sources of humor across cultural boundaries.

What was clear to all involved was that the movie was a success to international audiences, which Hvam attributed to the heartwarming universality of the story: Even when the characters get themselves into grossly shocking situations, their actions come from the good of their hearts.

A major topic amongst audience members was how the cast and crew were able to come up with several of Klown's signature shock moments, which Christensen and Vesth attributed to a method of improvising each scene while rigorously adhering to a pre-established storyline. While some moments were deliberately scripted, others arose from the actors' knack for taking some jokes much further than thought possible -- such as during a moment involving Hvam and Bo's prepubescent shortcomings.

The rest of the discussion focused on the MPAA and other distributors' reactions to the film's raunchy, wild content. League remarked that while meetings with early distributors like Netflix and Hulu were enthusiastic, they refused to release Klown uncut: mainly, as League mentioned wryly, "over concerns about what you can get sent to prison for."

The discussion drew to a close with a brief defense of the film's upcoming remake by Eastbound and Down's Danny McBride and The Hangover's Todd Philips. Hvam and Christensen pacified the audience's concerns by saying that after six seasons and a movie--and miraculously bringing it stateside -- they wanted someone else to have fun with the idea.

When asked post-screening about any advice for aspiring writers and directors, Hvam and Christensen had only this: "Write all the time," the duo urged, having spent the past 14 years together trading material.

Klown will be released in Alamo Drafthouse theaters and VOD platforms July 27. Hvam and Christensen also noted that Klown will have its Danish TV premiere on Christmas Eve.

Julian Singleton is an intern at the Austin Film Society.