Sadly Over-hyped

Fantastic!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I don't know if you need to be Finnish to understand this, but does the word 'myötähäpeä' translate to English? It is the feeling of being ashamed on someone else's behalf.I know enough people like this in Finland, who think all the booze that appears within reach MUST be drunk, and also people who can be lead by their nose by their friends like they had no brains (while they do have, even if it at times seems defective).It also has various scenes of drinking by fireside by a lake, hitchhiking, crummy local halls where bands perform, horrible clothes and suburbia that I (too) vividly remember from my own past... I feel like chewing my arm off but I cannot stop watching.Compelling stuff indeed.

To start with it is probably necessary to remind everyone of who Matti Nykänen is. At least if some international guy ever makes the mistake to read about this Finnish crap.Matti Nykänen is the most successful ski jumper ever. He must also, by far, be the most talented one, since he so miraculously combined sports and booze. Though ski jumping -like ice hockey - is a minor sport, the stars are anyway big names and there's lots of money in it. And in Finland Nykänen was a really big name and was chosen (if I remember correctly) twice the athlete of the year. Nykänen's greatest achievements are five Olympic medals of which 4 are golden and just one of them from team competition. But significant for Nykänen is also the drinking and after the sports career his been mostly in the headlines because of different catastrophes, not least when hitting he's ex-wife to be with a knife and therefor doing some time in jail.About the movie: The director, Aleksi Mäkelä is an annoying case of awful movies getting lots of viewers. My three stars comes mostly for being a Nykänen fan since he won the World Championships in 1982 at Holmenkollen and therefor the subject interests me. The basic problem with the movie is that Mäkelä hasn't been able to chose what he wants the film to be. It is not a drama, it is not a comedy, it is not thrilling, neither does it give any new information of the character. Anyhow I think Mäkelä tries this to be a comedy. It just didn't once make me laugh. Jasper Pääkkönen looks quite a lot like Nykänen but the acting suffers from the stupid one-liners which Nykänen is well known for. The screenwriter could have used some of them but why did he have to use them all?? The actor I liked the most was the fresh Elina Hietala in the first wife Taina's role. The last wife so far(in the movie Mirva) was played by Elina Knihtilä, an actress almost as ugly as the woman she portrays. The make up department had managed well since Mirva and Mervi Tapola looked very much alike. The movie also includes a lot of supporting actors which are on the top of my hated actors list: Peter Franzen as the friend and manager Nick Nevada who messes everything up, Kari Hietalahti as Hammer, Jope Ruonansuu as Oksanen and Juha Veijonen as the trainer Maisteri.All in all, considering how very interesting and even emotional a movie of Matti Nykänen could have been, this was really a lousy effort by Mäkelä once again. The sad thing about it is that people really go to the movies to look at Mäkelä's movies. So why should he try to change his style. Well I just continue avoiding to spend a dime on this guys movies...

Matti tells partly a fictional story of the Finnish skijumping legend Matti Nykänen who is nowadays only the topic of scandal newspapers. The movie makes you laugh but also feel sorry for Matti who is only a tool for other people who use him to gain money and success. People get Matti into all kinds of trouble because he is so gullible. This might not be the real truth but that's how the movie portrays Matti's life. I have never liked Matti Nykänen because the news of him having a drunken fight is boring and he is stupid and narrow minded as a person but the movie actually makes you feel some sympathy towards him. Jasper Pääkkönen does a fine job as Matti but nothing worthy of huge praise. Other actors do a better job but their roles are easier. I find myself enjoying the new wave of Finnish cinema and Matti is certainly better than the Finnish movies where sex and nude women are the only method to get viewers.

"Matti" is released to public audience at 13th of January, but I had a chance to watch the movie today. Matti Nykänen, born in 1963, is one of the most famous Finnish persons alive and for sure a best nationally known sportsman of our time. He managed to get 4 Olympic gold medals and 1 silver medal during his active career. Some older Finns had their first impressions of Matti, when he won a World Championship title of big hill at 1982 in Oslo. It was all foggy and even the Finnish television presenters had weak chance to follow the competition. I guess quite many people remember, when Voitto Liukkonen screamed "tyyliä on, pituutta on ja maailmanmestaruus tulee Suomeen" and on TV screen there was only loads of fog and style points. However, Matti won and began his living in public.The problems started to develop at 1986-1987 WC season of ski jumping. At the 1986-87 Four hills tournament Matti jumped when he was drunk and also wanted some special treatment compared to other Finnish jumpers. Matti's coach, Matti Pulli and the leaders of the ski jump organization then decided to send Matti home. Finnish sport watchers were ****** ***. Matti Pulli was threatened. Time passed and it came a time to choose team for the World Championship held in Oberstdorf 1987. Matti wasn't on the first selection, but was selected afterwards because the pressure from the Finnish people were so high. Matti did his best in Oberstdorf and came second on the small hill competition, after Jiri Parma for Czechoslovakia. Finnish team also won the group competition.Matti's best season was 1987-1988. He won three gold medals in Calgary Olympic games at February 1988 and also the World Cup 1987-1988. Soon came lower back problems, divorce and again heavy drinking. Still he managed to survive from the World Championships held in Lahti 1989: he came third at the big hill competition and helped Finnish team to win the group competition. In 1990 Matti came second on fly hill competition in Vikersund. That was his last great international effort: Matti's career ended next year (1991) in Val Di Fiemme World Championships, where he reached his all time low - he came 50th on the big hill competition.There was some information about the sports career of Matti Nykänen. I decided to concentrate on that, because nowadays most of the Finns can recognize Matti from other "achievements". After his sports career Matti has done 2 solo albums, been a strip tease actor, posed naked in certain pictures, became religious etc. etc. He has been married for four times: his fourth marriage with Mervi Tapola is already a legend. Matti was also sent in prison at 2004, when he was found guilty stabbing his wife's relative on a cottage in Tottijärvi on summer 2004. I was quite pleased about the Matti-movie. Anyway, there is still some problems on production. At the movie Matti is sent away from the Four hills tournament on season 1987-1988. His career ends to small hill competition in Lahti 1989. That's not really true, because Matti still jumped in one competition on 1993, when he participated in plastic ski hill national competition and finished 17th. His final international competition was World Championships in Val Di Fiemme 1991. To my opinion, there wouldn't have been any kind of lack of drama, if the manuscript be "realistic" on Matti's golden years as a ski jumper. In movie there is also some characters that has nothing do in real Matti's life, for example Hammer (Kari Hietalahti) who is helping Matti to begin a career as a singer. Actually there was no such character in Matti's life; the man behind the singing career is singer-songwriter Jussi Niemi from Matti's home town Jyväskylä, who also has his own character in a movie (Nipa, played by Jani Volanen). To people who already know Matti's history, these things may be little bit disturbing.But there is still more good things than bad. Matti is acted by Jasper Pääkkönen, who is doing a good job. Peter Franzèn is also doing his best as Nick Nevada - even though Nick Nevada is purely fictional character and has only little in common with Maick Sierra, who was a former manager of Matti Nykänen back in the 1980's. But best works are definitely Elina Knihtilä as Mirva (Matti's wife, Mervi, did not want her name to a movie), who is doing this character just as good as it's seen in Finnish publicity. Also Jope Ruonansuu as a leader of a Järvenpään Casino is doing a funny role and really showing the best of him.Well, what a heck. Matti is so big legend in Finland that it's really a surprise, if this movie fails to get the audience of 150 000 - 200 000 Finnish spectators. And the movie is not bad, but personally I was left with thought that there really should be more realism in a movie. On the other hand, movie really shows the dark side of Matti just in a way as we all can imagine. Interesting movie, go and see it when it's coming to a movie theatre near you!