I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Some of the best acting you'll ever see. Let's call this one a "hardcore dramedy" - there are scenes that had me roaring with laughter, others are sad and tender (and there are even some hardcore porn shots). A unique masterpiece by the crazy Danish maestro Lars von Trier. 9 stars out of 10.In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:imdb.com/list/ls070242495

At the close of Cannes 2011; Lars Von Trier's reputation as one of the most gifted yet controversial film makers around was firmly intact hitting new levels of outrageousness; however, it wasn't the first time he has managed to get the crowd at arguably the world's most prestigious film festival talking. In 1998 The Idiots aka Dogme #2 made its debut causing mass controversy; mass criticism; and mass discussion. Naturally for a film which caused such a stir it's an unusual watch. It's a strange sensation to be made to feel uncomfortable yet totally engrossed in a film and stranger still, feeling guilty for enjoying it. The term "guilty pleasure" is usually used to hide embarrassment e.g. captain of the school sports team loves a chick flick; yet here the term really is applicable.Credit to the cast who participated largely unaware of what the script would demand of them. We are introduced to Karen (Bodil Jørgensen, playing the films and our conscience) who is then caught up in an anti- middle class gang who spend their time in public 'spassing' out; in other words, pretending to be disabled (PC alarm bells ringing from the off then) in order to release their inner "idiots". Rule three of Dogme 95; a hand-held camera, works particularly well; from the off we are thrown right into the heart of the group, we might as well be made to feel as if we are documenting it.The film certainly makes an interesting comment on how social behaviour can restrict us and, for lack of a better word, the "licence" given to those struggling with mental illnesses to behave more outlandishly. The character's main release is to pose as those without social confinements in public; however the gang eventually do away with only doing it in view of the public eye; is it a hobby or an addiction? Certainly different members of the group enter into it with different motifs and levels of seriousness.The Dogme 95 movement on the whole polarised audiences so to say that The Idiots; one of the most famous of all Dogme films, will not be to everyone's tastes is an understatement. The actual subject matter will be off putting to some; a topic such as this being played for laughs in certain parts makes for uncomfortable viewing; even more so due to the fact that it is funny. The film also asks the question of how disabled citizens are treated by society; nearly fifteen years on and it isn't hard to imagine people still being perturbed at the thought of allowing mentally disabled yet completely harmless people to walk around their garden. Throughout the film Von Trier gives us uncomfortable laughs; mocks the middle class attitude to the disabled; and manages to throw in a shockingly graphic orgy. All of this building up to a real emotional sucker punch of a climax. It isn't until the closing scenes that the film stops trying to provoke the audience's brain and instead aims straight for the heart. If nothing else, The Idiots will get you talking; as if Von Trier would have it any other way. 8/10

Never one to shy from a bit of controversy, Danish director Lars Von Trier caused a storm in 1998 with The Idiots. Since then, he has started making American movies that seem almost misogynistic in it's attitudes to women. His films put their female protagonist through horrifying and gruelling psychological and physical abuse. But the controversy stirred up by The Idiots wasn't because of its portrayal of women, but its apparently sadistic mockery of the mentally disabled.The film follows a bunch of young men and women, living together in a large house owned by the uncle of Stoffer (Jens Albinus), who spend their time pretending to be mentally ill and finding their 'inner idiot'. They pick up an apparently lost woman Karen (Bodil Jorgensen) at a restaurant and she joins them, equally fascinated and repulsed by their acts. As Karen searches for her inner idiot, the group continue to 'spas' (Danish equivalent of 'spaz') at various locations, seemingly for their own amusement. Stoffer is meant to be selling the house for his uncle, but since the group has settled their, he uses the group as a means to scare away any potential buyers. However, tensions start to develop in the group, mainly due to the increasingly aggressive and unpredictable behaviour of the unstable Stoffer.It's difficult to work out who exactly Von Trier is poking fun at. It could be the group themselves, who claim to be anti-bourgeois and anti- middle class, yet seem to only use this claim when it frees them from responsibility. A member of the group, who has run away from his wife and his child, thinks about returning, only to describe the thought of pushing his child around in a pram as 'so middle class'. Or the film could be making fun of society's attitudes to the mentally disabled. When a potential buyer for the house is told by Stoffer that a house for the mentally ill has opened next door, the woman is clearly uncomfortable at the idea of them encroaching on their ideal middle class existence. When the group surrounds her, she panics and flees, most likely never to return. It is not a film that lays out its purpose as clear as day. If there is a social message in the film at all is again unclear. What is clear is that The Idiots is a challenging, frustrating, funny, intelligent and extremely uncomfortable film. Von Trier's desire to be as controversial as possible has been evident in the majority of his films - the clitoris removal in Antichrist, the cold, brutal ending of Dancer In The Dark. I usually find annoying in a filmmaker (Gaspar Noe comes to mind, apart from his exceptional Irreversible), but Von Trier's ability to genuinely unsettle is the work of an extremely interesting and gifted filmmaker. Although it breaks many of the rules, The Idiots is the second film in the Dogme '95 manifesto, started by Thomas Vinterberg's Festen, using natural light, hand-held cameras, and avoiding anything implicating genre or superficial action. The film also depicts apparently un- simulated hardcore sex, in a highly controversial scene in which the group take place in a gang-bang while in their 'idiot' character-mode.A love-it-or-hate-it film, but I found it truly original and fascinating. www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

"The Idiots" was an instant classic that kept me guessing the entire time. The basis of the movie was that there is this group in Denmark who would go out into public and pretend to be mentally handicapped, "learning how to love their 'inner idiot.'" The movie examines the various conflicts that occur within the group shortly after the last member, Karen (as played by Bodil Jørgensen), joins. She was literally grabbed by the guy behind the idea of acting like "idiots," Stoffer (as played by Jens Albinus). She then became friends with the entire group, from the philandering Axel (as played by Knud Jørgensen), whose straying gets him into far more trouble than he'd bargained for, to the goofy Jeppe (as played by Nikolaj Kaas), who falls in love with another member of the group, Josephine (as played by Louise Mieritz), and of course the always-smiling Suzanne (as played by Anna Hassing), who is picked to be the "keeper of the retards" far more often than she'd like. One of the more interesting aspects of the film is the characters' motivations for acting the way they do. Some of them, like Ped (as played by Henrik Prip), view it as a social experiment, others, like Nana (as played by Trine Michelsen), as a kind of stress relief, and still others, like Stoffer, as a way of life, a path to a luxury most don't know they can afford. While it may appear to be a simple slapstick comedy to begin with, due to wildly amusing events like "spassing" at a pool and streaking, a variety of serious, controversial topics are covered in the movie, such as adultery, domestic abuse, orgies, and of course, impersonating the mentally handicapped.Overall, I enjoyed this film. It has a refreshing mix of comedy and tragedy that isn't encountered much in conventional films. The best part was that it was hard to discern the switch between the two gears; the transition was so smooth. The inter-character dynamics were both amusing and thought-provoking, and their less-than-conventional behavior entices you, leaving wanting more. It stirred me in a deeply emotional way, from making me laugh so hard at their wacky antics, like "spassing" while eating caviar, that I almost busted a gut, to making me almost want to cry at the end. This is definitely something I'd want to watch again, and share with my friends. I probably wouldn't share it with my family, though. "R" is not a high enough rating for a film like this, as the main shortcoming most would see in it is the extensive nudity shown throughout the film. Another possible downfall, which is also a strength to some, is that it is a Dogma 95 film, which means they traded off action and graphics for character development and a feasible plot. I didn't really have a problem with it, so I'd probably give this movie 8.5 out of 10, for having one of the most creative plots I've seen in my (quite extensive) movie watching career, as well as a cast of characters that were all easy for anyone to relate to.To recap, "The Idiots" was great film with a twist ending which I could never see coming. The art of "loving you inner idiot" turns out to be a great way to get laughs for anyone in on the joke. However, all good things must come to an end, and the group begins to tear itself apart shortly after Karen is dragged in. Watching the various actions and reactions in this movie would be a psychologist's playground. There are also morals to this story, and you learn that even close friends have secrets that remained buried just below the surface. The blending of genres, so often attributed to Dogma 95 films (which can't hold fast to any one genre), makes this a film filled to the brim with emotion, that you'll need to see at least one more time, if not more. The seamless fusion of the happy and sad elements made it hard to distinguish the two, and oftentimes I didn't know how to feel. The conflicts within the group were not only hilarious, but also inspiring, and I feel like a better person, just for having watched it. This film has a clearly established value as something that needs to be reexamined through re-watching. While some may be disturbed by the various scenes that are too "offensive" for American cinema, it will not deter me from watching this and encouraging my friends to drink from this particular fountain of wisdom.