Terribly Happy

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Terribly Happy

2010

1h 40m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Crime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Robert (Jakob Cedergren) -- a timid Copenhagen city policeman -- is reassigned to protect and serve in a sleepy town in rural Denmark. But Robert struggles to maintain order in his new jurisdiction, a lawless place where the only rules are those dictated -- and enforced -- by local thug and serial wife-beater Jorgen (Kim Bodnia). As the indifferent townspeople dismiss Robert's laughable attempts at police work, he nurses a fixation with Jorgen's sexpot spouse, Ingerlise (Lene Maria Christensen).

Critics Consensus

Led by Henrik Ruben Ganz's assured direction, this knotty Danish noir thriller steers audiences into some nicely unexpected territory.

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Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

Jan 5, 2011

Lurid and stylish, this 2008 Danish feature plays like a cross between The Postman Always Rings Twice and High Noon, with a dash of Gothic thriller.

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Alissa Simon

Variety

Jul 6, 2010

Entertaining and full of surprising twists, this highly cinematic tale of a Copenhagen policeman working punishment duty in the provinces plays with genre in a manner that can be compared with the Coen brothers or David Lynch.

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Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Apr 15, 2010

3/4

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

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David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Oct 16, 2019

1.5/5

Unfortunately it's all so terribly boring and predictable.

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Ellie Lucas

From the Front Row

Aug 5, 2019

3.5/4

A film of delicious moral ambiguity and complexity that lures the audience in with its strange and terrible beauty.

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Rob Thomas

Wisconsin State Journal

Aug 26, 2010

2.5/4

"Terribly Happy" is a little light on the plotting, going on narrative autopilot for the last third of the film instead of giving us a few extra turns of the screw for good measure.

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Peter F

@RT28007450 Oct 17, 2026

Not unwatchably bad - but bad enough for me to lose interest and stop watching after 35 minutes. A tonal mess, the whole thing feels artificial and fake all the way. Typical case of a director who thinks he's good enough to do art movies that work also as entertainment - then turn out to be failing at relatively basic stuff even (such as creating a creepy atmosphere); this one is even haplessly recycling cliche shots you'd think even a cheap flick can't do unironically anymore today. Shocked by the high ratings to this.

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Dennui S

@dennui Oct 27, 2025

Good Danish Film Noir about a cop sent to a backwater town with dark secrets.

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Tom M

@RT77934561 Aug 27, 2024

Has a small town western feel at times...also plays out like a Danish version of a Coen bros. noir...although perhaps that's going too far. It's OK, the plot twists are unexpected and the ending ties it all up nicely with its sinister undertone...you can't get away with everything...

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Ian W

@RT67985106 Jan 15, 2024

This film is very,very dark. Entertaining though, with a nice twist at the end. I don't think the Skarrild tourist industry will ever recover.

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Jun 11, 2021

Worse movie I've seen in a while. Boring and ridiculous story, I'm evaluating it so other people don't make the same mistake

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Jørn H

@RT14216062 Sep 5, 2019

Very good performance.

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Henrik Ruben Genz

Director

Jakob Cedergren

Robert

Kim Bodnia

Jørgen

Lene Maria Christensen

Ingerlise

Lars Brygmann

Dr. Zerleng

Anders Hove

Købmand Moos

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Synopsis

Robert (Jakob Cedergren) -- a timid Copenhagen city policeman -- is reassigned to protect and serve in a sleepy town in rural Denmark. But Robert struggles to maintain order in his new jurisdiction, a lawless place where the only rules are those dictated -- and enforced -- by local thug and serial wife-beater Jorgen (Kim Bodnia). As the indifferent townspeople dismiss Robert's laughable attempts at police work, he nurses a fixation with Jorgen's sexpot spouse, Ingerlise (Lene Maria Christensen).

Director: Henrik Ruben Genz
Producer: Thomas Gammeltoft, Tina Dalhoff
Screenwriter: Henrik Ruben Genz, Dunja Gry Jensen
Distributor: Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Co: Fine & Mellow
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Crime
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 5, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 8, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $120.9K
Runtime: 1h 40m

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