holsu 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...

Janne Kainulainen (ichabod81) For those of you who are not familiar with the titular "hero", Matti Nykänen, he is this Finnish Olympic gold-medalist, who was a folk hero back in the 80's, 'cause he brought ski-jumping medals by the boat loads. Here's where it gets tricky. Today he's nothing. He's a bottom feeder, who does anything to stay in the headlines. And even that seems like an understatement. How's that, one might ask. Well, since his professional career ended, he has started a ridiculous singing career (he can sell a few albums, but people buy them and show up to his gigs purely out of humor), he's been a stripper (!), he's been to prison, he has found God and he has married a woman he beats up every once in a while. What's not to like? Plus, he's clearly a retard.Matti, the movie about him, tries to sell his story to the viewer as he would be the victim in all of this. Which is of course total BS. A lot of the stupid things he's done and God forbid *is still doing*, have come from people daring him. For heaven's sake, HOW HARD IS IT TO JUST SAY "NO"?! And stupid things like jumping off a bridge, or something. Plus when you rarely see him doing an interview his eyes are wondering everywhere and he makes statements like you wouldn't believe.. he's like The Waterboy, but with half the IQ.This is a naive film with some good performances, but even those can't hide the fact that this film's been made with the intention of ripping the ticket fare from the Finnish audience, who are there just to see the joke that this man is. Not the sensitive side, because with he's real actions this far gone, no-one's buying that he even has one.** / *****

jpkwolf 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.

peeter-7 I paid to see a finnish movie. Something I'd never thought I'd do. I went to have an extreme experience. I never did. Instead of that I got drama, that really does stand up to better standards, comedy to which a fenno-ugrian guy like me can really relate to and horror of realization how someone can go from being the king of the hill to a public joke... The day before I had seen Munich - though rather good it's sterile compared to Matti. Maybe just because it replaces emotions with idealism. I'd recommend it to anyone who even a bit understands the finns... The last time I talked so much about a movie with mu buddies was when I first saw Raiders of the Lost Ark at the age of twelwe...