Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Woodyanders A highly unlikely Russian rock group and their greedy jerk manager (ably played to the smarmy hilt by Matti Pellonpaa) travel to America seeking fame and fortune. While en route to a wedding gig in Mexico, they are pursued by village idiot Igor (a hysterical portrayal by Kari Vaahanen) who wishes to join the band. Writer/director Aki Kaurismaki relates the engaging story at a steady pace, adroitly crafts and maintains a deliciously dry'n'deadpan tone throughout, and shows a genuine disarming affection for both its colorful idiosyncratic characters and the more flaky'n'seedy aspects of American culture. With their pointy shoes, stoic demeanors, and ridiculously massive unicorn hairstyles, the titular rock'n'roll group make for a likeable and amusing bunch of oddballs. Moreover, the scenes with the Leningrad Cowboys performing live in various sordid venues are a hoot, with the sequence in which they win over a hostile crowd in a sleazy biker bar with a fiery rendition of "Born To Be Wild" rating as a definite gut-busting highlight. A quirky delight.

birchy Who knew the Finns could be this funny? Two parts Joe Dirt. One part Blues Brothers. One part Mel Brooks. Three parts Euro Indy.When you're ready for something "completely different", feast your CGI-dulled soul on this schlocky sight gag flick.The show explores the journey of exotic underdogs seeking their fortune in totally different cultures, a "fish out of water" story line, echoed visually in the huge fish carried by the shunned village idiot. I could tell you details but most of the laughs are sight/situational gags, so that would ruin what makes this movie so fun, and the plot is immaterial to it's entertainment value. Starting with the ridiculously-long quiff hairstyles and the Winklepicker shoes, the gags appropriately timed and keep one's interest.Watch it until they audition in New York and you'll know if it's worth Finnishing :)There's a lot of slow filler, so this makes a great film to watch when you're doing something else.

FilmCriticLalitRao The best thing about "Leningrad Cowboys Go America" is that it gave its creator Aki Kaurismaki a chance to take his cinematographic career to a higher level of elegance.This is one of the few films where Finnish cinema author has felt as if he has really been able to question some basic cultural differences of two entirely different civilizations. There are various kinds of sentiments attached to this film.Most viewers can experience comic,tragic as well as dramatic moments which have all been rolled into one in order to create a perfect symmetry of human emotions.As usual longtime Kaurismaki collaborator actor Matti Pellonpää is simply outstanding in his role as the leader/manager of a glamorous Finnish rock band.He is a key element if a viewer were to find out how some Finnish musicians look at American way of life ? Aki Kaurismaki does not appear in a mood to surprise us at all when he questions American way of life by asking a very straightforward politically correct question. What do non American musicians need in order to be accepted by American public especially in the field of Rock N Roll ? This is a great film which attempts to answers many such questions.

jokadmin at first i thought what is this? then you let the leningrad cowboys take you along and the movie just gets better. the music is an obvious highlight all through the movie but that is just one of many. it is the costumes and hairstyles that make this movie perfect. the lost cousin is a brilliant plot twist and picks the music up and the viewer as well. keep an eye on the bass player, that is all i will say about him. a genuinely funny movie that is so far left of centre it is unbelievable, but when you watch the movie, no, this is all very believable. watch it as many times as you can. i was the only person to rent it from the video shop so they sold it to me cheap. the best buy i ever made.