The director's work, the scenes and all of the technical stuff was just fine in my opinion; the movie has all the usual ups and downs, we get our catharsis at the right spot, and I think in a certain level the plot is expectable. Yet it caused one of the best movie experience for me so far in it's genre. And why? Through the movie I didn't get any side-thoughts but after the cast I replayed the plot in my mind and I had to see that it raises really deep questions and problems: family values, ethics in science, exclusion, discrimination.Later I also figured out that all of the brothers have the same personalities as the animals whom DNA inside theirs. Of course it's really easy to find it out afterwards, but still funny to rethink the whole movie in the sense of this fact!

Frequent beatings with cast iron skillets and hard stuffed animals, eugenics experiments gone tragically awry, and five brothers with a propensity for extremely odd and deviant behavior, all combine in a twisted Danish comedy blockbuster. Receiving news of their father's death, brothers Gabriel and Elias reunite after a long period of not contacting each other. They set out to collect the body from a remote and sparsely populated island and dilapidated mansion with free- roaming chickens, goats, sheep and three brothers they never knew they had. None of the siblings is playing with a full deck, yet the one language they have in common is violence. Their attempts to reconcile are hilarious and result in childish fights over insane rules, cheese, who gets a plate with their favorite animal on it, beatings with rolling pins as well as a stuffed beaver, and memorable trips to town to find women. Every subject is fair game for humor including kids, science, hygiene, families, politics, the sick and dead, elders, animals, the handicapped, gender, sex and more.This really warped and genuinely funny film is truly an original. It is an antidote to the same old gruel from the traditional studios. The soundtrack, including music from vibrating saws, is a perfect accompaniment to the bizarre behavior of this non-traditional and wacky family. The acting is well done. Yes, that is Mads Mikkelsen! The only drawback is the difficulty in translation and a wish that the film was longer. Real life inspiration for the film included the director's four kids, who fought over animal plates as the brothers do on screen. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.

As good a film as I've seen in years; I can't wait to start dragging friends over to watch it with strong cheese and beer.I do have a serious question about the title, though. Translated into English, the Danish title would be "Men and Hens", which is ambiguous and quite amusing. Instead, someone at the distribution end renamed it "Men and Chicken", which at first glance just looks like bad English (shouldn't there be an "s" at the end?), and at second glance hints at pedophilia. Is that really the best way to sell a clever and serious film with very dark philosophical overtones?Regardless, anyone who likes thoughtful and utterly unexpected twists in their stories should see "Men and Hens". You'll love it.

OK. Admittedly, I'm biased. I'm an enormous fan of Anders Thomas Jensen's movies and pretty much adore everything he's ever made or been even tangentially involved in, but up until now I was very firmly of the belief that 'Blinkende Lygter' was and would always remain my favourite of ATJ's movies. That was until I saw 'Mænd & Høns' and fell completely and traitorously in love.A perfect balance of black (oh god so so black) humour and pathos, this movie is a testament to ATJ's wonderfully deft touch with both. The characters, surreal and ridiculous as they are, are played with such humanity and conviction, that one cannot help but love them all, every last weird, disgusting one of them. As dual-lead, David Dencik is both loathsome and pathetically lovable as Gabriel. Nicolas Bro is a delight as always as the loquacious over-sharing Joseph, as is an almost unrecognisable Søren Malling as Franz. However, whereas it's normally Nicolaj Lie Haas that takes the comedic football and runs uncontested for the touchline, 'Mænd & Høns' is (definitely) Mads Mikkelsen's movie. As the compulsively masturbating, bombastic Elias, Mikkelsen reaps the lion's share of the comedic lines, delivering them with such incredible timing and bravado you can't help but think he missed his vocation when he opted for a career as leading-man heart-throb over bumbling idiotic funnyman.I can't say enough good about this film. Watch it as soon as a UK release is available. Talk about it until there is. Petition your local cinemas. Buy 'Mænd & høns' t-shirts and bore your friends. I know I will.