The IMDB page
for “Welcome to Sweden” is filled with user praise, primarily from those who
are Swedish or have been exposed to the culture through relationships. If you
were to only judge this series based upon the realism of the humor about an
American attempting to bond with the family of his Swedish girlfriend along
with the fish-out-of-water narrative of adapting to a new culture, it certainly
is deserving of some praise. The rest of the show is a complete failure, only
possible because of the nepotistic connections of creator and star Greg
Poehler, who seems far too reliant on sister Amy Poehler to produce, guest
star, and provide a variety of famous cameos that would not have been obtained
on the show’s merits alone.
The story
involves New York accountant Bruce Evans (Greg Poehler), who suddenly quits his
job working for a number of difficult celebrities (Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza,
Will Ferrell, Malin Akerman; all of which play caricatures of their own
personas) and moves to Sweden to live with his girlfriend, Emma (Josephine
Bornebusch). This situation is complicated by Bruce’s ignorance about Swedish
culture, his inability to shake celebrity clients accustomed to getting what
they want, and difficulties relating to Emma’s family.
The head of
Emma’s family is matriarch Viveka (Lena Olin), whose job as a therapist bleeds
into her social encounters with Bruce. There are additional family members,
including a passive father (Claes Månsson), a brother in arrested development
and a Hollywood-obsessed uncle working at a video store, but awkward humor
pointing out cultural differences overrides any sense of sincere character
development. This makes for a show that will only be relatable to those who
have been in a similar situation or have some type of personal experience with
Swedish culture. This includes Greg, whose real-life marriage inspired the
narrative for this show his sister produced for him.
My biggest issue
with the show may seem to be the handout Greg was given due to his relation to
Amy, but it is the lack of development which makes me think this is the only
reason his show was created. Not only does the character of Emma feel sadly
underdeveloped, even the leading role of Bruce is often only used as a prop for
the show’s cultural division gags. His behavior is often crass and unlikable,
seeming to play off the stereotype of an entitled American persona to balance
the jabs that are taken at Swedish culture in the show. The only problem with
this is that it leaves the audience nobody to like and no reason to root for
the central relationship or care enough to continue watching. The second season
airs in July, though I imagine this has a better chance at success with Swedish
audiences.
The first season
includes 10 episodes, with formatting that even feels directed at Swedish
audiences rather than American. All of the promos I saw for the show in
American played up the brief appearance by Ferrell, as though he were the star.
I’m sure the same will happen with the second season, which boasts cameos from
Jack Black and others. It is just a shame that the shell of the show they offer
their talents to is so derivative and dreary.
Entertainment Value:
5.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
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