King Curling
King Curling is a 2011 Norwegian sports comedy film directed by Ole Endresen. Atle Antonsen stars as skip Truls Paulsen, a former curling champion now medicated for his dangerously obsessive behavior, who has to reunite his team 10 years after they disbanded in order to help his mentor Gordon get lifesaving medical treatment.
The name Truls Paulsen is a pun on Pål Trulsen, Olympic champion in curling. The curling scenes were shot in Håkons Hall, Lillehammer.
Cast
;Paulsen's team- Atle Antonsen – Truls Paulsen
- Jon Øigarden – Marcus
- – Espen
- Steinar Sagen – Flemming
- Kåre Conradi – Stefan Ravndal
- Linn Skåber – Sigrid Paulsen
- Ane Dahl Torp – Trine Kristine
- Trond Fausa Aurvåg – Ornithologist
- Ingar Helge Gimle
- Bård Tufte Johansen – Knut
- Harald Eia – Arne
- Anne Marit Jacobsen – Jill
- Else Kåss Furuseth – Toril
- Egil Hegerberg
- Ulf Brunnberg
- Hans Morten Hansen
- Magnus Devold – Delivery man
Reception
Critic Brent McKnight compared the film to The Big Lebowski and "Wes Anderson's aesthetic," saying King Curling "has a lot of fun twisting and tinkering with every sports cliché in the book." British critic Mike McCahill also compared the film's sensibilities to Wes Anderson, as well as to the American offbeat sports comedy Dodgeball, citing "the bouffanted rival, the flowery commentary team and a mildly smirky attitude to its chosen minority pursuit: the film's best joke involves a curling administrator who refuses to answer any question from reporters that includes the diminutive term 'niche'."
It won the audience award for best feature film at the 2012 Cinequest Film Festival in the USA.