Matti: Hell Is for Heroes (2006)

Really Surprised!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I don't know if you need to be Finnish to understand this, but does the word 'myötähäpeä' translate to English? It is the feeling of being ashamed on someone else's behalf.I know enough people like this in Finland, who think all the booze that appears within reach MUST be drunk, and also people who can be lead by their nose by their friends like they had no brains (while they do have, even if it at times seems defective).It also has various scenes of drinking by fireside by a lake, hitchhiking, crummy local halls where bands perform, horrible clothes and suburbia that I (too) vividly remember from my own past... I feel like chewing my arm off but I cannot stop watching.Compelling stuff indeed.

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.** / *****

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...

"Matti" is released to public audience at 13th of January, but I had a chance to watch the movie today. Matti Nykänen, born in 1963, is one of the most famous Finnish persons alive and for sure a best nationally known sportsman of our time. He managed to get 4 Olympic gold medals and 1 silver medal during his active career. Some older Finns had their first impressions of Matti, when he won a World Championship title of big hill at 1982 in Oslo. It was all foggy and even the Finnish television presenters had weak chance to follow the competition. I guess quite many people remember, when Voitto Liukkonen screamed "tyyliä on, pituutta on ja maailmanmestaruus tulee Suomeen" and on TV screen there was only loads of fog and style points. However, Matti won and began his living in public.The problems started to develop at 1986-1987 WC season of ski jumping. At the 1986-87 Four hills tournament Matti jumped when he was drunk and also wanted some special treatment compared to other Finnish jumpers. Matti's coach, Matti Pulli and the leaders of the ski jump organization then decided to send Matti home. Finnish sport watchers were ****** ***. Matti Pulli was threatened. Time passed and it came a time to choose team for the World Championship held in Oberstdorf 1987. Matti wasn't on the first selection, but was selected afterwards because the pressure from the Finnish people were so high. Matti did his best in Oberstdorf and came second on the small hill competition, after Jiri Parma for Czechoslovakia. Finnish team also won the group competition.Matti's best season was 1987-1988. He won three gold medals in Calgary Olympic games at February 1988 and also the World Cup 1987-1988. Soon came lower back problems, divorce and again heavy drinking. Still he managed to survive from the World Championships held in Lahti 1989: he came third at the big hill competition and helped Finnish team to win the group competition. In 1990 Matti came second on fly hill competition in Vikersund. That was his last great international effort: Matti's career ended next year (1991) in Val Di Fiemme World Championships, where he reached his all time low - he came 50th on the big hill competition.There was some information about the sports career of Matti Nykänen. I decided to concentrate on that, because nowadays most of the Finns can recognize Matti from other "achievements". After his sports career Matti has done 2 solo albums, been a strip tease actor, posed naked in certain pictures, became religious etc. etc. He has been married for four times: his fourth marriage with Mervi Tapola is already a legend. Matti was also sent in prison at 2004, when he was found guilty stabbing his wife's relative on a cottage in Tottijärvi on summer 2004. I was quite pleased about the Matti-movie. Anyway, there is still some problems on production. At the movie Matti is sent away from the Four hills tournament on season 1987-1988. His career ends to small hill competition in Lahti 1989. That's not really true, because Matti still jumped in one competition on 1993, when he participated in plastic ski hill national competition and finished 17th. His final international competition was World Championships in Val Di Fiemme 1991. To my opinion, there wouldn't have been any kind of lack of drama, if the manuscript be "realistic" on Matti's golden years as a ski jumper. In movie there is also some characters that has nothing do in real Matti's life, for example Hammer (Kari Hietalahti) who is helping Matti to begin a career as a singer. Actually there was no such character in Matti's life; the man behind the singing career is singer-songwriter Jussi Niemi from Matti's home town Jyväskylä, who also has his own character in a movie (Nipa, played by Jani Volanen). To people who already know Matti's history, these things may be little bit disturbing.But there is still more good things than bad. Matti is acted by Jasper Pääkkönen, who is doing a good job. Peter Franzèn is also doing his best as Nick Nevada - even though Nick Nevada is purely fictional character and has only little in common with Maick Sierra, who was a former manager of Matti Nykänen back in the 1980's. But best works are definitely Elina Knihtilä as Mirva (Matti's wife, Mervi, did not want her name to a movie), who is doing this character just as good as it's seen in Finnish publicity. Also Jope Ruonansuu as a leader of a Järvenpään Casino is doing a funny role and really showing the best of him.Well, what a heck. Matti is so big legend in Finland that it's really a surprise, if this movie fails to get the audience of 150 000 - 200 000 Finnish spectators. And the movie is not bad, but personally I was left with thought that there really should be more realism in a movie. On the other hand, movie really shows the dark side of Matti just in a way as we all can imagine. Interesting movie, go and see it when it's coming to a movie theatre near you!