| The Potato Venture | |
|---|---|
 A film poster. | |
| Directed by | Joona Tena |
| Written by | Pekko Pesonen |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Konsta Sohlberg |
| Edited by | Jyrki Levä |
| Music by | Panu Aaltio |
| Production company | Yellow Film & TV |
| Distributed by | SF Studios |
| Release dates |
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| Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | Finland |
| Language | Finnish |
| Budget | €2,000,000 |
The Potato Venture (Finnish: Peruna, lit. 'Potato') is a 2021 Finnish comedy film directed by Joona Tena and written by Pekko Pesonen. The film follows Untamo (Joonas Nordman), a 17th-century startup entrepreneur attempting to introduce the potato to Finland, where the turnip is the reigning root vegetable.
Production
Potato was filmed in Lithuania in the autumn of 2019 with a budget of €2,000,000, €787,745 of which came from the Finnish Film Foundation.
Release
Potato was initially set to premiere on October 14, 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new release date was announced as December 25, 2020. It was shown in preview screenings in early 2021 and officially released on August 13, 2021. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD in November 2021.
Cast
- Joonas Nordman as Untamo
- Mikko Penttilä as Axel
- Alex Anton as Magnus
- Kari Hietalahti as Kalevi
- Linnea Leino as Killisilmä
- Lasse Karkjärvi as Untamo's father
- Petteri Pennilä as Lord of the Castle
- Mimosa Willamo as Twin
- Linda Manelius as Twin
- Kari Ketonen as Advisor
- Antti Tuomas Heikkinen as Wheelbarrow Brother
- Hannes Suominen as Bucket Brother
- Antti Luusuaniemi as Lars
- Mikko Kouki as Copper Tycoon
- Ville Myllyrinne as Bishop
- Helmi-Leena Nummela as Village Prostitute
- Eero Herranen as Birger the Great
- Marc Gassot as Jester
- Tommi Korpela as Archangel Michael
- Lauri Maijala as Liquor Emperor
- Ilmari Kujansuu as Young Untamo
Reception
The film received positive reviews.
References
- "Potato Film Coming to Theaters". K-Ruoka. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- Niko Ikonen (April 16, 2020). "Video: A Rare Cast in Finnish Films—Potato is an Odd Historical Comedy". Episodi. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- "Finland's Favorite Tubers Go to the Big Screen: How the Potato Beat the Turnip". Yle Areena. December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- Sanna Mansikkamäki (September 26, 2019). "Potato Movie: Finland's Favorite Tubers Get Their Own Film". Kotiliesi. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- "Peruna". Finna.
- Niko Jutila (September 25, 2020). "Potato's Premiere Postponed to Late 2020". Elokuvauutiset. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- "Potato". Finnkino. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
- "Potato". Filmtown. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
- Kaakko, Janne (13 August 2021). "Pitkään ensi-iltaansa odottanut Peruna saa kriitikolta komeat neljä tähteä – Keskiaikaan sijoittuvan kotimaisen komedian idea on nerokas, eikä se sorru helppoihin irtovitseihin". Aamulehti. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- Jutila, Niko (11 August 2021). "Blu-ray-arvostelu: Peruna (2020) ei maistu". Elokuvauutiset. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- Liekso, Hannu (11 August 2021). "Peruna – elokuvan arvostelu". Episodi. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Jaskari, Mimosa (13 August 2021). "Peruna: Keskiaikakomedian vitsi vanhenee nopeasti, mutta miljööseen on helppoa ihastua". Film-o-Holic. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Ahlroth, Jussi (13 August 2021). "Keskiaikainen satu startupeista". Helsingin Sanomat. pp. B1–2. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Uggeldahl, Krister (13 August 2021). "Fix idé slutar i potatismos". Hufvudstadsbladet. p. 27. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Ikonen, Heikki (12 August 2021). "Elokuva-arvio: Peruna-elokuva muistuttaa, että ihmiselämä on samaa kaikkina aikoina". Hämeen Sanomat. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Rissanen, Juho (13 August 2021). "IL-Arvio: Fantasiakomedia Peruna tarjoilee parasta kotimaista huumoria vuosikausiin". Iltalehti. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- Björkbacka, Hannu (1 January 2021). "Elokuva-arvostelu: Peruna ei elokuvana ole tajuntaa räjäyttävä sisällöltään tai muodoltaan kerrontaa uusintava – Filmiä voi hyvin kuvata ympäripyöreäksi eli kaikille sopivaksi". Keskipohjanmaa. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Virratvuori, Jussi (13 August 2021). "Elokuva-arvio: Peruna esittelee maapäärynän historiaa riemastuttavan modernissa paketissa". Savon Sanomat. Retrieved 13 August 2021.