After Life star's new comedy Swede Caroline debuts with 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating

jo hartley, swede caroline trailer
After Life star's comedy debuts to 100% RT ratingBelstone Pictures

After Life star Jo Hartley's new comedy movie Swede Caroline has debuted with a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The new mockumentary from directors Finn Bruce and Brook Driver sees Hartley play Caroline, a woman hoping to win a vegetable competition before her marrow is stolen.

After hiring two private investigators to look at the theft, they themselves are kidnapped, which Caroline thinks could be related to the disappearance of her vegetable.

swede caroline trailer
Belstone Pictures

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The movie has received largely positive reviews, with particular praise going towards Hartley's performance – though some critics suggested the script could be a little tighter.

Here's what reviewers have been saying:

The Upcoming

"Sitting somewhere between Hot Fuzz and Sightseers in terms of its tone, Swede Caroline is a ridiculously fun romp from the outset. Complete with a highly stylised and dramatic opening title sequence, which parodies those of Netflix true crime documentaries, the filmmakers nail the balance between mundanity and absurdity. This makes for many genuinely funny moments throughout the film."

Film Threat

"Driver's script for Swede Caroline has a lot of droll in its roll, keeping a simmering giggle going instead of boiling over with obvious guffaws. I did laugh my guts out during the open credit sequence fashioned after a Netflix reality crime show."

jo hartley, swede caroline trailer
Belstone Pictures

The Sun

"A script this bonkers could easily descend into nonsense, but restraint from the cast – also including Fay Ripley and Aisling Bea – plus careful judgment from directors Brook Driver and Finn Bruce, ensure it is funny, not over fertilised."

Film Hounds

"Swede Caroline may not be everyone's somewhat overly ambitious cup of tea, but it will make you laugh and maybe just maybe inspire you to grow your own vegetables. And for those who already do, make sure there's double the security on your greenhouse."

The Guardian

"Maybe the script could have gone through another couple of drafts, but that might have removed some of the flavour. As it is, it feels like Thomas Pynchon had emailed Ricky Gervais an idea he'd had for a British comedy, and the result certainly has some laughs."

Swede Caroline is out now in cinemas.


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