AllMovie

Pal Sletaune's film is certainly an enjoyable, affable work. Jan -- nicely played by Robert Skjaerstad -- is the sort of underdog loser that you can't help but root for. Conversely, Jan's father and particularly Ivar Mo are deliciously awful people. Thus when Jan finds himself the kidnapper and Ivar Mo the victim, the comic potential of the situation is terrific. In fact, another movie -- an American comic gem from the 1980s, Ruthless People -- used almost exactly the same premise. Yet where Ruthless was gleefully nasty, You Really Got Me seems oddly reserved and polite. At the same time, while the torment of the protagonists in Ruthless is only hinted at, the pain and humiliation of both Jan and Bent is jarringly vivid. In the end, You Really Got Me is a sweet, if largely forgettable, work that is nonetheless a pleasant way to kill the time.