''Ponterosa'' is a 2001 Finnish comedy film directed by brothers Mika and Pasi Kemmo. The film takes place in a

campsite Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

, where a group of very different people get to know each other.

Cast

Tony Halme Tony Christian Halme (January 6, 1963 – January 8, 2010) was a Finnish politician, athlete, author, actor, and singer. He was a member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2007 as an independent elected on the True Finns party list. Halme was ...

as Mauri, "Maukka" * Heikki Paavilainen as Jussi *

Timo Julkunen Timo is a masculine given name. It is primarily used in Finnish, Estonian, Dutch and German societies. It may be used as an abbreviation of Timothy. Arts and entertainment * Timo Alakotila (born 1959), Finnish musician *Timo Andres (born 1985), ...

as Oskari Mäkelä * Paula Siimes as Stella, Mauri's sister * Karita Tuomola as Monica * Jenni Ahola as Nelli * Laura West as Maria * Matti Tuominen as Lauri, "Late", Mauri's and Stella's father *

Vesa Vierikko Vesa Tapio Vierikko (born 24 May 1956 in Lappeenranta, Finland) is a Finnish actor. Vierikko began acting in 1978 on television working consistently throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He starred in the 2003 film ''Sibelius'' working with Finnish d ...

as a urologist *

Jarmo Mäkinen Jarmo Mäkinen (born 29 May 1958 in Karstula, Finland) is a Finland, Finnish actor. Mäkinen began acting in 1989 on television working consistently throughout the 1990s appearing in several films and TV series mostly notably in ''Vita lögner'' ...

as a Coastal Swede * Tuija Ernamo as Saara, Oskari's wife *

Santeri Kinnunen Santeri Karl-Henrik Kinnunen (born 20 August 1969) is a Finnish actor. Kinnunen, who spent most of his career at the Helsinki City Theatre, has acted in numerous film and television productions and worked as a voice actor. Kinnunen started the ...

as a family man at the campsite *

Esko Nikkari Esko Nikkari (23 November 1938 – 17 December 2006) was a prolific Finnish actor who made more than 70 appearances on film and television. He was born in Lapua, and made his screen debut in 1974 in the movie ''Karvat''. Nikkari was a workhorse ...

as a rural householder on the ship * Lasse Karkjärvi as a travel agency clerk * Mattiesko Hytönen as a real man, Saara's lover * Olli Haaslahti as a young Mauri * Tom Lindfors as a lawyer * Ante Kangas as Rolf * Tuija Timberbacka as a religious person * Janne Itämies Source:

Production

As ''Ponterosa'' was one of the few major Finnish films in 2001 that did not receive any financial support from the

Finnish Film Foundation The Finnish Film Foundation (, ) is an independent Foundation (charity), foundation with the task of supporting and developing Finland, Finnish film production, distribution and exhibition. It is supervised by the Department for Cultural Policy i ...

, the production was mainly privately funded by a number of companies. Due to this sponsorship, the film contains

product placement Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of t ...

. Parts of ''Ponterosa'' were shot in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

Kirkkonummi Kirkkonummi (; , , Sweden ) is a municipality in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Kirkkonummi is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Kirkkonummi is approximately . It is the most populous Mu ...

Vantaa Vantaa (; , ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the north of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population of Vantaa is approximately . It is the most populous municipality in Finland. Vantaa is part of the Helsinki Metropoli ...

, and

Music

# "Zulu Stomp" (Big Bertha and The Bulldozers) # " Wild Thing" (

The Troggs The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English beat music band formed in Andover, Hampshire, in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper " Wild Thing", " With a Girl Like You" and " Love Is All Around", al ...

) # "

Hurt Hurt may refer to: * Suffering * Pain * Injury Film and television * ''Hurt'' (2003 film), a Canadian drama film * ''Hurt'' (2009 film), an American horror film * ''Hurt'' (2015 film), a Canadian documentary film * ''Hurt'' (2018 film), an ...

" (

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

) # "Huilu portailla" (Aku Lundström) # " Volare" (

Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell (), was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s, he was considered a teen idol. ...

) # "

Batman Theme "Batman Theme", the title song of the 1966 ''Batman'' TV series, was composed by Neal Hefti. This song is built around a guitar hook reminiscent of spy film scores and surf music. It has a twelve bar blues progression, using only three chords u ...

" (composed by

Neal Hefti Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for '' The Odd Couple'' movie and TV series and for the ''Batman'' TV series. He began arranging professionally in hi ...

) # "

Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''. The uplifting lyrics describe somebody who overcomes his troubles and worries by realizing that "it w ...

" (

B. J. Thomas Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his country, contemporary Christian, and pop hits of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Popular songs by Thomas include " Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), " Rain ...

) # " Set U Free" ( K-System) # " Only You" (

The Platters The Platters are an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The act ...

) #

"Cuy Cuy" (Zapata) # "Lopputekstit teema" (Aku Lundström) # "Reveille Rock" ( Johnny & The Hurricanes) # "

Lollipop A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker and sticky-pop. Lollipops are avail ...

" ( Ronald and Ruby) # "Jos jotain yrittää / Harva meistä on rautaa" (

) # "

I Love How You Love Me "I Love How You Love Me" is a song written by Barry Mann and Larry Kolber. It was a 1961 Top Five hit for the pop girl group The Paris Sisters, which inaugurated a string of elaborately produced classic hits by Phil Spector. Bobby Vinton had ...

" (

The Paris Sisters The Paris Sisters were a 1960s American girl group from San Francisco, best known for their work with record producer Phil Spector. Career The group consisted of lead singer Priscilla Paris (January 4, 1945 – March 5, 2004), her older sister ...

) # "

Will You Love Me Tomorrow "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles for their album '' Tonight's the Night''; released as a singl ...

" (

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McF ...

) # " Let It Be Me" (Teukka & Tanja) # "Social Outcast" (Big Bertha and The Bulldozers) Source:

Soundtrack album

The soundtrack album for the film, ''Soundtrack elokuvasta Ponterosa'', was released by

Edel Records Edel SE & Co. KGaA is a German independent media company based in Hamburg. As a label and publishing group, it also operates marketing and sales for artists and smaller music labels. The repertoire of the Edel labels includes dance, rock and po ...

. The album contains 15 tracks. Subsequently, a music video for the album's bonus track "Leikiten" was also released.

Marketing

''Ponterosa'' was promoted by the film roles of then well-known celebrities. The presence of Karita Tuomola, a television host and the 1997

Miss Finland Miss Suomi (Finnish language, Finnish for ''Miss Finland'') is a national beauty pageant in Finland. The pageant was founded in 1931, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. History The Miss Suomi was held for the first time in 1931. B ...

, and

, a professional boxer and wrestler, were used to gain media attention for the film. The celebrity cast also included Jenni Ahola, who was known as the 1997

Miss Hawaiian Tropic Hawaiian Tropic is an American brand of suntan lotion that was founded by Ron Rice in 1969. Hawaiian Tropic became the largest private manufacturer of sun care products in the United States. The company was acquired by Playtex Products, Inc. in ...

of Finland, the 1997 Miss Internet, an

Olvi Olvi plc (, ) is a Finland, Finnish brewery and soft drinks company founded in 1878 by the brewer Williams Gideon Åberg and his wife Onni. It currently holds 18.7% of Finland's market share in beverages, making it the third-largest producer of b ...

ad girl and as the CEO of the modeling agency Promodel. The DVD version of ''Ponterosa'' was released on 14 July 2006.

Reception

Receiving only 2,552 admissions, ''Ponterosa'' was also poorly received by the critics. The film was criticized for its poor script and dialogue. The technical implementation, especially cinematography, was described as amateurish. Despite the heavy criticism, ''Ponterosa'' has subsequently gained significant camp value, and it has been referred to as "the camp classic of Finnish cinema".

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0281078 2001 comedy films 2001 films Campsites Films set in Finland Films set in Helsinki Films shot in Finland Finnish comedy films 2000s Finnish-language films 2000s Finnish films