If you only know Mads Mikkelsen as the sophisticated cannibal in Hannibal or the weeping, blood-soaked villain in Casino Royale, you are totally unprepared for the Men and Chicken movie. This isn't just a film; it’s a bizarre, slapstick, and deeply uncomfortable social experiment wrapped in a dark Danish comedy. Honestly, calling it a "comedy" feels like a bit of an understatement. It's more like a fever dream where everyone has a harelip and a penchant for hitting each other with taxidermy.
The 2015 film (originally titled Mænd & Høns) was written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen. If you’ve seen his other work like Adam’s Apples or The Green Butchers, you know he doesn’t do "normal." But even by his standards, this one is out there.
The Premise is Weird, but the Reality is Weirder
Basically, we start with two brothers: Gabriel (David Dencik) and Elias (Mikkelsen). They’re a mess. Gabriel is a philosophy professor who can’t stop dry-retching whenever he’s stressed. Elias is… well, Elias is a compulsive masturbator who carries a roll of toilet paper everywhere. He’s aggressive, socially inept, and remarkably confident for a man who looks like he cut his own hair with a weed whacker.
When their father dies, he leaves behind a VHS tape.
Surprise: they’re adopted.
This news sends them on a road trip to the remote island of Ork to find their biological father, a geneticist named Evelio Thanatos. "Thanatos" literally means "Death," so you already know this isn't going to be a happy family reunion at a beach house.
That Unrecognizable Mads Mikkelsen Performance
Let's talk about Elias. It’s easily one of the most transformative roles in modern cinema. Mikkelsen ditched his leading-man looks for a prosthetic harelip, a terrible mustache, and a frizzled mop of hair. He looks like a sleazy 1970s character actor.
📖 Related: Why Grand Funk’s Bad Time is Secretly the Best Pop Song of the 1970s
But it’s the way he moves that makes it work. He has this gangly, twitchy energy. You’ve never seen a man run behind a tree for "relief" with such commitment.
Most people get this wrong: they think Elias is just the comic relief. In reality, Mikkelsen plays him with this weirdly touching desperation. He just wants to belong. He’s a guy who thinks he’s an intellectual because he knows a few facts about Darwin, but he’s essentially operating on pure instinct.
Meeting the Rest of the "Brothers"
When the duo arrives on Ork, they find a dilapidated sanitarium overrun by animals. And then they meet their other three half-brothers: Franz, Josef, and Gregor.
- Franz (Søren Malling): The "leader" who enforces a bizarre set of rules.
- Josef (Nicolas Bro): A glutton who likes to nibble on cheese.
- Gregor (Nikolaj Lie Kaas): A simple soul who develops a "special" relationship with the local poultry.
Their first meeting involves the newcomers getting beaten over the head with stuffed animals and wooden planks. It's violent, but in a cartoonish, Three Stooges kind of way. The house they live in is a character of its own. It’s filthy, filled with chickens, goats, and a prize-winning bull named Isak living in the basement.
The brothers spend their nights having "story hour," where they read non-fiction books because they don't understand the concept of a metaphor. If you interrupt, you get "the cage." It sounds like a horror movie setup, yet somehow, Jensen makes you laugh at the sheer absurdity of five grown men in tennis whites playing badminton in a room full of bird droppings.
The Twist Nobody Saw Coming (Spoilers Ahead)
If you haven't seen the movie yet, maybe skip this part. But if you have, you know that the "mystery" in the basement is where the movie shifts from a dark comedy to something bordering on sci-fi horror.
👉 See also: Why La Mera Mera Radio is Actually Dominating Local Airwaves Right Now
Gabriel eventually discovers that their father wasn't just a scientist; he was obsessed with interspecies breeding. Specifically, he was trying to solve his own infertility.
Each of the brothers is a hybrid.
- Elias has bull DNA (hence the temper and the sex drive).
- Gabriel has owl DNA (explaining his insomnia and the gagging).
- Gregor is part dog.
The revelation is grotesque. They find their "mothers"—the biological sources—floating in tanks in the basement. It’s a moment that should be soul-crushing, and for Gabriel, it is. But for the others? They just sort of shrug and move on.
Why Does This Movie Actually Matter?
It would be easy to dismiss the Men and Chicken movie as a series of gross-out gags. But beneath the surface, it’s a deeply empathetic look at what it means to be family.
The film tackles "nature vs. nurture" with a sledgehammer. These men are biological disasters, yet they find a way to create a functioning (if insane) society. They accept each other's "conditions" without question. When Elias needs to masturbate, Gabriel just pulls the car over. It’s a level of unconditional acceptance that most "normal" families never actually achieve.
Critics often compare it to The Island of Dr. Moreau, but it feels more like a twisted fairy tale. It asks: does it matter where you came from if you find a place where you fit in?
✨ Don't miss: Why Love Island Season 7 Episode 23 Still Feels Like a Fever Dream
Practical Takeaways for Your Watch Party
If you’re planning to watch this, keep a few things in mind. First, don't watch it while eating. The gagging and the general filth of the island are… a lot.
Second, pay attention to the production design. The film was shot in an abandoned location outside of Berlin, and it looks incredibly real. The grime isn't just a prop; it feels lived-in.
Lastly, look for the cameos. Almost the entire cast consists of the "A-list" of Danish cinema. Seeing these world-class actors commit so fully to being "ugly" and "stupid" is a masterclass in ego-free performing.
To truly appreciate the Men and Chicken movie, you have to lean into the discomfort. It’s a film that demands you look at the "monsters" and see the humans—or at least the hybrids—underneath. It's rare to find a movie that makes you laugh and dry-retch in the same five-minute span.
If you’ve only seen the trailer, you’ve only seen the slapstick. To get the full experience, you need to see the ending. It’s oddly sweet, in a "we're all freaks here" kind of way.
Next Steps for the Curious Viewer:
- Check out Anders Thomas Jensen's other collaborations with Mads Mikkelsen, specifically Riders of Justice (2020) and Adam's Apples (2005), to see how this director-actor duo evolved their "weird" aesthetic.
- Look for the 10th Anniversary screenings or digital restorations, as the cinematography by Sebastian Blenkov is surprisingly beautiful despite the grimy subject matter.
- Read up on Danish "Black Wave" cinema if you find yourself wanting more of this specific brand of nihilistic yet heartwarming humor.