"Með allt á hreinu" is one of Iceland's cult films, following two bands in 1982, Stuðmenn and Gærurnar (in actuality Grýlurnar). The story begins as the lead singer of Stuðmenn, Kristinn "Stinni" Styrkársson Proppé (Egill Ólafsson), falls out with his girlfriend and co-singer, Harpa Sjöfn Hermundardóttir(Ragnhildur Gísladóttir), just as the two are about to go on a tour around Iceland with the band. While "Stinni" proceeds with Stuðmenn, Harpa and the backing group Gærurnar become a proper band, aptly aided by charismatic manager Hekla (Anna Björnsdóttir). And so a fierce battle for the loyalty of Icelandic concert-goers ensues, in which neither party manages to get the upper hand, climaxing at Þjóðhátíð in the Westman Islands.
This movie is full of songs, incorporated into it in a very nice way. Sadly, not all the music from the film found its way onto the accompanying soundtrack, music by both Stuðmenn and Grýlurnar. The story is sometimes happy, sometimes a bit sad, but always entertaining and involving. All members of the cast do their roles well, from Egill and Ragnhildur to Eggert Þórleifsson as the hapless roadie Dúddi, who often finds himself with the worst jobs you could have on a tour, such as recruiting people for a beauty and/or talent show that nobody wants to enter. What's interesting is that the movie does not have a happy ending at all, though it ends as though it should be one.
"Með allt á hreinu" holds up remarkably well, 27 years after its release, and somehow is still as fresh (and this coming from not exactly the biggest Stuðmenn-fan on the planet). For a slice of much-loved Icelandic music-and-film history, this is a must.
