Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 1150
RT slug: heavy_trip
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/heavy_trip
Release year: 2018
Runtime: 91 mins
Wide release date: —
Limited release date: 2018-10-05
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: 2018-10-12
Tomatometer final: 94%
Audience score final: 86%
Genres: Comedy, Music
Directors: Jukka Vidgren, Juuso Laatio
Writers: Aleksi Puranen, Jari Olavi Rantala, Jukka Vidgren, Juuso Laatio
Producers: Kaarle Aho, Kai Nordberg
MPAA rating: —
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-08-12 10:44:52
Updated: 2026-08-12 10:44:52
In this offbeat comedy from Finland, Turo is stuck in a small village where the best thing in his life is being the lead vocalist for the amateur metal band Impaled Rektum. The only problem? He and his bandmates have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig. The guys get a surprise visitor from Norway--the promoter for a huge heavy metal music festival--and decide it's now or never. They steal a van, a corpse, and even a new drummer in order to make their dreams a reality.
Heavy Trip's heartfelt humor and fully realized characters make this a journey well worth taking - and one of the best rock comedies in recent memory.
Canonical reviews: 32
Canonical fresh: 30
Canonical rotten: 2
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 94%
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-08-12 10:39:26
Snapshot Tomatometer: 94%
Snapshot review count: 32
Snapshot fresh count: 30
Snapshot rotten count: 2
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #2720 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Doppelgänger Releasing / Music Box Films | distributor |
| Making Movies Oy | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannes Holopainen | Turo Moilanen |
| 2 | Max Ovaska | Pasi |
| 3 | Minka Kuustonen | Miia |
| 4 | Ville Tiihonen | Jouni Tulkku |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1166 | processed | — | 2026-08-12 10:44:52 | Processed successfully into movie_id=1150 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2720 | 2026-08-12 05:39:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-12 10:39:26 | 94% | 32 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 32 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=32, fresh=30, rotten=2, tomatometer=94%. Net new reviews added=32, fresh=30, rotten=2. Current canonical totals=32 reviews, 30 fresh, 2 rotten, tomatometer=94% (93.750%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (32). Entered tomatometer matched parsed batch value (94%). |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 241294 | Marc Burrows | HeyUGuys | Fresh | 4/5 | 2021-07-27T10:30:06.000Z | 2021-07-27 10:30:06 | A likeable and loud outsider comedy that has metal in its heart and its heart on its sleeve. Turn it up to 11. |
| 241295 | Brent McKnight | The Last Thing I See | Fresh | B | 2020-06-30T17:32:02.000Z | 2020-06-30 17:32:02 | Jagged, scattered, unevenly paced and constructed, and occasionally uncertain in overall direction, "Heavy Trip" still delivers a damn fine time, peaking with moments of absurd metal glory, both for those who head bang and those who don't. |
| 241296 | Emilie Black | Cinema Crazed | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-04-12T00:00:23.000Z | 2020-04-12 00:00:23 | The film is fun the watch, the music heavy as it should be, and the whole thing is a riotous fun package perfect for a Saturday night out. |
| 241297 | Jamie Ludwig | Chicago Reader | Fresh | — | 2020-03-12T17:00:40.000Z | 2020-03-12 17:00:40 | One of the funniest buddy films of the year. |
| 241298 | Karl Delossantos | Smash Cut Reviews | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-08-02T23:26:34.000Z | 2019-08-02 23:26:34 | Not everyone will be able to find the rhythm that Heavy Trip is drumming, but once you do it's futile not to drum along. |
| 241299 | Lisa Trifone | Third Coast Review | Fresh | — | 2019-05-29T00:21:07.000Z | 2019-05-29 00:21:07 | If you can, see this one with an audience where the laughs from your fellow film-goers will surely elevate this slapstick rock comedy to an eleven. |
| 241300 | Kimberley Elizabeth | Nightmare on Film Street | Fresh | 9/10 | 2019-04-10T01:50:25.000Z | 2019-04-10 01:50:25 | Tune in, Turn off, and just go with it - Heavy Trip is a hilarious home for outcasts and misfits. A laugh riot for the rebellious, and call-to-arms for the underdog. |
| 241301 | Brent Hankins | The Lamplight Review | Fresh | 8/10 | 2019-04-09T15:40:27.000Z | 2019-04-09 15:40:27 | For anyone that's ever played in a garage band and remembers things like pre-show jitters, schlepping equipment to and from the venue, and the importance of a good promotional photo, Heavy Trip should resonate particularly well. |
| 241302 | Filipe Freitas | Film Threat | Fresh | 7/10 | 2019-02-11T21:21:08.000Z | 2019-02-11 21:21:08 | Heavy Trip is an absurdist, powerhouse folly, which feels spunky enough to honor the musical genre and comes filled with deadpan hilarity to please comedy addicts. |
| 241303 | Andrew Todd | Birth.Movies.Death. | Fresh | — | 2018-10-15T22:19:15.000Z | 2018-10-15 22:19:15 | Heavy Trip ought to appeal to a wider audience than Lords of Chaos, as the bar for entry in terms of prior knowledge (and stomach fortitude) is much lower. It's also just a likeable story. |
| 241304 | Rafael Motamayor | Flickering Myth | Fresh | 4/5 | 2018-10-15T22:19:04.000Z | 2018-10-15 22:19:04 | Heavy Trip will lure you with great original songs and hilarious gags, but you will stay because of the lovable characters and the sweet story about rebellion and following your dreams. |
| 241305 | Dominick Suzanne-Mayer | Consequence | Fresh | B- | 2018-10-05T22:10:48.000Z | 2018-10-05 22:10:48 | There's always been a from-the-basement feel to the genre, and everything about the modest dark comedy of Heavy Trip feels entirely faithful to that anarchic spirit. |
| 241306 | Simon Abrams | RogerEbert.com | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2018-10-05T17:40:27.000Z | 2018-10-05 17:40:27 | A cult hit waiting in the wings. Come for the brutal music, stay for the charming DIY optimism. |
| 241307 | Michael Rechtshaffen | Los Angeles Times | Fresh | — | 2018-10-04T21:00:35.000Z | 2018-10-04 21:00:35 | Remains knowingly true to its quirky quartet and milieu even as the plotting runs off the rails a tad in the third act. |
| 241308 | Richard Whittaker | Austin Chronicle | Fresh | 3/5 | 2018-10-04T15:20:16.000Z | 2018-10-04 15:20:16 | It's no Metalocalypse (pretty much the only metal comedy to completely break the rules), and there are no new classic anthems here, but if you want to bang your head to a very familiar beat, Heavy Trip is a solid cover version. |
| 241309 | Katie Rife | AV Club | Fresh | B | 2018-10-04T10:39:32.000Z | 2018-10-04 10:39:32 | While the film's attempts at slapstick can be painful-in a cringing way, not in a brutal way-Heavy Trip does succeed in creating perhaps the most charming ensemble of morbid dorks since What We Do In The Shadows. |
| 241310 | Brian Orndorf | Blu-ray.com | Fresh | A- | 2018-10-04T04:05:19.000Z | 2018-10-04 04:05:19 | The production manages to maintain control of outrageousness, keeping extremes sly and silliness within reach, skillfully finding moments of pure joy. |
| 241311 | Felix Vasquez Jr. | Cinema Crazed | Fresh | — | 2018-10-03T12:45:35.000Z | 2018-10-03 12:45:35 | A genuinely entertaining, heartfelt, laugh out loud film... |
| 241312 | Pat Brown | Slant Magazine | Rotten | 2/4 | 2018-10-03T00:55:39.000Z | 2018-10-03 00:55:39 | Its story distances heavy metal from any whiff of toxic masculinity by setting Turo and company against homophobes and rakes. |
| 241313 | Rich Cline | Shadows on the Wall | Fresh | 4/5 | 2018-10-03T00:55:31.000Z | 2018-10-03 00:55:31 | The material is fresh enough to survive the formula, with continual surprises in the performances and characters. |
| 241314 | Robert Daniels | 812filmreviews | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2018-08-26T17:06:16.000Z | 2018-08-26 17:06:16 | The band at the center of Heavy Trip, Impaled Rectum, provide the best comedy of the year and one of the best music films in decades |
| 241315 | Nick Allen | RogerEbert.com | Fresh | — | 2018-08-06T16:42:52.000Z | 2018-08-06 16:42:52 | Achieves the status of bonafide crowd-pleaser, for a crowd that isn't normally acknowledged with such detail and warmth. |
| 241316 | Jennie Kermode | Eye for Film | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2018-07-27T20:16:47.000Z | 2018-07-27 20:16:47 | Heavy Trip has universal appeal, but you will need resilient eardrums to get you through - and if you know your metal well, the in-jokes may well have you in stitches within the first 20 minutes. |
| 241317 | Sarah Boslaugh | TheArtsStl | Fresh | 6/10 | 2018-07-27T02:30:08.000Z | 2018-07-27 02:30:08 | The characters are agreeably quirky (except for the few we're obviously supposed to dislike), the music sounds authentically metal, the scenery is gorgeous, and there are plenty of small delights that make it worth watching. |
| 241318 | Sarah Ward | Concrete Playground | Fresh | — | 2018-07-16T08:00:13.000Z | 2018-07-16 08:00:13 | Even when it veers into silly territory, Heavy Trip remains inventive, heartfelt and very amusing. |
| 241319 | Heather Wixson | Daily Dead | Fresh | 4/5 | 2018-06-28T00:00:15.000Z | 2018-06-28 00:00:15 | While some folks might be turned off by a movie with subtitles (yes, those people do exist unfortunately), the themes and comedy in Heavy Metal once again proves that cinema might just be the greatest universal language there is. |
| 241320 | Blake Crane | Film Pulse | Fresh | 7/10 | 2018-06-23T04:00:07.000Z | 2018-06-23 04:00:07 | The good times far outweigh the bummers in this wild, heavy-metal comedy that honors the music...and the community. |
| 241321 | Deborah Young | The Hollywood Reporter | Fresh | — | 2018-05-25T01:50:11.000Z | 2018-05-25 01:50:11 | Part let's-get-it-together band saga and part road movie, the story arc is awfully familiar, but that doesn't stop it being a rollicking romp. |
| 241322 | Matt Donato | Slashfilm | Fresh | 8/10 | 2018-03-23T23:15:11.000Z | 2018-03-23 23:15:11 | Wail loud, scream proud and support this kooky exploratory import that's worth one hell of a night with rocksteady friends, horns in the air, until the final credits roll. |
| 241323 | J Hurtado | ScreenAnarchy | Fresh | — | 2018-03-21T17:35:09.000Z | 2018-03-21 17:35:09 | Heavy Trip is a hilarious, loving ode to heavy metal fandom. |
| 241324 | Marisa Mirabal | Birth.Movies.Death. | Fresh | — | 2018-03-12T21:50:06.000Z | 2018-03-12 21:50:06 | Heavy Trip solidifies its place among other beloved metal genre films by summoning a dark comedy that even those who aren't familiar with Pantera, Children of Bodom, or Uruguayan grindcore can throw their horns up and enjoy. |
| 241325 | Josh Kupecki | Austin Chronicle | Rotten | — | 2018-03-12T21:25:06.000Z | 2018-03-12 21:25:06 | This Finnish black metal comedy has its heart in the right place (severed from the body, of course, and served on a stake), but never quite transcends its quirky humor to become the epic it sets out to be. |
Showing the latest 100 canonical reviews for this movie.