I recorded this off the Starz channel, knowing nothing about this movie. The title seemed interesting, and Starz listed it as a comedy/romance. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a drama, with NO humor. No laughs, no chuckles, smiled maybe once the entire movie.
This is a drama, and a horrible one. Lame, lame story, with absolutely no point. Since this was based on a book, I have to assume the book has a point to it. This movie had none. Obviously, a director who doesn't know how to actually give a movie, a script, real direction.
The main character is somewhat of a simpleton, although he's not made out to be stupid. Towards the end of the movie, when the Nazi occupation kicks in, he's oblivious to what's going on, but where the hell is the direction here? What, dear director, are you trying to say about this Czech man? What are you trying to say about the Czech country? That they are all oblivious people? Or were? You're supposed to be telling a story here, but you don't tell the story. What you tell is literally pointless.
And then at the very end of the movie -- after plot holes in character motivations -- the main character convinces his Russian visitors he's a millionaire, ignoring that they just said all millionaires are going to jail. WHAT? WTF? So now, our main character does the dumbest thing in the entire movie. Yeah, that was motivated, alright!
Then we get stupid voice over once he's in prison, to say he is where he always wanted to be. BS. What a horrible horrible movie. I should have quit after the first hour, realizing there was no way this could possibly improve. A foreign director with a penchant for indulgence with no point.
Minor issue in this mess, but they start the movie with the main character getting out of prison, who looks to be 55 years old. But in flashback, before prison, he looks to be 28, 30. That's at least a 25 year visible difference, not 15. Brilliant casting, director & producers. RULE 1 in casting: Make it believable. You failed here. You failed entirely with this terrible movie, with no point to it. If the book was any good, you all adapted it horribly.
Shame on Starz for listing this as a comedy. It should have been listed as sh*t.
This is a drama, and a horrible one. Lame, lame story, with absolutely no point. Since this was based on a book, I have to assume the book has a point to it. This movie had none. Obviously, a director who doesn't know how to actually give a movie, a script, real direction.
The main character is somewhat of a simpleton, although he's not made out to be stupid. Towards the end of the movie, when the Nazi occupation kicks in, he's oblivious to what's going on, but where the hell is the direction here? What, dear director, are you trying to say about this Czech man? What are you trying to say about the Czech country? That they are all oblivious people? Or were? You're supposed to be telling a story here, but you don't tell the story. What you tell is literally pointless.
And then at the very end of the movie -- after plot holes in character motivations -- the main character convinces his Russian visitors he's a millionaire, ignoring that they just said all millionaires are going to jail. WHAT? WTF? So now, our main character does the dumbest thing in the entire movie. Yeah, that was motivated, alright!
Then we get stupid voice over once he's in prison, to say he is where he always wanted to be. BS. What a horrible horrible movie. I should have quit after the first hour, realizing there was no way this could possibly improve. A foreign director with a penchant for indulgence with no point.
Minor issue in this mess, but they start the movie with the main character getting out of prison, who looks to be 55 years old. But in flashback, before prison, he looks to be 28, 30. That's at least a 25 year visible difference, not 15. Brilliant casting, director & producers. RULE 1 in casting: Make it believable. You failed here. You failed entirely with this terrible movie, with no point to it. If the book was any good, you all adapted it horribly.
Shame on Starz for listing this as a comedy. It should have been listed as sh*t.