AutCuddly
Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,
Fairaher
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
lk1918
Now THAT is a Czech film. While Kolja, a 1996 Czech film was specifically edited by the British co-producers to strip it of some very Czech elements which were culturally hard to understand for foreign audiences, this one is the real thing. Figures that while Kolja was showered with foreign prizes incl. the Oscar, this one got nothing significant abroad as far as I am aware. No matter, this is a seriously funny and sad film which will tell you a lot about the Czech sense of humour. Many passages sadly won't be that accessible without knowing the culture and history well, and inevitably, lots gets lost in translation, but you may still find it satisfying.
molitor-1
This is a beautiful Czech movie where laugh and misery is mixed with melancholy and hope. Worth to see, but only if you know something about European history.Or you can learn just by watching it. Jiøí Kodet is an excellent actor. I have been enjoying his part most of all.
Exiled_Archangel
As a person who's been in Czech Republic and knows many Czechs, I say this movie reflects a lot from the genuine Czech lifestyle. The framing when switching from one family to another is splendid, and the characters are absolutely brilliant. An average person could say Jindra's father is a little bit exaggerated, but I found my own father in him so I can relate. Czech family structure and its orientation with the iron curtain culture is elegantly touched. Also, the sad fact that some people unfortunately have to leave their homes and move abroad is another major issue of this movie. I believe anyone from a country that has a lot of negative immigration will feel something different watching it.
Another success of the director is that, the scenes spend a lot of time with the Christmas time. But it never gets boring. What I'm looking for in a movie is depth, (which is why I don't really fancy most American movies) and it's present in this one. Social issues, relationships, politics, traditions, everything! In addition to all this, Kristyna Novakova has an outstanding performance, and to me she's a starlet with a bright future.
Czech this movie out! You won't be disappointed...
Fnord233
Prague in 1968 prior to the Soviet invasion. The setting is ideal for a political drama, but Czech artists prefer to make a comedy with political background. The action takes place in a house, where families from different political camps (pro-communist vs. anti-communist) live together. The story is told in such a warm, witty and funny way that it immediately resembles the golden years of Czech movie industry in the 70's and 80's. This movie was a tremendous hit on the local Czech market, unfortunately it has never reached my country (Poland). I've had a chance to see it only on the Warsaw Film Festival. It's sad but all the time distributors prefer to show s****y Hollywood cheesy-style romances or action packs, instead real-value movies. Definitely one of the movies of 1999 IMHO. The same goes for other Czech movie - "Return of the Idiot" (Navrat Idiota) - watch out for Czechs, they are on the right track again.
