From Subway with Love

Renč proves that he’s a skilled craftsman and the right person behind the camera (brisk direction, fine cinematography and soundtrack), but the word “caricature” comes to mind in connection with Viewegh's script. First of all, a caricature of humour as such. It seems like a funny and apt pedestal for women and a kind of execution ground for men (they are are reduced to a kind of "domestic necessity", individuals whose crumbs fall disgustingly out of their mouths when they eat, good-natured bozos, superficial, narrow-minded prudes, caricatures of masculinity, or sluts who need to be castrated), but in the end it subtly demeans both. Its concept of interpersonal relationships makes one almost sad. It glorifies the hen who "....was angry when no one cared for her, but when someone did, she immediately looked elsewhere to see where she can spread her legs." (quote from my girlfriend). I won't deny that some women find this probe into the superficial "Cosmopolitan Universe" extremely satisfying, but for me it was an hour and a half of agony. PS: Něrgešová is a terrible actress!!! (08/09/2006)

Michal Viewegh wrote a screenplay based on his own book. Whatever Viewegh is as a writer (I haven't read anything by him, and I'm not going to anytime soon) he sucks as a screenwriter. How is it even possible for someone to put together a fairly digestible plot, but move it forward with the most idiotic dialogue that seems to have come from a soap opera? Certainly, if the title itself refers to the appropriate reader/viewer category, then in that case, I apologize. But I am not only evaluating From Subway with Love from the point of view of a man but also from the point of view of an unbiased viewer who got to watch the film by pure chance. Why did Viewegh name his characters with "typical Czech" names like Laura, Oliver, Jeff, and Ricky? And why does he send these cosmopolitan-minded individuals to a dusty Czech apartment building and let them ski in the Slovak Tatra Mountains? There are many more ways (and less violent ones at that) to circumvent Czech nationalism, which Viewegh is probably trying to avoid at all costs. I’d never doubted Filip Renč's directorial qualities until now. Renč is capable of serving funny scenes with absolute ease, which made even me (as a guy) laugh but as a viewer, forced me to swallow bitter saliva and a curse. The scene where Ingrid gained her aversion to guys when she said "All guys should be castrated," left me weak in the knees, and the captivated listening to Laura's hairdresser storytelling, on the other hand, stirred up my bile. However, From Subway with Love has someone I haven't seen anywhere for a long time, and that is Zuzana Kanócz. Calling her the new Julia Roberts isn't really appropriate, because Kanócz is purely her own person and she acts brilliantly. The same cannot be said about Marek Vašut, who did quite a poor job with his comeback, and when he said, "show me your ID right away," I felt like I was in an American sitcom. From Subway with Love is a seriously unbalanced film, where every bright spot is overshadowed by three dark ones, and at the end, I felt utter awkwardness. It was the same kind of awkwardness that came over me even after watching Bad Joke. If it continues like this, I'll soon give up on Czech cinema and whisper: "Rest in peace." (07/08/2005)

It’s rare today to enjoy things such as quality acting and skilled craftsmanship by Filip Renč. There is not much more to it than that in From Subway with Love... Viewegh's screenplay is a very shallow affair, alternating successful moments of deliberate shallowness with obviously unintentional shallowness, which completely kills any emotion and meaning of the film and turns it into a rather cheap spectacle with wannabe-cunning messages. But it's just Viewegh’s style - as cheap as a penny and sticky as a lollipop from a fair. So I more or less rejoiced seeing names such as Vašut, Zázvorková or Donutil, I appreciated Zuzana Kanóczová's female seduction and a few well-suited situations from life. In the end, the name Filip Renč is a good example of a director who knows how to make an attractive spectacle. A weak three stars, but you really have to look with these new Czech comedies... (07/09/2006)

Happyend forcibly grafted onto the pattern of British romantic comedies, an acting trio seated at one table in a cheap allusion to "Pelíšky", and most importantly, empty Laura. Zuzana Kanócz goes crazy on the bed, showing off her assets, but there is no charge, in addition, with her naivety she can be classified with the crazy characters of Něrgešová and especially the spasmodic mother in the disgusting portrayal by Simona Stašová. If anyone is discouraged by the opening sequence at the airport, they will do well. If it weren't for the charismatic Vašuta, I would go even lower. The enormous success of that mess will forever be a mystery to me. (11/11/2006)