Grapes

I was sick and tired of the constant repetitive jokes about people from Prague (and I'm not from there myself). I didn't even get a proper dose of humor that I expect of a comedy. It made me smile a few times, but my sides remained unsplit. The film’s main assets were definitely Kryštof Hádek, whom I would find convincing even as a scam artist, and Tereza Voříšková, whose cracked voice makes the rest of my functioning nerve endings shiver. (05/04/2020)

This is a feature-length advertisement for Mikulov and Moravian vineyards, supplemented by rough patchwork scenes and isolated weak jokes. The film has style with no substance, with unsympathetic protagonists offering only a pile of pseudo-philosophizing about wine and a handful of stereotypical clichés about the sunny Moravian utopia that is supposed to be a landscape full of rest, easy women and cheerful uncles. (03/01/2020)

Grapes is an absolutely typical example of the fact that a relatively decent film, one that is nothing special, but still functional, is considered a great success in the Czech Republic. Which is absolutely tragic. Instead of everyone being happy that one quite acceptable summer film has been made, we have to watch miserably as the original modest idea turns into a not-very-successful trilogy full of nonsense and kitsch. That’s too bad, because the first film from Bařina was interesting at least in its individual aspects. But the attempt to continue the new tradition of post-revolutionary summer hits in the style of The Ride seems to be a bit beyond the capabilities of the current creators. (08/21/2020)

An unexpected trip to a place where I felt so good as a viewer. Bařina sent me so much optimism that I drew from it for several weeks. I enjoyed myself, admired, dreamed, and maybe three times I was so absorbed that I didn't believe my own senses. I don't need wine for a lifetime, but here I maybe felt like opening it for the first time. At one time, a promise of hope not only for the summer but also for Czech comedy. It is such a pity that we see so little of this accurate judgment. (04/02/2008)

Considering that the second part is a terrible stupidity without any idea, the first part works and the characters haven't managed to annoy each other so much yet. True, 50% of the success is mainly due to wine and Moravia, and the rest will be taken care of by the actors and a fairly decent script. I remember "Bobule" quite fondly, although I prefer to forget about the sequel. The dramatic story works quite well here, but in the end, it's mainly the wine that stays in your memory. (12/23/2013)