The Banger

Is it really that simple that old-school humor has survived? Of course, generations change and each has its own thing, but such a hard rejection was not strictly necessary. Among those contemporary Czech films that are not cheap romantic comedies, The Banger is one of the good ones with a subtle retro touch and good satire. Moreover, the framing of the story into a stylish concert works very well (especially the excellent Černochová and Graves) and Veronika Marková can easily get all the prizes for discovery of the year, because we haven’t seen such a natural young actress here for a long time. (10/15/2022)

Now that I have mercifully given this the one star, I feel like Amon Goeth played by Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List; I could have easily brought the film down, but, on a whim, decided to save it. If someone had told me yesterday how Ondřej Trojan’s film would disappoint me, I wouldn't have believed it. But this was just too much. Comedy without humor, logic on vacation, a bunch of pretentious stuck-ups, and not a single likeable character. To make matters worse, Elvis managed to learn Czech after his death. Ironically, it brought the only funny moment of the film when Ivan Trojan said an English sentence when talking to him. Pathetic indeed. Petr Jarchovský should really call it quits. (11/22/2020)

I was a little disappointed with the first quarter of an hour, but gradually I started to get a taste for this pleasantly madcap comedy, and from about the halfway point I was having fun. I was lured by the fast, tight rock and roll in all the songs here, and also by excellent actor and eternal comedian Ivan Trojan and his dance moves that could occur only to him. In fact, I was blown away by the whole cast. Not to mention the fact that I just can't help loving a movie set just a few miles away from my hometown. Long live Schlukdorf! Only locals will fully appreciate the misnomer in the town's name. (65%) (09/08/2022)