Regie:
Jiří VejdělekDrehbuch:
Jiří VejdělekKamera:
Martin ŠáchaMusik:
Jan P. MuchowBesetzung:
Jiří Macháček, Bolek Polívka, Vica Kerekes, Petra Hřebíčková, Simona Stašová, Lukáš Langmajer, Hynek Čermák, Michal Novotný, Emma Smetana (mehr)Inhalte(1)
Can a happy marriage be based on cheating? Charming lady-killer Rudolf is convinced so: "A woman needs to feel she's fighting for her man, she must try hard to keep him. And most of all – she must not get bored!"
Rudolf is good at applying this wild theory in everyday life putting in loads of unrelenting vigor which is quite enviable in his early sixties. The more he struggles to understand the naivety of his unbearably correct son-in-law Ondrej, who is so snowed under with duties that he oversees how dangerously bored his wife Alice starts to be. Rudolf, the loving father and friendly father-in-law, is quick to come up with a handful of reliable hints on how to pep up the dying marriage. It's his only daughter's family happiness that's at stake, after all... Thanks to an affair with beautiful Sarlota, Ondrej actually does turn from a boring decent man into the master of all creatures, pampered by his mistress and admired by his wife. A wonderful situation, yet hardly sustainable in the long run. Not only because the real masters of all creatures are women, of course. Ondrej is in for a flood of comic situations that he faces with a disarming mixture of typically masculine characteristics – playful invention and the indestructible hope that all turns out well. (Verleiher-Text)
(mehr)Kritiken (8)
I consider myself a simple viewer who enjoys the small things, but how am I supposed to enjoy a film that sells something as morally decrepit as a noncommittal comedy? The moment the protagonists start to question their conscience and look for a way out, there is a catharsis in the restaurant. That solves the situation in a truly shrewd way, but most importantly, it DEFENDS all their behavior because it's actually the best thing for everyone, instead of them feeling any shame. The same goes for Vejdělek and the smiling crowds of satisfied viewers seem to be swept away after leaving the movie theater.
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I went as a man in hope and left as a man in dismay from the fact that, despite his wide experience, Vejdělek doesn’t know what he actually wants. Whether this is a comedy, a drama, a tragicomedy, a satire, a farce, a relationships movie, or what... And each new segment is a new style like “everybody gets a go". And although each segment is not at all bad in itself (mainly the purely comic or purely dramatic), the end result is nothing; nothing good, nothing bad.
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I'm very pleasantly surprised and I dare say I haven't been so nicely entertained by a Czech film in a few years. Everything revolves a good script, which is at times unlikely, but has no dull spots. The acting duo of Macháček and Polívka is a perfect combination. And the new starlets Kerekes and Hřebíčková were at times more than just nice backdrops. Simona Stašová's departure was quite a shock and the whole hall roared. Nice music, good humor... I'm satisfied, so I'm re-evaluating (5 stars).
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Vejdělek, Renč or Poledňáková... all of them have been making identical fairy tales for adults lately. Brand - to make everything pleasing to the eye. Actresses/dolls, rooms like from a magazine and some sort of plot, so that there is a reason to change the dolls in those rooms often. In this case, add a little bit of inner Prague and the result is complete. What, you don't like that?
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After a very long time, I gave Czech cinema a chance and it turned out as tragically as expected. I naturally expected a made-for-TV feeling – that's the standard in Czech productions. I also expected weak and stiff performances from some of the actors – that's also normal. But I haven't seen such a terribly bad adaptation of a screenplay in a long time. It could have been a decent film on its level (after all, Polívka knows how to act), one that tackles a sensitive social issue in a slightly light-hearted way, but instead, it's a ridiculous farce where everything is good and nothing is wrong. I wonder how the director functions in his personal life.
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Jiří Vejdělek würde ein richtiges Drehbuch brauchen, Bolek Polívka würde eine richtige Rolle brauchen, in der er nicht den Kasper machen muss… Jiří Macháček würde eine richtige Ohrfeige brauchen. Der schablonenhafte Charakter der Figuren, den ich in Women in Temptation noch ertragen habe, nahm in Men in Hope ein absurdes, amoralisches Ausmaß an. Ich habe es nicht ausgehalten. Männer werden nur als dumme Idioten dargestellt, Frauen wiederum als dumme "Schlampen" (mir fällt kein anständigeres Wort ein). In dem Film gibt es nur wenige gute Witze, dafür aber sehr viele dumme. Die Message, dass Fremdgehen prima ist und alles löst, ist doof. Die anderen Zuschauer*innen haben sich aber gut amüsiert. Es sieht so aus, dass der Film ein solides Einspielergebnis haben wird. Ich habe ein bisschen Angst davor, was als Nächstes kommt. Bewusstlose Kinder?
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Czech comedy has long been struggling to fit the requirements of the genre, and this film is no exception. I’m not a huge fan of Bolek Polívka, his increasingly darker nose is giving me the creeps, but his presence here was nicely balanced by Jiří Macháček. Similarly, Petra Hřebíčková was balanced out by Vica Kerekes. So, what it came down to was the plot which was pretty decent most of the time but it wasn't without flaws.
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One of the few Czech films that I saw in the last year, and probably the only one that I went to see in the cinema. That's what you get when you drag your girlfriend to movies she doesn't really enjoy. But in the end, I actually didn't regret it. I had seen "Women in Temptation" before and I liked the film. I laughed, it didn't leave any lasting impression, and I could move on. It's similar with this comedy, which can bring you joy when you come across it on TV a few times. I read quite a few reviews of "Men in Temptation" criticizing it for being simple-minded, for giving Czech people what they want. Sexist humor, nice breasts, and a normal story. Well, but when the breasts are so nice?! Vica Kerekes is a naturally gifted woman and I also have a weakness for redheads. Now I'll find out if my brunette girlfriend reads this. It suits her and Macháček, the guy, is envious. Female viewers envy Vica. But both male and female viewers laugh at it. And that's good. A light film with a slight tragedy that surprises a little. Sure, it's just a comedy, it wants to make people laugh. That's what it's about, right? I would burn those silly criticisms claiming it's not art. Of course, it's not art and it doesn't pretend to be art. It's a well-made comedy and that's what matters. And a damn good-earning comedy. Leave the art films to Sláma and others like him. By the way, what's the audience turnout for his films? More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/06/past-na-zraloka-21-jump-street.html
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