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45 out of 55 people found the following comment useful :-
The Return Of The Kings, 8 March 2007

Author: ruuk from Czech Republic

Vratné Lahve (written by Zdenek Sverák, directed by Jan Sverák) Father and son. Ten years ago they made film together, it became tremendously successful and won an Oscar. That was Kolya. After that they tried to tell the story of Czech RAF fighters during WW2, which was not so successful, mainly because of the historical, somewhat pathetic theme. Now they are back. After years and years of rewriting the script, son finally accepted his father's work and made it into film, which may be very well theirs best.

Main character Tkaloun (played by Zdenek Sverák) is an nervous, over-aged basic school teacher living with his slowly resigning wife and struggling to find a new way of life for himself after he leaves his teaching job. When he accepts new work in a supermarket as clerk responsible for storing empty glass bottles, he finds (and shows us) that it is never too late for being kind to other people and for life itself.

This film is very funny and moving - in a best way possible. It is also almost ultimately believable, as every scene and every bit of the dialog is taken from life. Audience in the theater started laughing shortly after the beginning and continued throughout the film till the final credits. Everyone was leaving the screening with a great smile on the face, filled with pleasant thoughts.

I don't know when it will hit the theaters abroad or in rest of Europe. But when it does, be sure not to miss it.

9/10

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
For a little love, I would go to the edge of the world ..., 14 February 2008

Author: P-frish from Czech Republic

We saw this film when it was first released in Prague, bought the screenplay in Czech, and now own the DVD. This masterpiece from the father-son Sverák team is a gentle low-key story that has appealed here to all ages. It was the most popular movie of the year in terms of theater attendance. The theme is "the search for love" in its very broadest sense, with the sub-theme of the impact of freedom and capitalism on lives in the Czech Republic.

The main character, sixty-five year old Josef Tkaloun, introduces the theme in his classroom of Czech teenagers. In his lesson about a beloved Czech writer, Jaroslav Vrchlicky, he quotes: "For a little love, I would go to the edge of the world bareheaded and barefooted." We follow this theme in his own life and marriage, his daughter's and little grandson's lives, as well as in those of various other characters, young, middle-aged, and elderly, who surround him.

Neither Zdenek Sverák as a writer nor the character of Tkaloun he has written for himself is a judgmental man. Tkaloun's most characteristic response perhaps, is a quiet, "Jo takhle" or "Ah, so that's how it is." Sverák sketches a small world and, within it, gives us a very poignant human story permeated with a feeling of acceptance of all of us in our various weaknesses.

The sub-theme of changes in Czech life since the 1989 revolution may be harder for non-Czech viewers to catch entirely. The local library, for example, has been replaced by a new teeth-whitening business called "Happy Smile." In this one little touch, Czechs will recognize the loss of their public library, the introduction of a strange, expensive, and hitherto unnecessary business, and the current vogue for abandoning Czech for the snobbier, more chic English name.

We also see how the very young, without memories of the "old" days, consider all this as the normal state of affairs, though they realize that their parents or grandparents do not. In a small closely-knit society such as the Czech Republic, relations between generations, whether within the family, at work or school, or in public, have been markedly different in many ways than what one sees in a country such as the U.S. This is now changing with the influx of dubbed television programs, translated popular magazine articles, and advertising. Many youngsters now prefer to go to the mall rather than on the traditional family trip to the countryside, for example. Although most still automatically get up to give their tram or metro seat to an older person, some now ignore this previous mark of well-brought-up behavior.

We should mention, too, that we find the humor delightful. Even on a third viewing we laughed. These performances stand up in the long run.

This movie will definitely be a classic. Thank you Zdenek and Jan Sverák!!!

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13 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
absolutely gorgeous, witty, eloquent, 28 July 2007

Author: diana-urickova from Slovakia

Simply, a waaayyy better than Kolja. Personally, I guess almost anything said about a movie before you see it is actually a spoiler, as it influences the expectations and the response isn't that pure anymore. For those who share this attitude with me, just read no more than the next line. Believe me, go see this great cinematic achievement. The Sverak duo is certainly a kind of quality guarantee. However, Vratne lahve gives you much more than the necessary expectations fulfillment. Witty dialogues, tremendously believable acting, plausible script and humane setting, all of these form a story full of emotions and simple truths most of us value so much even without realizing it. This movie makes you realize all those lovely aspects life and its various phases bring about. ...and one more thing, (this might be connected with understanding the local mentality) watching this movie you will most probably find yourself laughing really whole-heartedly, this movie is truly much funnier than any high-rated comedy, even though the topic and story covered aren't actually that funny in real life at all. Wonderful experience, definitely deserves worldwide recognition, a second Oscar for Sverak wouldn't be too much to expect.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Following a Flop and a Long Wait, Another Zdenek Sverak Masterpiece, 10 January 2008

Author: faterson (faterson@gmail.com) from Bratislava, Slovakia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I hope comments formatted as bullets are OK; no real spoilers contained.

* a masterpiece and return to true Zdenek Sverak form (after the flop of _Dark-Blue World_, a woeful departure from Zdenek Sverak's typical comedy genre)

* airborne views of the Czech countryside, with which Zdenek Sverak is in love -- this time, *closely integrated* in the movie's climax, as opposed to similar shots in Zdenek Sverak's earlier movies -- though breath-taking there as well, they used to serve as mere illustrations; now, they're part of the movie's message

* the number OK-5060 on the balloon is highly symbolic, meaning to say you can still have a great life while in your 50s or 60s -- which was Sverak's age at the time the movie was written and produced -- in fact, Zdenek Sverak is over 70 years old today (born in 1936), and looks astonishingly well for his age; metaphorical swelling and inflating of the balloon after falling to the ground -- "dying", as if, but not yet, not quite; "there's still something left" in our lives

* movie title, "returnable bottles", in line with the movie's title song: "I'd like to have another one, thank you" -- meaning another *life*, to understand or enjoy even *more* of it than the first time around; so, human lives are like returnable bottles...

* Zdenek Svěrák's impeccable performance; he can be thoroughly serious whenever the need arises; there are some extremely poignant and thoroughly serious moments in the movie, particularly in depicting the (grand)parent-child relationship; Sverak's inimitable enunciation, especially untranslatable: he can say an ordinary Czech sentence but deliver it in a way that makes it sound funny or witty, *without* being theatrical

* *two* endings are contained in the movie: one US happy ending (an American movie would have ended right there); but, after the credits for the cast roll by, *another* ending is attached, a thoroughly European tongue-in-cheek one; in it also lies the movie's wisdom -- life is always about compromises between what one dreams about (all those half-naked ladies in the train's compartment) and what truly is available in real life, and for what one must be genuinely thankful, because it is such a blessing, even though oftentimes humdrum on ordinary days -- in _Vratne lahve_, this is the 40-year marriage between Pepa and his wife

* a fascinating array of supporting characters, from the hilarious "talkative" ex-Major to the awkward youth at the paper press to the lustful mathematics teacher and the thoughtful, tender-hearted IT teacher, as well as the irresponsible, shallow doctor; or the old lady who can't afford her groceries

* you can recognize the greatest masterpieces in art by their being capable of mixing thoroughly disparate elements: such as being funny and moving / serious at the *same* time; _Vratne lahve_ manages this trick *throughout*; even though the basic plot is predictable enough (the man is about to lose his job due to automation), its implementation is glorious, and when Pepa gets the note saying, "Mr. Tkaloun, what are today's discounts?", this is a truly affecting moment; a similar one involves Pepa, in despair, placing his head and hands on the wall of his small booth, then realizing (thanks to the stains) how often his colleague must have been desperate before him, in just the same manner -- needless to say, the despair was sexually motivated

* fantastic direction by Jan Sverak, with minuscule attention paid even to the smallest detail; whenever pretty girls are meant to be shown in _Vratne lahve_, they are not merely pretty, but *gloriously* beautiful; watch the 2 girls re-stocking the supermarket shelves, or even the very young girl sitting behind the cheeky schoolboy in the movie's opening scenes -- all these are fantastically beautiful girls, even though they appear in the movie for barely a few seconds, or dozens of seconds; yet Jan Sverak made sure every little thing in the background of the main action shown was just 100% perfect

* classic, famous Zdenek Sverak wit apparent throughout _Vratne lahve_; just as Woody Allen has his style of humour that is unmistakably his, and Billy Wilder has his own, so does Zdenek Sverak. The quality of some of the jokes in _Vratne lahve_ is on a par with now legendary jokes from movies like _Kolja_ or _The Elementary School_ or even as far back as _My Sweet Little Village_, _Waiter, Run_, and _Hand Me the Pen, Mark_. Ladislav Smoljak, Zdenek Sverak's close friend and collaborator since decades, has nothing more than 2 short cameos in _Vratne lahve_, but they certainly are memorable: funny and wise at the same time, capturing the spirit of our hurried era: "He's just some sort of a messenger, but he sure looks like the participant in a race!"

* wonderful camera-work: the movie manages to be both rural and urban at the same time; glorious views of Prague *and* the surrounding countryside, the rolling Czech land in its amazing verdure, again establishing the connection to the earlier Zdenek Sverak classics

* fantastic title song, sung by Jaroslav Uhlir, as the title tune from _Waiter, Run_, made almost 30 years ago in the 1980s! One may only wish that both _Vratne lahve_ the movie *and* its title song become classics of the same calibre as both _Waiter, Run_ and its title song; _Vratne lahve_ thoroughly deserves the status of a classic, even though it is only about 9 months old at the time when I'm writing this sentence!

* the running theme through pretty much all of Zdenek Sverak's movies is that of sexual obsession, and it takes center stage here in _Vratne lahve_, too; again, most closely reminding the viewer of the early 1980s masterpiece, _Waiter, Run_, thanks to the numerous "fantasy sequences", so similar to those so frequently experienced by the bookstore manager in _Waiter, Run_.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
It's never too late for a career change, 11 May 2008

Author: Red-125 from Upstate New York

Vratné lahve (2007), directed by Jan Sverák, written by Zdenek Sverák, was shown in the U.S. with the title "Empties." The title derives from a second "career," undertaken late in life, by the protagonist Josef (Zdenek Sverák). Josef resigns from his position as a teacher and takes a job accepting returned glass bottles at a supermarket. Complications ensue. Josef isn't exactly an ideal worker, but he does establish a rapport with his fellow employees and with some of the customers.

Josef is married, but he and his wife are tired of each other. (Incidentally, his wife is played by Daniela Kolárová, who looks like the Czech Hellen Mirren.) Josef and his wife are both contemplating adultery, although that's not as easy for them as it might sound.

"Empties" is a comedy, but a comedy with a sad and bitter undertone. Everyone is looking for love, romance, and understanding, but mostly they're looking in the wrong places. Still, the film is worth seeing, especially because of the wonderful acting by Zdenek Sverák, who was outstanding in the film "Kolya" ten years ago, and is equally outstanding in "Empties."

Incidentally, the identical names of the actor/writer and director are not coincidental--they are father and son. That must lead to some interesting moments on the set.

We saw this film at the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival. It will work pretty well on a small screen. It's definitely worth seeking out and seeing.

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11 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
New but i've seen this many times already, 23 July 2007

Author: pchudera from Slovakia

In my opinion, this title is good, but not excellent. I've seen many Czech films, and this is just another one with just a little change in motive. It doesn't make you think when you step up from cinema, it just makes you realize, what is happening in our world. The script is fine, but not innovative. There is no mystery and therefor no excitement at the end of the movie. Open ending that doesn't make you think is not a good ending in my opinion. Not an excellent directing is shown in this title, it just follows the script and doesn't adds artistic feeling into it. In motive i find very similar "Stesti", "Samotari". This movies are also about life and when you see them you just realize that this something similar and not new. Even though my score is low, this movie is not a waste of time. Especially if you are not a Slovakian or Czech. Go and see this movie for your self. If you are not very demanding spectator you will probably like this movie very much.

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