He grafted on him his idea of how in the present-day Czech Republic it would be possible to restore the dignity of the presidency, enriched (as usual) with female charm.
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The latter undoubtedly succeeded, Anna Geisler really looks good in office and in private, and she usually has a very beautiful dress. But that is almost everything that can be attributed to the President for good. The other is a breakneck, stretched construction, the actual length of which is only 97 minutes, but the emotional one is about three hours long.
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Kateřina Čechová (Geislerová) loves her job in parliament, although she sarcastically criticizes the behavior of deputies in the prologue, and as she informs her daughter, she intends to move to the presidency. Her work then consists in rushing and scattering sentences and speeches here or there on the topic of women’s support, environmental protection and social life in general, when she declares that “Not everything that is broken to pieces is lost” and “Traditional values hold our society together ”.
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After a year, she is overwhelmed by work and lack of privacy. And so one evening in a wig and glasses he secretly goes to the castle grounds, where he falls into a sculptural studio. That a sculptor does not recognize the head of state in it is probably as probable that a puppy does not recognize a bitch, a lion cub. Although the widower Petr (Ondřej Vetchý) does not exhibit, because the sculptor is “only his hobby”, he teaches it and, in addition, he and his son have a company for the work of an hour-long husband.
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The acquaintance of the central couple then takes place through such scriptural pearls as their sentence during the second visit to the studio: “Those sculptures are beautiful, did you do that?”
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How the film turns out is very clear from the beginning. Their love affair is not justified, but it will happen, and when the president’s incognito breaks through, they both keep repeating how complicated it all is. But it is not. No one and nothing prevents them from loving, and the viewer just desperately wants them to finally walk towards a happy future.
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That the film has humor cannot be said. Therefore, if it is not enough to laugh, that the president’s entourage is constantly “wrestling” with the leaves of flowers in the corridors or that a random drunk after hearing the sentence “You are the president!” Will say “And I am Karel Gott”.
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The script is full of falsehood, overflowing with the cheapest sentiment (“I don’t want to take office” – “But you will have to, sweetheart”), the plot is unlikely precisely because it lacks at least exaggeration, if not humor. And a romantic comedy without humor is just kitsch.
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Probably no one would make a good, entertaining film from such a script. No wonder, then, that even the acting performances are quite awkward. However, the beauties of the Castle and the castle grounds are sold very well, the streets, nooks, halls and, after all, Petr’s studio have a very nice view, as well as the already mentioned charm and wardrobe of Ani Geislerová. It’s a pity that the film will probably be very difficult to sell abroad, these two items would work very well there.
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| President |
| Czechia 2022, 97 min. |
| Director: Rudolf Havlík |
| Cast: Aňa Geislerová, Ondřej Vetchý, Veronika Khek Kubařová and others |
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