Za spichkami

A farcical comedy with a few very good actors which is supposed to be funny; the only thing, it is not. Made in Russia in 1980, it was announced as a Russian-Finnish co-production, although all the leads and supporting actors are Russian. Is it authentic? I visited both countries, and my opinion is, the Russian actors in this film don't look like Finns and don't behave like them. Such Russian stars as Leonov, Nevinnyy and Vitsin are wasted, and silliness creeps in from the very start and then builds up and clogs up everything. The director, Gayday, made quite a number of really witty situation comedies. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. Try 'Twelve Chairs' or 'Kidnapping, Caucasian Style', instead.