Grapes

Considering how the second part is complete nonsense without any ideas, the first part works well, and the characters haven't yet become so opposed to each other. True, 50% of the success is mainly wine and Moravia; the rest is taken care of by the actors and a fairly decent screenplay. I have fond memories of Grapes, although I try to forget about the sequel. The dramatic story works quite well here, but in the end, what really sticks in your memory is the wine. (12/23/2013)

Grapes is an absolutely typical example of the fact that a relatively decent film, one that is nothing special, but still functional, is considered a great success in the Czech Republic. Which is absolutely tragic. Instead of everyone being happy that one quite acceptable summer film has been made, we have to watch miserably as the original modest idea turns into a not-very-successful trilogy full of nonsense and kitsch. That’s too bad, because the first film from Bařina was interesting at least in its individual aspects. But the attempt to continue the new tradition of post-revolutionary summer hits in the style of The Ride seems to be a bit beyond the capabilities of the current creators. (08/21/2020)

This is a film from which I didn't expect anything special, and that is exactly what I got. The Moravian landscape, which I love, Tereza Voříšková, whom I don't love, but if I could, I would definitely love, and Lubomír Lipský all made it deserve three stars. Grapes has a nice mood, the end of summer is almost breathing out of the film... But only almost, because you still feel like you're flipping through a magazine full of photos rather than "being right there for an hour and a half". (10/25/2009)

I was sick and tired of the constant repetitive jokes about people from Prague (and I'm not from there myself). I didn't even get a proper dose of humor that I expect of a comedy. It made me smile a few times, but my sides remained unsplit. The film’s main assets were definitely Kryštof Hádek, whom I would find convincing even as a scam artist, and Tereza Voříšková, whose cracked voice makes the rest of my functioning nerve endings shiver. (05/04/2020)

An unexpected trip to a place where I felt so good as a viewer. Tomáš Bařina sent me so much optimism that I drew from it for several weeks. I enjoyed myself, admired, dreamed, and maybe three times I was so absorbed that I didn't believe my own senses. I won't need wine for the rest of my life, but here I maybe felt like opening it for the first time. At one time, a promise of hope not only for the summer but also for Czech comedy. It is such a pity that we see so little of this accurate judgment. (04/02/2008)