Svatá čtveřice

I will only accept this movie if Hřebejk admits that he made the movie just so he could let it screen in a small independent cinema here and there. Otherwise, it’s a huge viewer trap. Not only does such a premise not deserve a movie adaptation, but I also don’t think it has any significant telling value. Viewegh really showed us what’s inside his mind when he decided to write his first script on this very topic. Well, I have to say that if his next ideas are in a similar vein, then this is my last encounter with him. (2013.11.01)

In sex, sometimes everything is allowed if you are really good friends. Even a threesome can work, with minor flaws, but otherwise you will enjoy it. That movie is quite realistic, it's not flattery, but in the end, it's actually about nothing. However, Luděk Munzar pleasantly surprised me. (2015.02.02)

An unfinished bachelor's story, repeating the most annoying stereotypes of Czech sexuality (falling asleep, hippo rolling, boredom, overacted awkwardness) and leading to the moral and meaningless of Poledňáková and a kind of pseudo-masturbation fantasy without fantasy (a dream come true about a foursome that cures the boredom of marriage, but which completely fails in showing even an indication of what will happen to the protagonists). The film is more open, but only in terms of nudity - otherwise, it anxiously remains true to the "comedic" principle - nothing biting, humorously embarrassing or sensual can be found here. I almost feel sorry for Hřebejk, given how hard he tries to save a badly built story with his generous lyricism, which again says nothing, in some places it even completely misses the point of Viewegh's ticklish short story (the scene with the church in ruins). The conclusion is toothless and only underscores the impotence of Czech film in relation to erotic and intimate themes, which turn into a lustful, lifeless and tame lasciviousness in the hands of Czech filmmakers without a hint of an edge or something other than shallow humor - the grateful laughter of the audience when, after the tortured exotic postcard sets from the Caribbean, the characters finally run somewhere and one of them falls (repeatedly), is a faithful barometer of the state of the genre. (2012.08.23)

Although I respect Jan Hřebejk as a director, this film really didn't work out for him. Probably his weakest film, and yet it's full of good actors. It's hard to wrap my head around it. The overall impression is awkwardness of giant proportions. However, it's important to realize that all this futile effort was preceded by Viewegh's poor screenplay. (2020.03.05)