Empties

"Well, it's much easier, Helena. He was working extra hours at school because he could chat with the chatty Ptáčková in a tight sweater. And I taught with her, so I know what a bitch she is." Or the last great Svěrák-Svěrák film. Because what was to come in the next decade were just multiple epilogues. (2017-01-03)

In Svěrák’s loose “humanist" trilogy, Empties lies far behind The Elementary School, but far out in front of Kolya in terms of quality. This time, Jan Svěrák doesn’t try to show off his directing mastery and takes a back seat. So Zdeněk Svěrák has complete freedom and the question is whether or not this is a good thing. While his screenplay was outstanding as always, things are a bit “strange" as for his acting. His is believable in his role, no doubt about that, but something is simply wrong. On the other hand, I can sing nothing but words of praise for the actors in the supporting roles. Especially Macháček is truly good and isn’t just a caricature of himself, unlike his colleague Hřebejk. The greatest plus point for Empties is, apart from the atmosphere, the performance given by Daniela Kolářová who was afforded greater space in a movie for the first time in a long while. And she makes excellent use of it. The picture has an excellent beginning and ending, but the overall impression is spoiled slightly in the middle, especially around when he falls off his bike. That sort of thing shouldn’t happen with a director of Svěrák’s format. At this point, Empties shatters into a series of fragments of varying quality without any impact on the end result. (2007-03-09)

Movies by members of the Svěrák family are probably the only Czech movies that I like watching and look forward to. The actors don’t just make silly faces, but act and the atmosphere of the story is captivating. Plus, the characters are well written and the story loses none of its tempo in the second half. Simply a fine family movie where everybody will find something to entertain them. (2007-08-20)

It's worth a decent three stars, but I have to say that this time, Zdeněk Svěrák's "bitter" humor seemed a bit "tired" and unremarkable to me. Czech cinema is currently in decline and among various nonsense, the professionalism of the Svěrák family tandem naturally stands out, but seen from a broader perspective, it's nothing to boast about. The song by Jaroslav Uhlíř, underlining the nostalgic mood, will probably stick in my memory the most. Overall impression: 60%. (2009-04-11)

Zdeněk Svěrák is still considered an excellent observer of what is happening around him, and he is able to write characters with a human dimension. All of them except his protagonist because Tkaloun struck me as a perfectly fabricated wishful thinking of an ideal pensioner, so it is in him that I miss the aforementioned soulful dimension. Moreover, I often miss the signature of Svěrák when he was younger, and he is content with (albeit) impressive references to his previous films. I don’t want to completely damn Empties, especially considering the rest of Czech cinema, so I give it an additional star, but also a star less for a film by this duo making me feel that it is calculated and slightly egocentric. A diffident 60%. (2008-02-20)