What men want: an unfinished farce, the main advantage of which is that you don’t have to think too much!
The desire to know about the desires of the other sex. That is one possible, if slightly complicated, description of the deluxe new Czech comedy starring Jiří Langmajer in the role of a macho reporter from Playboy, during which Karel suddenly becomes Karla.
This film by director Rudolf Havlík and screenwriter Radka Třeštíkova intends to show the fatal differences between men and women as it were. Karel is sacked due to a fight in the television studio and a woman is employed in his place. Not just any woman, but his wife. He argues, not only with her, but also with his daughter. And as chance would have it, his life is also affected by another woman, not his wife, but a driver who crashes into his deluxe car. This is too much conflict with the other sex for Karel and he goes for a drink with his friend Čestmír. But guess what? Something happens overnight and only fortune teller Zoltana knows what when Karel suddenly wakes up as Karla.
Does this remind you of something?
Exactly. The title alone, “What Men Want”, is unnecessarily similar to the title of an American film. Although the star of What Women Want is not visually transformed into a woman, he does have something in common with the other sex. The obstinate chauvinist played by Mel Gibson suddenly starts to hear what women are thinking. On the contrary, in our Czech story, Karel, as Karla, learns to live in the female world, with everything this entails. Although it is not such a bad idea, this unrealistic comedy sometimes gives the impression of a farce, which wouldn’t matter so much, but unfortunately, if you examine it thoroughly the film seems unfinished in places.
Watch, but don’t think!
If viewers start to think too much about the plot, they realise that unnecessary mistakes have been made. The transformed Karel becomes new receptionist Karla and is employed at the editorial office, where he used to work as Karel the chief editor. There would be nothing strange about this, if viewers don't wonder too much about why the original receptionist is no longer there and who employed Karla the new receptionist. This is just one of many unfinished elements of the plot.
The model of communication between people at the office or in private, when dialogues are basically men complaining about women and women complaining about men, is also quite unrealistic. The film lacks inter-personal understanding or any romance at all. This deluxe story informs viewers that men don’t like the way women boss them around and women don’t like the fact that their dream “Mr Divine” really, really does not exist.
Women really do have it as difficult as men
All in all, thanks to realising how difficult it is to stand in the queue for the toilet for long minutes or how hard it is to walk in high-heels and how difficult it is to learn to apply lipstick, Karel in the body of Karla, realises that women really do have it as difficult in life as men. Unfortunately viewers won’t be able to find any serious reflections in this film, not even if they watch it all the way through.
Nostalgia is often not enough
Even though the talent of Polívková or Langmajer save the film in many parts, the actual scenes of life by means of exaggeration and humour are rather embarrassing and sad.
“My idea essentially originated due to nostalgia. I missed films like “Na hromnici o den vice” or “Tootsie” and I wanted to try something similar and try filming a comedy. It was just an idea, which we started to put together with Radka Třeštíkoáý in the evenings for fun and because we really started to enjoy ourselves, we tried to complete the project,“ says director and co-author of the screenplay Rudolf Havlík.
Rating by Luxury Prague Life: 40 %
PREMIER: 20 September 2018
DIRECTOR: Rudolf Havlík
SCREENPLAY: Rudolf Havlík, Radka Třeštíková
CAMERAS: David Ployhar
MUSIC: Ondřej Konvička
CAST: Karel Král (Jiří Langmajer), ex-wife (Andrea Hoffmannová), daughter Julie (Sara Sandeva), young chief editor (Táňa Pauhofová), friend Čestmír (Matěj Hádek), fortune teller Zoltana (Pavla Tomicová), Karla (Anna Polívková).
GENRE: Comedy
FOOTAGE: 95 min
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Czech Republic
