Disappointment for a huge fan!

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I was really looking forward to seeing this film as a result of the number of praises. How disappointed I ended up being. Admittedly visually engaging, but boy oh boy, what was the story and the characterisation all about? Firstly, not sure if the main girl Laura (Zuzana Kanocz) was dabbed in the version I've seen (as the actress is Slovakian) but it just seems that as much as she is very attractive girl, she is very much lacking on the acting skills. Her character Laura goes from being 'drunk beyond belief' to being perfectly sober and her lines are delivered without any alteration throughout the film. But what scares me most is the overconfidence of the character she portrays. I thought it was quite difficult for a modern woman to find a man but this girl treats men like disposable tissues. Furthermore what kind of message is this film trying to send? Are the girls now supposed to accept the sexual infidelity as far as the man in question pays for the holidays? Good performance from Simona Stasova (Laura's mum) but overall not funny.

Many Czechs love this movie, and by the comments on this site, I can see that even some Americans do. I can't see why, though. To begin with, "Román pro ženy" is simply not funny. I can't think of one moment which would even amuse me. Instead, I felt like groaning every time there was any attempt at humor. Why was this ? Maybe because there is no real timing. Maybe because the comic situations are presented in such a smug and happy-go-lucky way that it's more like non-ridiculous people deciding to force themselves to act ridiculous than a naturally funny comedy. Maybe it's also because the actors are average dramatic actors rather than comedians. Or most likely it's because the movie derives much of its humor from people acting weird, like the mother being an enthusiastic participant in the rituals of foreign cultures because she dislikes her own people, the heroine's best friend pretending to be like Uma Thurman in "Kill Bill" or the brain-damaged grandmother constantly repeating the same question over and over again. In the hands of a better director or screen writer, such situations could be at least slightly funny. However, here, they just seem like boring non-weird people's unimaginative idea of weirdness.The movie does not work too well as a love story either. The scenes which are meant to be touching didn't touch me at all. This is probably because the characters are simply not likable. For example, Zuzana Kanocz's character is a young woman who takes everything with a light, whimsical attitude and does not seem to feel anything too deeply, except for when she is dumped (but not when she is the one doing the dumping), and Marek Vasut's character is an inherently unpleasant jerk who lacks the warmth or charisma (or even niceness)to be a good romantic lead. But then, if these two characters are both intended to be good looking, almost amoral and mostly unemotional, they are perfect for each other. There is also the problem of the movie being kitsch in the sense that the plot twists are at least moving as ideas (eg. the closing subway-related sequence) but their execution in the movie is clumsy and not moving at all. The pairing up of two minor, mildly unattractive characters at the end is not only equally ineffective but something that any intelligent viewer could predict. And let's not even go into Kanocz's more minor boyfriends. Those are strictly in the "let's make a character out of one or two qualities" mode. The sequence with the sky diver is particularly bad, as it feels just like a chewing gum commercial.So why do people like this movie ? Probably because they identify with the characters, which is pretty scary.

...or so it seems for the female protagonists in this smart, funny tale.This wonderful little chick flick has dialog with pop, wonderful acting and numerous small and large plot twists and surprises.As told from "chick HQ central" (the beauty salon), Laura and her mother Jana's adventures in love and relationships are played out. We see the characters as they see themselves and as others see them, in the past and in the present.The clichéd romantic story is well told and navigated with a deft and humorous touch. I laughed at and with the main characters and was touched by how honest it all felt.Best viewed with a nice German white, perhaps.

The hallmark of all the Czech movies I've seen seem to be beautiful visuals. From film locations to costumes, this movie fully lives up to that tradition.The humor is light and smart. The pacing, mostly good.I saw it at the Czech Embassy in the United States (The embassy, as a side-note, has a wonderful program of events, most free to the public). I'm sure the audience of Czechs further enhanced the experience of watching this movie. Although a lot of the humor had universal appeal, so an American like me didn't feel left out.I recommend seeing this movie...with a friend or five.