A Quirky Comedy with a Heart: 'Po-bratски' Review

I'd never have watched this movie if Varya Shcherbakova from the female stand-up wasn't in it. Even though it's been a year since the family drama, comedies about divorce aren't slowing down anytime soon. It reminded me a bit of Manpupuner, thanks to the baddie-movie.

What the movie's about: The family made a responsible decision: they want to get a divorce. Due to bureaucratic issues, they need to travel to the distant northern town of Nizhnehor'ye, where they were once married. A crazy neighbor family comes to their rescue - they offer to give them a ride, as they need to go there too.Characters:

You can't tell much about them because each fact from their biography is almost like telling the story. Two families meant to showcase the old and new generations, and how these two worlds view family questions.

Anton and Svetlana Lebedev - he's a historian with a world name, focused on his career. She's a translator, planning to work in China. They're getting a divorce and traveling 600km to their hometown with their neighbors.

Valentin, Varvara, and Platon Bublik - the Lebedevs' neighbors. Classic representatives of the old generation's thinkingVisuals and music: The movie has a clear New Year's atmosphere, which is weird because it was released in late autumn, kinda like Yaga on our heads. The music is super sad, but I liked the melody from 'Yasny moy svet' played on the balalaika. Apparently, one of the sponsors is 'Dorozhnoe Radio' - that's why it plays throughout the whole trip.

Work of stylists, makeup artists, and operators: Most of the women in the movie look terrible, with lots of hair lacquer on their heads, making it look like they're dirty.

I've got to say, even the collage-style transitions were a bit of a letdown for this movie. And to be honest, most of the scenes just felt out of place. Acting: What's weird about this movie is that all the actors look unnatural, except for Varvara Shcherbakova, who isn't even an actress. She's always showcasing people from her hometown in her performances, and she did the same thing in this movie. It's a bit of a cliché, but it suits her perfectly, and it actually worked out really well. I loved her husband, Pletan – they're like a match made in heaven, and their acting is top-notch, considering the material they had to work with.

But let's be real, the script is just a disaster. The dialogue is cringeworthy, and the actors are basically forced to act it out.

There are so many scenes and situations in this movie that are just so over-the-top, it's like you're watching a surrealist play.

The actors playing the Lebedevs were a total mess. You can tell when an actor has no idea what they're supposed to be doing. It's like in Dva Mira, Odno Zhelanie where Anton plays an historian with a world-renowned name, but he has no idea what that looks like. Cons: The ending is super predictable. From the first 5 minutes of the movie, you know exactly how it's going to end. And honestly, it's just a bit too cheesy. I think no one watching this movie expected anything else.

This actress is crying because she's tired of hearing that phrase Every 15 minutes or so, you'll hear the phrase 'Po-brat'ski' in the dialogue. And honestly, the dialogue is all over the place – it's like they're trying to sound normal one minute, and then they'll throw in some clichéd phrase that a therapist would use. My verdict: This movie is super easy to watch with the family. When we watched it with my husband, I said that all these people are just clichés, and he replied that his neighbors at his parents' house are basically the same. So maybe, just maybe, people who are used to this kind of thing will enjoy it. But for me, it was a real struggle to finish. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time.

Share your thoughts! Did you like it, or not?

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