Smart Philip

I love the people from Sklep very much, but I can't help feeling that the only person able to bring their humor to the screen is Tomáš Vorel. Marhoul filmed something that works in the first part as a funny set of theatrical sketches and not as a film, in the second it does something that works as a film but does not work as a set of funny sketches. Neither fish nor crayfish. Even the forever-starched Hanák is no longer as good as he was in Out of the City, and if it hadn't been for a few real acting performances, it could have ended up being a very big flop. Dobeška is Dobeška... (25/01/2004)

Smart Philip gives off a rather amateur and cheap impression. It feels as if a group of film students and enthusiastic fans made a film that exudes the joy of creation and shows talent, but at the same time lacks experience, a producer, and attention to detail. Considering the acting talent involved in the film, that is quite surprising. Tomáš Hanák in the lead role didn't sit well with me; his acting range is limited, and perhaps my impression of his performance was also influenced by him being a bit over the top lately. It is clear from the film that the creators worked with an extremely limited budget, which wouldn't bother me as much if not for the fact that many jokes are half-baked, and the script is equally unfinished. During the First Republic, films were made in a week, and Smart Philip seems like it wanted to imitate that approach. I'm not a staunch opponent of product placement, but it needs to be integrated into the film tastefully and with consideration for moderation. Neither of those things applied in this case. Overall impression: 35%. (22/10/2007)

« D’un côté, ça se tenait… Mais de l’autre, ça n’avait plus de sens. » Moi, je me trouve en fait de ce deuxième côté, notamment parce que l’intrigue est complètement nulle et ne procure aucune logique au film. C’est une chose qu’on aurait encore pu tolérer, sauf que Mazaný Filip (« Philippe le rusé ») se présente par-dessus tout comme une parodie insupportable par son absence d’humour et le fait que les acteurs tirent des têtes pas possibles – une caractéristique qui, moi, me dégoûte terriblement des comédies tchèques. S’il n’y avait pas ces nombreuses références à la pop culture (entre autres à South Park, ce à quoi je ne m’attendais pas), je n’aurais pas tenu le coup. Le baratin mongoloïde de Pavel Liška et le monologue désespérément monotone et prétendument drôle de Tomáš Hanák hanteront encore mes nuits pendant quelque temps. Raymond Chandler n’aurait jamais souhaité ca. (05/09/2019)