Terrier Intime

I like this film, although it's definitely not Hřebejk's best work. But unlike the disparate and shallow Pupendo, it is, in the best sense, a family comedy that caresses the soul with a kind narrative nostalgia while actually saying something about the times and those who experienced them. Aside from the humorous aspects, almost every main character has a certain amount of inner tragedy, so there are no cute talking comedy archetypes, as is the case in Pupendo. In short, the director made a film that will stand up as entertainment and as a story. One star fell from the sky after the release of the phenomenal Divided We Fall, but even so, Cosy Dens ranks at the top of the Gallery of Fame of Czech film as the best adaptation of Šabach's book to date. (22/03/2004)

Together with Divided We Fall, it is the pinnacle of Jan Hřebejk's work. The story was well crafted by the screenwriter, about which most people who were there agree, that things more or less happened like that. In reality, it was just "more or less," as a lot of darker motives and the whole complexity of that time didn't make it into Hřebejk's film, but that doesn't matter at all, because Hřebejk proceeds just like the human brain does. He filters out the unpleasant or at least properly adjusts it. I don't think Cosy Dens is Hřebejk's best film, but it is definitely the most commercially successful and mainstream. It is a very professionally made comedic family film for all generations, and nothing significant can be criticized about it from a craftsmanship perspective. If the production of the majority of Czech films worked as professionally as this, Czech cinema would be truly thriving. I just don't feel like giving it a fifth star. Hřebejk doesn't have, and will never have, the creative courage to take risks and push the boundaries of cinematic art forward. Acting-wise, nothing needs to be said, as such a palette of stars is rarely seen in contemporary Czech cinema. Overall impression: 85%. (01/01/2008)

It's good to once again watch Cosy Dens. I notice now that the film has aged. We are only tempted by a shortened spectacle, which was an important piece of the mosaic of the Czech past, but not an absolute and definitive view of the mythologized events of the 1960s. So, what's left of it? Yes, that character solo by the beloved Kodet. But the story of the domestic tyrant is already very familiar to Czech culture. (26/11/2017)

"Proletarians of all countries, fuck you!" ––  I think this is undoubtedly the best movie in the history of Czech cinema ever. Just the fact that its perfect portrayal of the then atmosphere managed to pull at my heartstrings so much with its perfect charm that I even wanted to be able to travel back to the past, if only for a short while, speaks volumes. However, if we add to that the performance of a lifetime of Jiri Kodet (may he rest in peace), and the great acting performances in general, the brilliant screenplay full of memorable lines dropping out one after another, and Hrebejk's excellent direction, for me, Cosy Dens is a movie I can watch over and over again and still have an admiration for it. In addition to all that, the scene where Kodet plays the Czech national anthem gives me goosebumps every time. (24/07/2008)

Cosy Dens is an immortal classic and one of the best post-revolutionary Czech films with many unforgettable lines and great acting performances. Many thanks to all involved for such a cleverly written film with a balanced amount of humour and drama. Even though I know the film almost by heart, it doesn't get boring and gives me something new every time I watch it again. Every scene is a treasure and every line is a gem! (29/03/2020)

After 1989, quite a lot of movies were made, trying to come to terms with the past, but if any of them truly succeeded, it's Pelíšky. It is a film that contains all the emotions that you can have in a movie. You will laugh, you will cry, you will feel nostalgia, you will be glad that you are watching it because you will realize that this is a brilliant depiction of the time and, above all, the people who lived in it. (26/12/2014)