The Ride

This Czech road film does not do much for me, although it is a very interesting film with decent actors and a good atmosphere. But apart from the notorious opening song and the feeling of driving "from nowhere to nowhere", there was nothing left in me, except perhaps a kind of reverberation of summer comfort and a few strange Pastrňák catchphrases. A good film that I'm not going to watch again... (18/05/2004)

Three turbulent elements that I definitely wouldn't want to know in real life, but in the movie I observed them fanatically. They all annoyed me, but the mood, in which music, summer, freedom, wantonness, and especially the nineties are all combined in the first few minutes, won me over. In any period before or after them, The Ride would probably just become an empty buddy movie, but after almost thirty years, it still has something to say. (27/01/2021)

From the times of Svěrák's 'Jízda,' we know that a film can be made in our country for just a million, but this encounter with a Czech road movie didn't offer much more. If I were to be critical, I would say that this is what perfect film emptiness looks like. Comparisons to 'Bezstarostná jízda' (The Ride), which were mentioned in several comments, seem almost offensive to me, and as a generational statement, 'Jízda' doesn't work at all. Simply put, it doesn't have much to offer; the music from the Buty band is too little for a cinematic experience. Overall impression: 30% (just to fit into 2 stars and not be accused of harming Czech cinema). (20/03/2015)

I experienced the ride a long time ago on TV before registering on FilmBooster and I didn't want to review it again from my memories. That was a good idea. Yesterday I saw it on the big screen, plus on (in places truly gracefully scratched) 35mm film and from a projector that needed a new reel halfway through the film and required a minute break. It all put together a fantastic atmosphere that simply greatly fit into the carefree story of people going south. The light direction by Svěrák, nice colorful camera by Brabec, music from Buty, freedom, summer, friendship, a good mood... What else do you need? (19/06/2018)

Jízda reste, pour moi, le meilleur film de Jan Svěrák, même si j’ai beaucoup aimé aussi Après l'hiver. La liberté, l’aventure, l’indépendance et l’aisance qui se dégagent de Jízda sont imbattables. Je crois que les acteurs aussi ont bien apprécié le tournage et je me souviens d’une interview où Geislerová déclarait que ses meilleures expériences cinématographiques étaient liées à Jízda. Et je me dois d’encore mentionner la magnifique chanson Mám jednu ruku dlouhou. (22/11/2008)

I have never seen "Jizda" before, so I finally had to fix that. People know about this film, they occasionally catch a scene on TV, but gradually realize that they are actually missing out on the film. The characters are brilliantly developed and they play their roles in a quite genuine way, almost not acting. In their company, you endure the film and wait for what comes next. The dialogues are surprisingly clever, almost existential. This is definitely not just an average road movie, there is something more to it. And finally, the soundtrack by Buty is simply unforgettable. That song is depressingly peaceful, just like the whole film. (06/01/2014)