Watched: April 6, 2019

Kegger Rating: 1 Star

MM Rating: 1 Star

Kegger’s Review:

I had high hopes for this movie.  The movie was on the list of someone that I really liked.  I’d also heard that it was a comedy.  So, when MM suggested we have dinner at home and watch this movie with a nice drink, I was all for it. 

The first couple of scenes made it obvious what they were trying to go for – dry, British humor used for a not so humorous point in time.  I get it.  And the absurdity of those initial scenes was actually fairly funny. 

I also enjoyed recognizing some of the actors that I knew from other show/movies.  That made me happy (mainly because I like figuring out who these people are.  It’s like a challenge for me).  Michael Palin, Steve Buschemi, Jeffry Tambor…  All very good actors, and it looked like they were having a good time playing their parts. 

Beyond that, no dice.  I didn’t like this movie at all.  I chuckled a couple times at the beginning, but once again, it was pretty damn boring.  Is it because I don’t know enough about that period in history?  Maybe?  Is it because that period in history is just too terrible to be considered humorous?  Also a possibility. 

I’m glad we’ve marked this off the list.  But I have serious concerns about some of the other movies we have on the list to watch.  Is this going to be the year of crappy movies?  Will MM and I go straight back to the tried and true movies that we’ve watched dozens of times? 

MM’s Review:

I am so utterly disappointed in this movie. And you know who I blame? President Obama. Thanks a lot, Obama.

Going in, I loved the premise. The idea of a whimsical take on the struggle for power in the vacuum of Stalin had me thinking the movie would be a slam dunk. So yeah, I knew it was a comedy going in…

But Steve Fucking Buscemi? Seriously – I love Steve Fucking Buscemi. But casting him as a Russian takes me from a dignified comedy to a slapstick. Okay, it wasn’t just Buscemi, it was also Stalin’s ridiculous voice.

See, I would’ve been okay with slapstick, but that’s not the direction they went. They went with subtle humor, no outright jokes. The indignity of Khrushchev getting Stalin pee on him would’ve been hysterical…if Nikita Fucking Khrushchev wasn’t being played by Steve Fucking Buscemi! The only thing they have in common is the same middle name!

To play the jokes straight, you need to play the actors straight. If you want to give Stalin a silly voice and cast Steve Fucking Buscemi as a Russian, give me some low brow jokes.