In the film based on an Ivan Turgenev ("First Love"), the college bound (Nick Stahl) is spending the last summer before he goes away to school outside Moscow, in the country. He soon becomes smitten with the neighbors' beautiful daughter, Zinaida (Kirsten Dunst). It's not long, though, before Vladimir realizes that he's just one member of a long line of suitors vying for Zinaida's heart---including his own father.
At first I thought this movie would be something I would enjoy. I've always been a fool for a costume drama. However, the horrible dialogue makes this movie hard to watch. Generally, I love watching both Dunst and Stahl, but not in this movie. I applaud not forcing bad accents, but why did they bring in crusty British accents? I found this movie completely void of any real plot. I rented this movie in hopes of seeing a romance, and through the slow beginning I continued to watch the film in hopes that it would speed up. I found it irritating that the entire movie was narrated. Although, the narrative did provide most of the plot! The acting was OK, but the character's actions were silly to me. In the end, I would not recommend this movie to anyone,
