User reviews

I am surprised that only 18 people (including myself) have rated this movie. I think someone needs to spread the word how wonderful this movie is and I guess I nominate myself. First of all this movie is very light; like angel cake, sweet and fluffy. Its shot in black and white(definitely makes it more special). If I could compare this movie I would say its similar to "Lyoghiy Par" but much funnier. The movie flows pretty well and I would say there isn't a single boring part. Its definitely Romantic Comedy with a twist. Its excellent both for young and older generation (Both Myself and my Mom love this movie). Its in my top 10 and I maybe it will be in yours also!

Our main character(Yuri Yakovlev - Ivan Vasilevich menyaet professiyu) works at a dry cleaner. He is embarrassed to talk about his job and tries to avoid the "job" question to his 2 newly arrived guests. He can only keep that up for a while before he decides to lie and tell them that he works with chemicals/solutions. He falls for the lady guest and begs his little but big hearted sister (Devchata) to go along with his lies. But not all is well as we find out that he is not the only one trying to impress with the big lie.

*Its been a while since I've seen this movie so forgive me if I'm a little off with the information. Tried my best!

I've come across this film by chance, because I would never have looked for it, otherwise. People like me, who know a little the Soviet cinema, know that this is not the usual Soviet stuff. You think you are watching a Billy Wilder or Howard Hawks movie in Russian! Quick and ironic dialogues, a good plot, not a moment of rest, a litlle of social satire, and that kind of humour which today is very rare to find: subtle and understated, but nonetheless effective. The actors are all good, and you see that they believe in what they are doing. Yuriy Yakovlev became later a star in the USSR. The director is particularly inspired and makes no mistakes. It should be dubbed in other languages and known abroad.

"Legkaya zhizn" (Easy life) is an example of how propaganda task gave birth to real masterpieces of play cinema in USSR. When I watch this movie I realize that it is propaganda and still I can not deny it is life sized truth to the last word in the last dialogue. To understand the "Lyogkaya zhizn" movie you have first to refer to the common belief that people in USSR lived under totalitarian oppression, working hard in the communist party factories for a bowl of borsch and a ticket to the Red Army Choire concert once in a decade. So, no wonder, some talented people, full of entrepreneurship spirit and business vision, preferred not to pay taxes by running secretly their own private businesses. They also could use their high education they received at no charge in the soviet institutes and universities to build and to promote their own secret officially illegal business empires to guarantee a more happy, more independent, a more free life, where bigger money come to you solely as a result of your own vision, risk, initiative, entrepreneurship, ability to keep things secret and if necessary, to lie, and the clear vision of the flaws and holes in the soviet economy. What makes "Lyogkaya zhizn" so beautiful and all-time movie is that author never argues neither with the alleged totalitarian oppression system nor with secret private entrepreneurship, but goes straight to the core of the problem - a desire for "Easy life" which comes first of all. When you can have everything what money can buy why start your career from the very basic level somewhere in the hick town ? Right and honest question made it possible to make "Lyogkaya zhizn" a light, comedy, slice of real life, with no false or boring place or moment. I re-watch it from time to time, and it must be already 20 or 40 revisits in all. They even put Adam's scull in the opening sequence, dropping a hint, that they don't care a rush about the political or economical questions, at least for 1.5 hour...