Mark_Kral

The film is a contemporary Anglicized version of a dark comedy of a Soviet historical event. It is funny and biting satire and farce, but one can also understand why Russians would feel offended by its oversimplification and stereotyping. It could be said that Stalin and his goons don't deserve better but there is an unease about trashing another country's past like that. Stalin is an easy target - one can certainly see how, if the roles were reversed, and Russians would make a film about... let's say Bush, the outcry would be immense. Still, if one can bracket that discussion, the resulting film is enjoyable, and I don't think it's a bad thing to ridicule the world's politicians and dictators - if anything, we need more satire like this for our current political goons and absurdist reality.

A nifty film about cultural differences and how meaningless they really are. It's refreshing to see a multinational movie in our time of so much division. The movie references many other films, set in similar locales, or dealing with cuisine, blending them together with its own humor and panache. In the beginning, it takes a while for the movie to get on the road, but once it does, it becomes a pleasurable and ultimately uplifting experience.