The Can

Le Code pénal devrait introduire un nouveau type de crime : la profanation du cinéma tchèque. Le coupable principal serait Tomáš Vorel Sr. Et comme condamnation, ce serait la cessation de l’activité – entre vingt-cinq ans et à perpétuité. (30/03/2008)

“I’m not being cheeky, I’m being honest." Me too. A crock of shit. At least at the beginning. But after a while it gets much better, increasing to great in the second half. Vorel relies quite heavily on leaving us in the dark about if he means this seriously or not. Occasionally it rides a slapstick wave we saw Elf, then there are fragments of drama, teenager comedy and countless other styles and genres - often all in one single scene (e.g. Mádl’s skulking departure from school). The greatest downside, apart from genre fluctuation, is the sedentary form which is more like something out of an old black and white movie than something for teenagers. (02/04/2008)

I passed on this movie for a long time. Now I'm thinking: “Why?" But then I just wave my hand over it: "Maybe it's better that way. Today was the right mood for it..." Yes, you have fun at some parts, sometimes you’re saying to yourself: "That's exactly what we did. Ugh, goniometric functions!", sometimes you might be sad... Sometimes I have the feeling that we can't get enough of these "Czech" films. Every film that goes to the cinema must inexorably smell like "ours". How would a true popcorn spectacle end up in this country? And why am I writing about this here? Yeah, the Lord moves in mysterious ways... ;) Oh and: I don’t know why, but it seems to me that Czechs still haven’t learned how to film a kiss. I don't know what it is, but it seems that way to me. I'd rather watch an American one. Yikes. (23/08/2008)

Even though I don't consider graffiti great art and I avoided grammar school, I am still glad that it is still the same two years after leaving high school and will be for a long time to come. I see the problem more in the creative will of a generational statement, which cannot work thanks to the often grotesque humor, into which Vorel pushes the film too violently (cameos of the cellar-dwellers, interviews aiming to provide a crazy catchphrase). I’m giving it a weaker, but still well-deserved 4 stars, taking into consideration how I'll perceive it in ten years. PS: Mádl is incredible and his bright top Czech acting future is already opening doors for him. (29/05/2008)

I like Vorel and I am satisfied that he was successful with a project that I personally considered absolute nonsense from the beginning. Surprisingly, this probe into the lives of contemporary teenagers did not allow itself to be stopped by the director's indecision as to whether to be authentic or to submit to the typical cellar style of complete overacting. Mádl is perfect and absolutely convincing, Vorel Jr. is halfway there, yet still decent. The old guard are halfway there; for example, I consider Holubová, Bydžovská, Schmitzer, Matonoha really excellent, Hanák and the cellar boys are riding the Smoke wave again... it just doesn't work together. Vorel works with a semi-caricature, sometimes I would say that The Can truly corresponds to it (both in the chosen language and acting positions), and sometimes it slips into the original effort to "be about everything, no matter what the cost" (the self-injuring episode is seriously horrible). The Can is not perfect, but in some places it is perfectly shot, in some places it is perfectly coordinated and in some cases it chills you. It makes you laugh in many places, sometimes even at the cost of awkwardness. The fact is that I had a good time for 105 minutes from Vorel's perspective on contemporary youth, who are neither too adult nor too childish. It’s… Vorel. And that’s all you need to know. 70% (04/11/2007)