Mimino

To enjoy you must not only know Russian well, but the reality of the USSR in late 70s. The plot is driven by highly unlikely events. However, the two principal characters are believable and recognizable, their irrational actions motivated, the dialog and expressions are trend setting, the actors at their best.

Helicopter pilot from Georgia (the one in the former Soviet Union) goes to Moscow hoping to become an international pilot. There he befriends a guy from Armenia (near Georgia, but not the same!), runs out of money, finds himself in jail, etc. The movie plays out lots of funny differences between Russian (read - European) and Georgian (more Eastern) cultures, provincial vs. big city, and others. And as a golden thread throughout the whole movie - kindness, decency and warm hearts of the heroes. This play on cultural differences evoke "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", which was made thirty years after "Mimino"...

I am not sure if this movie has ever been subtitled in English, but I am sure it would be a delight to American viewers.

After decades, it remains the same. The humor, the seductive plot, the lovely Vakhtang Kikabidze performance. And, sure, the feeling of old world rediscover. Because all is heroic, nice and hopeful like in the time of childhood. The friendship, the ideals, the dialogues and cultural clashes are the good points for one of Soviet films proposing not exactly the picture of a social reality or moralistic lesson but just a simple story about greatness of life.

Never boring, obscene, or stupid, but definitely absolutely charming and legendary. Together with "Kin-Dza-Dza" it achieves the highest heights of cinematography. Both these outstanding masterpieces belong to one and the same director. These two friendly movies are something very special and if you soak up their atmosphere you will definitely see their high class. Our modern cinema can hardly rival their greatness. Under the influence of such rare but perfect movies people would have become more attentive to each other and would have had more common sense. Cinematography would have been a healer and a good reliable teacher then.

The main character is the Man. Probably he is a good-for-nothing brawler, a bad poet, and a poor conversationalist. And he surely does not have lots of dough. And no lethal weapons under his jacket. But he has a heart and behaves in every single situation like a hero. The woman who rejects and mocks him will understand her mistake sooner or later… Why are we writing and reading reviews on IMDb? Even an answer to this question can be found in "Mimino". Remember that scene when he makes a phone call and gets to Israel instead of his village? What a common man of today would do in exactly the same situation? And what the Man would do? Watch it to see. An eternal cinema classic.

Give it a 10, "Zdachi ne nado!" Thanks for attention.

This is one of the BEST and MOST POPULAR Soviet Comedies ever!

In all former Soviet states this film is still loved and admired, so It's pity that non-Russian speaking audience will never get even 10% of its jokes and humor. There are several reasons for this:

1) To understand this (and actually all soviet film) one must not just know the Russian language - one must know the Soviet system, soviet culture, lifestyle.

2) Those who think that Soviet UNION=Russia are very wrong, and here the fact that USSR consisted of 15 different states (and hundreds of nations actually) has a great importance - as the story concerns the "adventures" of two southerners (a Georgian and an Armenian) in Moscow (that was both capital of Russia and USSR)-great deal of humor comes from their accents, as well as cultural differences. The director himself is Georgian who mostly lives in Russia and most of his films concern Russia (almost all of them are very popular in Russia) Only in one film (Ne Goryui!- that is equally as good as this one though very different) the action takes place in Georgia. (other much recommended films are Kin-Dza-Dza and Autumn Marathon..)

3) It is very important to know certain cultural confrontation that existed in USSR and still exists in Russia - Caucasians (Russia is the only v\country where this term means "black, dark person" - i.e. Georgians, Armenians, Azeri, and others) are rather unpopular in Russia (Russian nationalists consider them second main enemy after Jews, now due to Chechnya war Caucasian people became the most unpopular in Russia ); Characters of Georgian And Armenian visually fit the most standard stereotypes that exist in Russia (- big flat hat, moustaches, etc.) Armenians and Georgians for thousands of years had rivalry and competition, each trying to prove that it is older, better, and more cultural than the other;

• AND DESPUITE ALL THIESE Danelia MADE a film where there is no national problem - there are good people and not so good people, friendship and understanding between all these nations win - and therefore the film has a great political-subtexts - though it is delivered so lightly and tenderly that nobody thinks to call it propaganda or political film- its just a CLASSIC SOVIET COMEDY, delicious and funny, not that slapstick-cake-into-face staff, but film about real people, real feelings and real values.