Review by Smillas_sister

A truly Dickensian satirical comedy featuring vignettes from the mid-19th century life in the Russian Empire.

Misha Balzaminov is a hapless, poorly paid young clerk who spends all his spare time daydreaming about finding himself a rich bride. Assisted in this task by his simple-minded mother and her friend the matchmaker, he embarks on his search which puts him in a number of side-splittingly embarrassing situations. The young man's greedy and selfish character is tempered by his naivete and by the natural charm of the leading actor (Georgy Vitsin).

The film is based on the theater play trilogy by the leading 19th-century Russian playwright Alexander N. Ostrovsky, much loved for his hilarious and tragic depictions of Russia's emerging middle class. The filmmakers expertly blend all three stories of Balzaminov's clumsy courtships together, embellishing them with star performances from some of Russia's finest actors. This, together with the film's kind and humorous atmosphere, has made it an everlasting classic with the Russian audience.