Women on the Run

After coming home from watching Women on the Run, I immediately became a man on the run, put on my sneakers, shorts and a hoodie and made a run for it. After the jog, I realizedI was feeling just as good as when I was watching this classic “feel-good” movie, which was very nice to watch. And the same goes to the good-looking actresses and nice shots of Prague. Nice! I’m happy to see that Martin Horský is good at his job and over the years, he has learned to make these very pleasant comedies, which keep getting better with his every next film. (2019-04-16)

You could say that on one hand this film encourages women to be confident and celebrates the strength created when women come together. But on the other hand, it portrays women as simple animals who have one goal in life – to find a man and force him, by any means necessary, to put a ring on their finger. I'm not sure if Martin meant to point out this sad setup of society or if he thinks that this is just the way the world works. Either way, he somehow managed to strike a balance and set a pleasantly combative atmosphere that almost encouraged the audience to get up and start running. In short, I really enjoyed the girls, and Ondra played the jerk well too. I'll go again next time. 4 stars. (2019-02-22)

Unexpected fun. It wasn't as awkward as Czech comedies can sometimes be. It was nice how everyone around me in the cinema was laughing, occasionally someone shouted: "Just like at my house." And that's probably great, isn’t it, that the audience can identify with the characters so easily? Of course, their whole lives were simplistic, but so it wasn't a probe into the lives of three/four women, it was actually a romantic comedy, and within that genre it did what it was supposed to do. Mostly it did without fecal humor, so that’s a thumbs up for me. What surprised me was that it was an enjoyable mindless spectacle, really unpretentious to watch, that didn't insult the viewer's intellect since it didn't even try to pretend to be anything emancipated or deep. (2019-03-11)

Women on the Run is just like all those Men and Women movies, whatever monikers they're given. Maybe Horský will be the new Vejdělek, who knows. The screenwriter is the one who wrote Stuck with a Perfect Woman and two other crappy romcoms. Nowadays it’s a necessity for a successful film of this genre to star Vetchý, the female counterpart has to be a popular face from TV, and the theme has to be trendy (who doesn't run and buy modern sportswear nowadays?). All of that can be found here. I saw the unfinished cut before the movie theater release and the target audience was enthusiastic, but these are the mothers who don't know Czech films. The final version is not much different, only in that bit cuts the scenes that the common people did not understand or were bored by, or they laughed at others more. (2019-01-29)

I was expecting a comedy and the film certainly didn't lack humor, but it was a bit puerile. If I was twelve, I would probably burst out laughing at all that shit, beavers and cucumbers. I've grown up a little since then, so many of the scenes felt just awkward. Plus, all the events seemed extremely unrealistic – a kind of utopia with a contrived plot. (2019-10-22)

Although it was extremely predictable and quite clichéd, overall the film left me with rather positive impressions. It wasn't awkward, overdone, or distasteful. On the other hand, after fifteen minutes, it was clear how it would end for all three sisters, and Women on the Run didn't bring anything original or new, nothing surprised. We all know that Kubárová is attractive and ethereal, Boková is sexy with a husky voice, and Hofmann will play everything. A decent performance for a directorial debut. (2019-10-26)

I admit I didn't have high expectations when I went to see Women on the Run. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is at its core a relaxed romantic comedy, which has quite a lot of jokes bordering on awkwardness, but there are a few really funny situations. Mostly, however, I'm in a positive mood after watching it, which is not usually the case when I'm fishing in the Czech film pond of the last few years. (65%) (2020-10-03)

The movie is as straightforward as an Australian highway, there is not a single surprising moment and yes, you could have a million issues with it. However, the truth is that it is a feel-good film with impeccable acting performances (Ondřej Vetchý has pretty much become a safe bet for this genre) and I’m not going to lie, I had to factor its incredible success in the theaters into my rating, because attracting 1.3 million viewers is a big-time achievement these days. When I think of all the Czech crazy comedy hell which usually comes out in the theaters, thank God for Women on the Run. Of course, there are some cringeworthy scenes here and there, but I can honestly say that it was fun to watch most of the time. On a final note, I have been waiting for a long time for someone to use “Když nemůžeš, tak přidej” (“When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going”) one of the recent Czech hits in the soundtrack and it was spot on in this movie. (2019-10-18)