Gump

Very nice and touching story, which is able to evoke emotions in the viewer from the beginning to the end and for weaker and more sensitive personalities it can be quite a decent load. I liked the film, it was very well cast, but it didn't emotionally cut me as much as Hachiko... (27/12/2021)

We also have a rescue dog at home (our second). The first one was called Ben. He was an Irish setter who delighted us with his lovely presence for eleven years, and a few times a year he ran off into the woods to chase some deer. The other one is named Rex. He’s a cross between a German Shepherd and a Beagle. He loves getting into mischief, he's simply irresistible. I spend almost all my free time with him, we're always wandering around the neighborhood... If you or your loved ones are dog lovers, I am absolutely sure that this family movie will move and charm you at the same time. Working with animals is not an easy thing to do, which is why I admire the filmmakers. They handled it very well. In short, I've probably never seen a better Czech movie about dogs. It says a lot not only about the guileless animal spirits, but also about people who are not so guileless anymore. Apart from the great camera and beautiful nature shots, I was also impressed by Bolek Polívka’s toned down acting performance. And Gump speaking with his inner voice (unmistakably Ivan Trojan) is guaranteed to delight any child viewer. (80%) (09/05/2023)

The basic story and message are, of course, fine, but I can't pretend that the resulting film as a whole works. What was F. A. Brabec trying to achieve? An illustration for an audiobook, a children's film, a parable? There's a bit of everything here, but it doesn't hold together at all, and that's a fundamental problem. A full-length movie can't rely on just one cute dog, kitschy sunsets, or a bunch of familiar faces in randomly assigned roles. (05/07/2024)