At zije neboztík Review: A Goofy Czech Comedy That Actually Holds Up

If you love old-school screwball comedies where everything that can go wrong does go wrong, At zije neboztík is a absolute gem from 1930s Czechoslovakia. It's totally worth a watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon, especially if you like witty banter and silly misunderstandings.

But hey, if you can't stand old black-and-white films with subtitles or goofy plot conveniences, you should probably skip this one. 🎬

The whole story kicks off with some classic family drama. Petr Suk (played by the wonderfully charming Hugo Haas) is a bit of a party animal, which totally ticks off his rich, grumpy uncle.

So the uncle cuts him off financially and even forces him to change his last name. Talk about petty! 🙄

Then we get the big mix-up that drives the whole plot. Petr goes to the doctor and gets his X-ray swapped with a guy who is actually dying.

He thinks he has exactly one day left to live.

Naturally, when you think you are going to kick the bucket tomorrow, you start acting a little crazy. Hugo Haas is just fantastic at playing this kind of panicked, "I've got nothing to lose" energy.

There is this one scene in the doctor's waiting room where he is staring at the X-ray with this wide-eyed, completely blank look. It goes on a bit too long but it's honestly hilarious. 😂

Also, there's Alice (the gorgeous Adina Mandlová), a nurse who stands to inherit a fortune from the uncle if she gets married.

You can see where this is going from a mile away, but the journey is so much fun.

Unlike some heavier dramas of the era, like Sleeping Fires or even some early talkies like Over the Garden Wall, this film doesn't take itself seriously at all.

The writing by Haas and Martin Frič is sharp, though some of the jokes feel a bit dusty now.

There is a gag with a hat that doesn't quite land, reminding me of the silly physical humor in I Haven't Got a Hat, but it's still charming in its own way.

I love how cheap some of the indoor sets look. You can almost see the painted walls shaking when someone slams a door.

But that's part of the magic of 1930s European cinema, isn't it? It feels alive and slightly messy.

Adina Mandlová has this incredible screen presence, even when she's just standing in the background looking annoyed.

Her chemistry with Haas is the real engine of the movie.

Some of the side characters are totally forgettable, though.

There's a lawyer who seems to exist only to explain the will, and his scenes feel like they drag on forever.

But when Haas is on screen, pacing back and forth, trying to decide how to spend his "last" 24 hours, the movie just flies by.

It's got that high-energy, theatrical vibe where people are constantly entering and exiting rooms at the exact wrong moment.

If you want a deep, philosophical masterpiece, look elsewhere.

But if you want to see a guy panic-buying stuff and trying to find a husband for a pretty nurse because he thinks he's a dead man walking, this is pure joy.

Some random things I noticed:

• The doctor's mustache is so big it almost has its own credit.
• That X-ray machine looks like a medieval torture device. ⚡
• A couple of background extras are clearly looking right at the camera in the street scene.
• The uncle's house has some incredibly ugly wallpaper.