Why Její lékar (1933) is a cozy, imperfect watch

If you are in the mood for some dusty, black-and-white Czech comedy from 1933, Její lékar is actually a pretty fun watch. 🎬

But look, if you hate old movies where the sound crackles like a campfire and everyone talks like they are standing on a theatre stage, you should probably skip this one.

The plot is super simple. Hugo Haas plays this doctor who gets mixed up in some classic romantic misunderstandings.

Honestly, I watched this mostly for Haas. He has this incredibly warm, slightly tired energy that makes even the dumbest jokes work.

There is this one scene where he tries to look busy in his office and he just keeps rearranging the same three books. It is so stupid but it made me laugh out loud.

And then you have Lída Baarová. She is incredibly famous for... well, other things later in history, but here she is just young and very charming.

Her character is a bit of a spoiled brat though. Sometimes you just want to tell her to sit down and stop complaining about her minor inconveniences.

The whole thing feels very cozy, like drinking tea in a room that is slightly too warm. ☕

It reminds me a bit of American comedies from the same year, like The Keyhole, where the plot is basically just an excuse to get attractive people in the same room.

But Její lékar does not have that sleek Hollywood shine. Everything feels a bit more creaky, and honestly, I kind of prefer it that way.

The set design is pretty funny too. You can tell they had like, three rooms total to shoot this entire movie in.

In one scene, a character walks out of a door, and in the next shot, you can clearly tell they just turned the camera around and used the exact same door for a different house.

Nobody is trying to make a masterpiece here. It is just a light, slightly silly movie meant to make people forget about their problems for ninety minutes.

The ending is incredibly rushed. Like, one minute everyone is screaming at each other, and then suddenly they just decide everything is fine and the movie ends.

I literally had to rewind because I thought I missed a scene. Nope, they just ran out of film or something!

Anyway, if you like old school charm and do not mind some rough edges, give it a go. It is much more lively than some other dry dramas from that era, like Pretty Lady.