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Autumn Spring

PG-13 Released Jan 1, 2002 1h 37m Comedy List
97% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 83% Audience Score 1,000+ Ratings Fanda (Vlastimil Brodský) refuses to act like the old man he is. Rather, he squanders the savings that his wife, Emilie (Stella Zazvorkova), has put away for their eventual burials and funerals by playing pranks and running up large food and drink tabs with his friend, Eda (Stanislav Zindulka). Their son, Jara (Ondrej Vetchý), wants Fanda to grow up and is trying to get both his parents to move out of his place into a retirement home, but Fanda won't take on the responsibilities of old age. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

View All (37) Critics Reviews
John Monaghan Detroit Free Press Worth a look for anyone in the mood for a story about an old man who lives by Dylan Thomas' advice about not going gently into the night. Rated: 3/4 Jan 2, 2004 Full Review Moira MacDonald Seattle Times A gentle story of love and kindness. Rated: 3/4 Dec 12, 2003 Full Review Walter V. Addiego San Francisco Chronicle Director Vladimir Michalek and writer Jiri Hubac deftly suggest the pathos of old age while avoiding the saccharine and the morbid. Rated: 3/4 Nov 21, 2003 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Oct 11, 2005 Full Review Urban Cinefile Critics Urban Cinefile With its uplifting moral to stay young at heart, Autumn Spring is a bittersweet charmer about rogues, relationships and growing old. Jul 24, 2004 Full Review James Verniere Boston Herald Rated: 3.5/4 Feb 2, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (67) audience reviews
dave s Autumn Spring, the story of an elderly married couple dealing with the idea of mortality, is a touching but humorous examination of how we mentally prepare for death. Emilie collects death notices, visits the cemetery and squirrels away money to pay for her funeral. Her husband, Fanda, tries to make the most of his final years, living life as he always has, playing pranks, indulging in his vices, and generally having fun. There's plenty of pathos and the film risks delving into the area of maudlin, but it keeps its head above water by remaining light but insightful. The movie looks great with a bright color palette and agile cinematography as the camera pokes and probes in a Scorsese-like manner, and the performances by the two leads are inspiring. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Very enjoyable, although you need to think your way into being Czech and old first. Fanda is a character, and full of life: money is a toy, and flutters through his fingers like so much confetti. His wife has a hard time, and his son's family arrangements are putting a load of extra pressure on them both. Perceptive and affectionate, if a little slow in parts. It's about relationships more than events. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member this is a movie about old age but the movie never grows old to me :) saw it thrice. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review jesse o This movie is really sad when you find out, and I found out months prior to watching the movie because I do research, that Vladimil Brodsky committed suicide shortly after filming this movie. It makes watching really bittersweet, when you see how this character plays out on screen as someone who just wants to enjoy life by playing pranks on people to feel alive and young again. It's really a great and charming performance, quite frankly the three leads are all great. The story is also really good, seeing how this man's behavior ultimately hurts the person he loves the most. It's very believable to think that this man, who's close to the end of his life, to want to feel young and alive again by doing what he does. It's also believable to see his wife react the way she does. It's just great. And it deals with the death issue in a mature manner, it doesn't feel melodramatic. Overall it's just a really great movie with very funny and touching moments. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The story was beautiful and it had some funny moments in the movie. The main character was kind of annoying though. Also it can be very slow in the first half of it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Not Too Shabby. Brilliant on all levels. Masterful composition & lighting with a warm heart of a story to give it pulse. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Autumn Spring

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Fanda (Vlastimil Brodský) refuses to act like the old man he is. Rather, he squanders the savings that his wife, Emilie (Stella Zazvorkova), has put away for their eventual burials and funerals by playing pranks and running up large food and drink tabs with his friend, Eda (Stanislav Zindulka). Their son, Jara (Ondrej Vetchý), wants Fanda to grow up and is trying to get both his parents to move out of his place into a retirement home, but Fanda won't take on the responsibilities of old age.
Director
Vladimir Michalek
Producer
Jiri Bartoska, Jaroslav Kucera
Screenwriter
Jiri Hubac
Distributor
First Look
Production Co
BKP Film
Rating
PG-13 (Language)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
Czech
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 1, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$67.3K
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Surround