Comic Sans (2018) User Reviews

I watched it once, but saw two different movies

[m4000 · 8/10 · 7 August 2019]

I've watched "Comic Sans" on HBO - swallowed it one go. I enjoyed it enough to recommend it to other people as "worth seeing". Good movie.

One morning later, I woke up establishing a new layer of understanding of this move. The one which goes beyond the character level straight into national level. And national levels are very dangerous levels for us in the Balkans, as you might know.

Croatians on one, and Serbs, and Slovenians on the other side, are not a shining example of friendship. Historically, hatred and death were more common than love and cooperation.

So, here comes the parallel which I saw, through several bullets:

* Given that Alan represents Croatia - we see it in the state of frustration and disorientation which, btw, is the current state of all other countries on the Balkan.

This frustration is then more specifically demonstrated in several directions, most of them can be considered almost as cliché in our regions.

* Alan, being delusional, sexually abuses a daughter of a Serb. For that, later-on, he gets severely beaten. I saw that as "traditional" Croatian frustration and fighting with Serbs.

* Alan, sexually enjoys his Croatian ex-girlfriend for the last time, before she goes and lives "happily ever after" with a Slovenian rich guy. I saw clear equivalent with the "Gulf of Piran" dispute between Croatia and Slovenia.

* Alan and his dad, being delusional again, find fun and enjoyment in two European ladies. However, when showing a bit of a rough temper, they get ditched on a deserted island. Isn't this the general feeling nations get when being subjected to a whole load of EU rules for which, if not followed, countries get punished.

* For Alan, last but not the least, there is the moment of reconciliation with his own father Bruno, or shall we say, with his origins --- which he also uses to explain his state today. I have to be careful here, but there are quite some things in the past Croatians should not be proud of. I guess, reconciliation with that is still in progress...

I'm curious if the director was explicitly aware of these parallels or is this just part of the Croatian current culture which unavoidably slips into creations like this move. I especially like the ending. Reconciliation and the question --- what to do next?

This is something we all (nations) desperately need to do soon.

Good movie - worth seeing. Even if, only, at the character level 😊.

Beigbeder's $9.99 + croatian Pulp Fiction = great movie !

[livoasca · 7/10 · 20 April 2018]

The movie borrows from some well-known sources, but does a superb job at getting away with it ! A delicious watch.

A good and entertaining Croatian romantic drama

[drugsale · 6/10 · 23 October 2021]

Lost love can make you mad, especially if you take it for granted during the relationship. At the end, when it's gone you finally realize the void inside your life. Alan Despot (Janko Popovic Volaric) is a successful graphic designer whose life, both privately and professionally, turns upside down after a failed romantic relationship. He's desperately trying to find comfort in alcohol and cocaine entering a downward spiral. The sudden death of a distant relative allows him to escape his daily routine by going to a funeral in the other part of the country with his estranged father Bruno Despot (Zlatko Buric).

This film is not a must-watch but it's a good and entertaining film if you want to watch something as a relaxation. The story and acting are solid, especially the performance of father Bruno Despot. He manages to capture the persona of a passive unconventional artistic guy who just doesn't care too much about organized family life. Even though there are humorous scenes there aren't too many epic and memorable scenes or monologues/dialogues that would make this film a must-watch classic. The female characters could have been better developed. We just don't get too much insight into their lives and may come across as one-dimensional and easy.

I'm glad that I have watched the film. It is not hard to connect with different characters in the movie and see a part of yourself and your past mistakes in some situations.

Fantastic! When you suffer for love...

[leonidasoriginal · 9/10 · 24 January 2020]

...because you are affraid of being alone. : This is lovely comedy-drama, an original movie. His "hardship" feels authentic, but clearly the goal of the movie is to show us how dumb we can be for, even not so real, love. Loved the story and charaters. Must see. Dad is a specially awesome guy, but loved them all.

A True Gem!

[LinPijuk · 10/10 · 24 March 2018]

Nevio Marasovic scores again! This is a bittersweet story about a successful thirty-something graphic designer from Zagreb, a playboy with several bad habits (addictions, actually), going through a nervous breakdown after being dumped by his girlfriend. A chip from the old block, when hell breaks loose, he decides to accompany his father to a remote Croatian island for the funeral of some long forgotten aunt... Photography is stunning, acting as well, rhythm is perfectly balanced. 103 minutes of pure enjoyment.

Underwhelming

[pevejeya · 4/10 · 23 July 2019]

The main reason I remain unimpressed is the fact we were given an unsympathetic character to follow who only repeated frequent movie-protagonist stereotypes such as drinking, drugs, smoking and cheating in a relationship. The cheating aspect I felt was quite trivialised, not actually in terms of the male protagonist but the two females who were for some reason quick to cheat on their boyfriends with the protagonist for God knows what reason (repeating the cliche about girls liking bad boys) but in the end their two partners never find out. Maybe such a thing happens in real life but it's unsatisfying to watch. The protagonist's road to self-improvement starts somewhat later in the film, which isn't ideal given the fact he isn't sympathetic, but therefore I enjoyed even more the fact that his transformation in the end isn't overly dramatic but milder. However, the lateness also created an issue in defining the relationship of the protagonist and his father. We never find out why there are issues. We can't judge does the protagonist have a legitimate reason to be angry with him or not. Their interactions were otherwise nice. Nothing revolutionary but was precisely that every day-ness and familiarity that made it enjoyable for me as I could identify. Some acting performances were nice and the scenery of the island of Vis as well but that wasn't enough for me, especially since I've seen numerous positive reactions.