This film had so much promise. The basic idea of the plot, Stalin's love child trying to find himself, is incredibly funny and original. Some of the actors are great, in particular F. Murray Abraham, who does a wonderful job at Stalin. There are some really great, weird, darkly humorous parts to the film. This good part of the film especially centres around Stalin himself, in part since the whole idea of making a comedy about Stalin, a decidedly unfunny person, is itself hilarious and brilliant.
However, the film mostly falls flat. It has many really boring parts which seem thrown in because the makers didn't know what else to do while the funniest themes are left underdeveloped, with a failure to fully use the great comic potential within the film. Other aspects are just plain lame or fail to come together and much of the film seems to just drag on, stumbling aimlessly onward, lost and without any idea of where it should be heading. The result gives the impression that the makers of this film realised that this was wonderful premise but then had no idea what to do with it.
However, the film mostly falls flat. It has many really boring parts which seem thrown in because the makers didn't know what else to do while the funniest themes are left underdeveloped, with a failure to fully use the great comic potential within the film. Other aspects are just plain lame or fail to come together and much of the film seems to just drag on, stumbling aimlessly onward, lost and without any idea of where it should be heading. The result gives the impression that the makers of this film realised that this was wonderful premise but then had no idea what to do with it.