Leonard Kniffel More than a dozen years after it was made, I settled down to watch this highly lauded Polish film and soon wondered what took me so long. "Day of the Wacko" is Polish cinema at its best. It's as if Federico Fellini had made "Jackass, the Movie." Brilliantly played by Marek Kondrat, the main character is a jackass, a bitter 49-year-old man who hates his life. His obsessive-compulsive daily routines, his insomnia, and his contempt for other people, have made a mess of him. He lives in a delusional world in which he is the only sane and rational person. Through his world view, however, comes a well deserved satirizing of the commercialization of Polish life and the vapid individuals who inhabit his world. We end up sympathizing with him, as his son, his former wife, his mother, and all of his neighbors display their absurd normalcy. This is comedy that makes you think.

Maciek Kur I've seen this movie about three-four times over the years on different occasion and I find it just more and more unpleasant. The movie tries to be a commentary about Poland but sadly when all of you're commentary focuses only on negatives it come out more as a propaganda then a satire. It's just feels way to manipulative for me. Yes Polish society have problems but the way movie hammers in the messages is just painful to watch. To make it worse - it's just not that funny. Most observations are pretty obvious so there is nothing really new.Another problem is the main hero which I had hard time to relate to. Much like the movie he only focuses on negative things in his life which once again makes him not very sympathetic character. Both the hero and the script writer comes out as whinny and people who just can't enjoy life for a single moment and if your message is that all people in Poland are this way I can't agree or give the movie any respect. It lost me early on and 2-3 funny moments aren't enough to win me back especially is most of so called is just vulgar...

valis1949 DAY OF THE WACKO, directed by Marek Koterski, is a rather droll comedy about the daily life of an eccentric and depressed Polish high-school teacher. He's angry, lonely, underpaid, unappreciated, and can envision no end to his predicament. Imagine a film in which the ambient spirit of Eleanor Rigby is reconfigured as a very frustrated Polish, middle-aged nerd, and you come close to the tone of this dark farce. There are some scenes which are very funny, and others are just plain odd. Yet, overall, the film is worth a look. When the hero visits the beach to relax and unwind, he meets some of the craziest and bizarre characters that one could imagine. A few of these scenes are flat-out hysterical. Bonus Features are all in Polish without sub-titles.

Nick A I'm not Polish, but I had the pleasure of visiting most of the country on multiple occasions, I studied there, I dated there. To all the critics who despise the use of profanity, the vulgar approaches of the protagonist, or the economical background, I invite them to take a closer look around Poland. If the described situations are unrealistic, then this is only half true. There are much worse and true facts that are either not mentioned or unexplored in this movie, like the feeling of unsafety, the neediness for capitalism and the exploitation hereof, and the careless and emotionless attitude of the young (men).Apart from that, this movie nails it. I saw it during a screening in my classes on Polish culture (braught by Polish teachers). I laughed out loud after the first words were uttered when the main character woke up. How sad, but how true his words were. Of course this is satire. What happens here to one person could at most be the combination of a hundred people involved. Still, the pain is real. It's not an easy life out there if you're a local. Everyday is a struggle, the English language is an unrealistic necessity, money is a key word.Keep an open mind when you watch this one. Seek out the good parts (I enjoyed all the dog references, since I'm not a big dog fan), and know that politically, economically, and privately, this does represent a part of Poland. I love that country though, with all its flaws. It's just not always easy.The movie gets a 10 from me. I haven't seen anything like it, and I've seen most.