veo This is the first un-Romanian Romanian movie. It's the first Romanian film, after the '89 revolution, not built on social themes, on the subject of the Securitate officers or about how bad life is in Romania. It's the film we all needed like air: without intellectualized-psychological-metaphysical ambitions, without hidden metaphors born out of the dire fear of not being praised by critics. It's simply a film about the husband-wife relationship, about the father and husband responsibility versus the desire to party with old friends. "Boogie" is also the first movie that may very well have been American, French or Uruguayan. It doesn't matter it takes place in Romania; it doesn't exhibit the national character, it doesn't take apart the mechanism of the Wallachian soul, it doesn't realize the radiography of the Romanian society. It is simply a film about people in their 30's who try to reconcile marriage and partying, freedom and responsibilities, teenage and adulthood.There are also shortcomings (but infinitely less important than the film's qualities): the annoying compromise aimed at pleasing the critics (that is the missing end, or conclusion, of the film, which, it seems, automatically marks it as an "art film"), generally speaking the paradoxical lack of sense of the movie (which seemed more of an episode of a good series), also casting Anamaria Marinca - one of the few finest Romanian actresses, who plays sensationally, but seems to be overqualified for this role.Back to the qualities of the film: they all played exceptionally well; special mentions for the always excellent Mimi Branescu and for the funny as hell Roxana Iancu; dialogs are great; you even get to laugh heartily (a rare thing when it comes to Romanian films); it is never boring, not for one second; and it has some metaphors, too :)))) A special mention for the voluptuous pleasure with which the writers have the characters utter brand names, against the nowadays dimwitted trend of eliminating, to the absurd, their pronunciation at TV. It's a good thing the director comes from advertising ;) I would like "Boogie" to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship - between the Romanian movie maker and the public. The beginning has been made...

stelianne This movie you either like all the way to the end - or you dislike entirely. This will explain some of the most-favorable comments, but also some of the opinions against it. There's no middle way - either you're into this type of movies, or not. The amateurs for action, rough scenes, twisted plots and stuff like that will be left unsatisfied. The action is slow - however, the dialogue and the acting are extremely intelligent and well-performed. I know the Western viewer is not familiar with this type of cinema, and may not like it. In a way, you have to be a Romanian to like it. However, I'd like to think for myself that is because of movies like these that I believe again in the fate of Romanian cinema. Movies like "Hartia va fi albastra", "Patru luni, trei saptamini..." and now "Boogie" give me great hope. Great actors, great movie, awesome experience. Highly recommended.

wednesdaynight I regret wasting two hours of my life with this film. Plot-wise, it is utterly pointless, Dragos Bucur's unconvincing struggle with his midlife crisis managed only to annoy the hell out of me. Frankly, it was so bad that it became uncomfortable to watch and I even considered walking out of the theatre, but I endured eventually. Also, from a technical point of view, this film is the perfect example of a standard Romanian production. Sound quality and cinematography are ridiculous. The background noises manage to drown half of the lines (not that one misses much wit there). Everything that could go wrong in a typically Romanian film goes wrong. There is really no point in seeing this for yourself, save two hours of your life and watch something else.

Jules et Jim I guess Radu Muntean was wrong by expecting his movie to have more appeal to the general audience than "Hartia va fi albastra". It's obviously too subtle and stylish. As one can easily notice, the uneducated spectators, brain-washed by the blockbusters, are simply unable to grok it.Bogdan Ciocazan's struggle with the final good-bye to youth and ultimate step into maturity is convincing and full of feeling, and it really touches one's heart. What annoyed me for real were the reactions of the few baboons who left the theater, muttering about "hey, it ain't nuthin' but words 'ere, nuthin' does't 'appenin'!" Again, Tudor Lucaciu's cinematography is a perfect example of the new values reached by Romanian movie-making - but you need to have watched more than Nicolaescu and Dragan, shot by old-timers as Girardi, to fully appreciate a stylish photography. As such, it's strongly recommended to see it - but, of course, only if you know what cinema is about. If not, no loss - "Poveste de cartier" is waiting for you, with its light-drowning images and hifi Dolby manele!