An actor as iconic as Robin Williams playing a Russian? Could it work? You wouldn't think so but the splendid little flick Moscow on the Hudson makes it work. Robin Williams stars as a Russian saxophone player named Vladimir Ivanoff. Vladimir and the circus troupe he performs with take a trip to the United States in to perform. While there, Vladimir makes the spontaneous decision to defect while in Bloomingdale's. He manages to get away with it and is left in the states. There he makes friends, looks for work, and learns why America is the greatest country in the world. The film doesn't come without its cheese, but there's something so charming and lovable about the film that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
First thing's first, Robin Williams is as good as ever in this flick. He sports an impressive Russian accent throughout the film and about a quarter of his dialogue is actually in Russian, a language you would think he was already fluent in with how well he spoke it. Plus, the character of Vladimir Ivanoff is wonderfully lovable and it's a joy to watch his character progress and mature. Moscow on the Hudson at first starts out with the goofy and confused foreigner who doesn't know what he's doing, but it slowly moves away from that cliché as it makes Vladimir into a real character, rather than a gimmick. He is perfectly believable and goes through a progression that I can buy into. The film deals with the overwhelming nature of America for a foreigner, and it hits on some great points that go along with these ideas. Watching as Vladimir copes with the bustling New York City life is entertaining as well as touching and charming. We feel all of his excitement, anxiety, and even pain as he struggles with such a drastic change in lifestyles.
Now, as interesting as the character development of this film might be, it is served with a heaping side of fresh cheese. There are some undeniably silly moments of the film where it begins to take itself a little too seriously and goes too much of a clichéd route to get a point across. I understand that one of the central themes of this film is America as the greatest country in the world, despite all of the problems, but this point is driven a little too exaggerated at points. There is one particularly eye-roll worthy scene on the fourth of July when Vladimir and other immigrants are quoting the Declaration of Independence and other parts of the Constitution inside a café, showing how we can all come together and put aside our differences. I found this to be a little too obvious and melodramatic and wished the film would have toned down some of the cliché in spots. However, it didn't keep me from really enjoying the majority of this film.
I didn't have a clue what to expect going into Moscow on the Hudson, but I'm very glad I watched it. I probably wouldn't sit through it again, as I got everything I needed out of one viewing. This is a fun film with great characters and fantastic performances. It delivers a sincere, albeit clichéd, message that makes the film a little more than just another silly foreigner in America film. Plus, putting this film in context makes it all the more important. This is a Cold War era film that really pushes a message of peace and love, and I give it undying respect for that. It shows that we can get along if we just try, while also exemplifying that America stands to be the nation of peace and acceptance. Whether that is true today is up in the air, but that's a whole different topic. The fact of the matter is, Moscow on the Hudson is a pleasant little film that is well worth a one time watch.
First thing's first, Robin Williams is as good as ever in this flick. He sports an impressive Russian accent throughout the film and about a quarter of his dialogue is actually in Russian, a language you would think he was already fluent in with how well he spoke it. Plus, the character of Vladimir Ivanoff is wonderfully lovable and it's a joy to watch his character progress and mature. Moscow on the Hudson at first starts out with the goofy and confused foreigner who doesn't know what he's doing, but it slowly moves away from that cliché as it makes Vladimir into a real character, rather than a gimmick. He is perfectly believable and goes through a progression that I can buy into. The film deals with the overwhelming nature of America for a foreigner, and it hits on some great points that go along with these ideas. Watching as Vladimir copes with the bustling New York City life is entertaining as well as touching and charming. We feel all of his excitement, anxiety, and even pain as he struggles with such a drastic change in lifestyles.
Now, as interesting as the character development of this film might be, it is served with a heaping side of fresh cheese. There are some undeniably silly moments of the film where it begins to take itself a little too seriously and goes too much of a clichéd route to get a point across. I understand that one of the central themes of this film is America as the greatest country in the world, despite all of the problems, but this point is driven a little too exaggerated at points. There is one particularly eye-roll worthy scene on the fourth of July when Vladimir and other immigrants are quoting the Declaration of Independence and other parts of the Constitution inside a café, showing how we can all come together and put aside our differences. I found this to be a little too obvious and melodramatic and wished the film would have toned down some of the cliché in spots. However, it didn't keep me from really enjoying the majority of this film.
I didn't have a clue what to expect going into Moscow on the Hudson, but I'm very glad I watched it. I probably wouldn't sit through it again, as I got everything I needed out of one viewing. This is a fun film with great characters and fantastic performances. It delivers a sincere, albeit clichéd, message that makes the film a little more than just another silly foreigner in America film. Plus, putting this film in context makes it all the more important. This is a Cold War era film that really pushes a message of peace and love, and I give it undying respect for that. It shows that we can get along if we just try, while also exemplifying that America stands to be the nation of peace and acceptance. Whether that is true today is up in the air, but that's a whole different topic. The fact of the matter is, Moscow on the Hudson is a pleasant little film that is well worth a one time watch.