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(1 - 16) of 16 OFCS Rating: 81% Fresh Page   1   "This magical realist memoir of the small men (and women) in history is a sprawling carnivalesque treat - as tall and refreshing as a tankard of Czech beer and with the same bitter aftertaste."   Channel 4 Film   Anton Bitel 2/4 "Dite's limited awakening is neither tragedy nor the kind of bitter, fatalistic farce seen in Lina Wertmuller's Seven Beauties."   Slant Magazine   Bill Weber "Menzel’s crowdpleaser flies lightly through heavy topics such as Nazism, Sudeten Germans and Communism, with more than a wink to silent comedy."   european-films.net   Boyd van Hoeij A- "Writer/director Jiri Menzel's ambitious filmic adaptation of Bohumil Hrabal's picaresque novel about a diminutive Czech waiter with dreams of becoming a millionaire and of owning his own hotel, is a rich black comedy steeped in wartime experience and sexu"   ColeSmithey.com   Cole Smithey 5/10 "Using the absurd Díte to indict ambition, passivity, and willful ignorance, "I Served the King of England" is a familiar sort of comedy, equal parts farcical and musical."   PopMatters   Cynthia Fuchs A- "A brilliant, witty and profound tragicomedy that reflects on recent Czech history with a highly imaginative, darkly humorous and strongly sensual tone."   One Guy's Opinion   Frank Swietek 4/5 "A robust and ribald picaresque tale told with comic élan and philosophical panache."   Spirituality and Practice   Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat 3/4 "Czech director Jirí Menzel casts a wide net in this fanciful tale of life, love and the relentless march of time."   Palo Alto Weekly   Jeanne Aufmuth "The movie is filled with wonderful moments, set pieces of absurdity, and a richness of humor. But underneath, Menzel and Hraba have a wry and sometimes painful story to tell of the history of their country in the 20th century."   Film.com   Jonathan F. Richards 3.75/5 "Jiri Menzel's new film has more visual verve than any film currently in release, with or without computer effects"   Film-Forward.com   Kent Turner B+ "Veteran Czech director Jirí Menzel serves up an epic in miniature, one apolitical man's magical realistic journey through life during the shifting sands of WWII Europe."   Reeling Reviews   Laura Clifford B+ "...has loads to say about ambition, greed, hedonism and redemption and does it with intelligence and wit."   Reeling Reviews   Robin Clifford 6/10 "Scoring high for creativity, the story of the fantastic life of urban nomad and unwilling Bolshevik Jan Dite gives us too little to hang on to. This is hard work for a laugh."   Monsters and Critics   Ron Wilkinson 8/10 "... full appreciation requires both a grasp of European history and an appreciation for stories which have many layers of meaning."   Playback:stl   Sarah Boslaugh 8/10 "A funny and charming take on the basic Horatio Alger model, deepened by the filmmakers' invocations of the history of cinema and the national character of Czechoslovakia."   Antagony & Ecstasy   Tim Brayton "Click here to see review"   Wolf Entertainment Guide   William Wolf  (1 - 16) of 16 OFCS Rating: 81% Fresh Page   1