They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, and there’s not much you can say about a movie based on the first trailer. Of course, now I have to do it, because with a heavy heart I discovered that the announcement of the comedy “Fuks 2” in 30 seconds raises a lot of red flags. The short trailer reveals an aesthetic that is reminiscent of lavishly shot and “sensationally” productions by Polsat (which is also one of the co-producers of the whole thing) with a narrative disturbingly characteristic of Patryk Vega’s comedy. Of course, whatever you like – practice shows that it can be profitable from a business perspective. But will it be something that will be remembered as well as the first part and will it be something captivating with its originality?
Will “Fuks 2” be a hit or a miss?
On the one hand, the first trailer of the comedy features quick editing, sensational music, rich and kitschy interiors, as well as graphics in a similar atmosphere. On the other hand, in fragments there are a bit hidden, crazy gangster scenes, disturbingly – for now – attractive blondes (Paulina Gałązka, Katarzyna Sawczuk, Sonia Bohosiewicz), casinos, helicopters and expensive cars serving as the background. On top of all this, he has an endearing calmness and comedic flair, with a punch for dessert again. For the sake of these two, I hope the trailer doesn’t do the entire movie justice. I hope it turns out better than worse.
What makes this project even more optimistic is the fact that Stuhr and Gajos did not refuse to participate in it, and for the first part, he received an award for the best supporting role at the Gdynia film festival. The same director, Maciej Dutkiewicz, was also at the helm, so he knows his characters well. Cezary Pazura, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Paulina Gałązka, and even Maciej Musiał are also actors who have shown many times that they can do comedy, if not well, then tolerably. In fact, it is even natural to lead the plot in such a way that this time it is Alex’s son who does the trouble, because the first part was about the young man, like Robin Hood, plotting revenge on a nasty businessman with gangster connections.
But this unfortunate trailer of “Fuks 2” has an ominous echo of a commercial and very forced comedy, which was supposedly created to benefit from the viewers’ nostalgia, but someone decided that it was necessary to add something for the young audience. So it may be that in the end no one will like it, because if something is for everyone, it is actually for no one. But it’s only 30 seconds, it may still turn out that the distributor keeps the most interesting parts up his sleeve and it’s not like there wasn’t enough good material to make a full trailer. Hope really dies last.
However, there are a few other things that are disturbing. First of all, in the late 1990s, gangster comedies were doing quite well for Polish filmmakers, they were unforced and had the charm of some authenticity. Today, “Fuks” can be watched with fondness, not only because Maciej Stuhr was so young, Gabriela Kownacka and Stanisława Celińska were so wonderful, and Janusz Gajos and Tomasz Dedek were so funny. Today it is also a moving postcard showing the color and dirt of the era of transformation and fledgling capitalism in Polish. Much of this was due to the late co-writer Robert Brutter, who later created the cult comedy series “Ranczo”. Brutter, such an excellent observer of everyday life, who skillfully translated these observations into film, unfortunately died in 2018. Maciej Dutkiewicz was left alone on the battlefield.
And what did the director do after the first “Fuks”? He directed a bit and did other things. In 2003, he made several episodes of the crime series “Dunek” with Magdalena Cielecka in the main role for TVP, and seven years later he worked on the set of the comedy production “Duch w dom”. Later there was the sensational series “On the Edge” and 26 episodes of “Ojca Mateusz”. In 2018, Dutkiewicz worked on the set of the crime and quite quasi-documentary in the criminal atmosphere “Ślad” for Polsat – as a side note, I would like to add that I love this series because, on the one hand, even good actors act as a punishment, and on the other hand, although there would be no atmosphere of “Difficult Matters” or “Vacation Diaries”, there are still these criminal intrigues. addictive. Exciting.
Have you heard about the 2020 crime film “The Challenge”? Me neither. Let’s say that Dutkiewicz directed this film based on a script written together with Arkadiusz Borowik (Filmweb informs that the screenwriter is known for the productions of: “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”, “Foster Family”, “Robots”) and dedicated it to two ex-police officers, who, after leaving the service, open a pub on the lake in Morąg. Soon after, they become embroiled in a criminal mystery with an attractive businesswoman at the center. The cast was promising, as they played, among others: Eryk Lubos, Aleksandra Popławska and Rafał Królikowski. It turned out as it turned out – the film got literally one nomination, in addition to Snakes (Eryk Lubos for a performance below his dignity). One of the first reviews from Filmweb users is not optimistic either: “It is not a ‘strong film about friendship, love and crime’ at all. It is rather an mercilessly drawn-out story straight from ‘Difficult Matters’ or ‘Why Me’. No offense, but it is cinema. for housewives and their teenage children. Co-produced by: Polish Film Institute, Telewizja Polsat, TFP and Warmia-Masuria Film Fund.
“Fuks 2”. Plot, cast and release date
“Fuks 2” will hit Polish cinemas on January 12, 2024. Apart from Maciej Stuhr and Janusz Gajos, we will also see Maciej Musia³ and Sonia Bohosiewicz in the main roles. We will also see Katarzyna Sawczuk, Paulina Gałązka, Cezary Pazura and Tomasz Dedek (the unforgettable Jędrul from “Foster Family”).
“Maciek (played by Maciej Musiał) is a bright and composed twenty-year-old, although he has to borrow money and a car for the date from his dad. His father Aleks (played by Maciej Stuhr) is currently trying to live without major stress. However, twenty-five years ago, in On the day of his eighteenth birthday, he set off an explosive, stole a car and “made a fortune” of a shady businessman, thereby winning the heart of a beautiful woman. So he set the bar high. Now it remains to be seen whether his son inherited his daring character and tendency to dangerous intrigues. All this will happen thanks to a Tinder date that will connect him with two unpredictable women, an angry gangster associated with them, and draw him into a game with big money and even greater love at stake. “History repeats itself, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” we read in the announcement from the distributor.
Interestingly, while promoting the film, Maciej Stuhr said that Edyta Górniak was supposed to star with him in the first part, but it didn’t work out, so Agnieszka Krukówna got the main female role. – I remember well the casting for the first “Fuks”. First, I was chosen, and then – for quite a long time – they were looking for a partner for me. For a moment, Edyta Górniak was very close to receiving this role. She came to the casting and did quite well. Initially, she said yes, but later it turned out that it would interfere with her concert tours and ultimately she did not star in the film – recalled Maciej Stuhr years later. Krukówna has been much less professionally active in recent years, so at this stage we can only wonder whether Sonia Bohosiewicz replaced her.
This is not the end of memories from the first set, Stuhr also remembers other interesting things: – I also remember perfectly the first day on the set of “Fuks”. At that time I was getting a hard time from Tomek Dedek. I was very excited about this. It was the first time I had fake blood on my face, the first time I took part in a stunt fight scene. The set of “Fuks 2” differs in many respects from the set of the first part of this film. But many things have remained the same. I can tell you that I get punched in the face in this film, added Stuhr. The question is whether the viewers do too.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
