“Kogel Mogel 4” with the best result of opening Polish production since the beginning of the pandemic. We rarely say it: He deserved

After the pre-premiere screenings and the first weekend in cinemas all over Poland, it is already evident that no Polish premiere has enjoyed such success in the pandemic as the new “Kogel Mogel”. The fourth installment of the cult comedy was watched by exactly 290,602 viewers during the first three days of screening. And this is under the conditions of a sanitary regime with increased restrictions: no possibility of eating popcorn in the cinema or drinking half a liter of a sweet carbonated drink.

“Kogel Mogel 4” with the record opening of the pandemic

The screenwriter and co-producers of the film, Ilona Łepkowska, who before the premiere said: – I think that ‘The End of the World or Kogel Mogel 4’ was for us – tired of the situation of constant limitations, anxiety about loved ones, economic problems – a good proposition and I have a feeling that she would be successful – and thus showed that she understood her audience well. Similarly, she also spoke in her new comedy, which in an interview with Kultura.gazeta.pl emphasized that the production was created before the coronavirus went mad for good.

Let us remind you that the previous part of the series, ie “Miszmasz or Kogel Mogel 3”, was watched in 2019 by over 2.4 million viewers in cinemas. Therefore, it is not surprising that we quickly decided to shoot the continuation of this story. The film was made and it went a little crazy: it has rarely happened recently that a year and a half has passed from the closure of the shooting to the premiere. And thanks to this, it is a picture from another world, to which, in the age of numerous restrictions, it is nice to come back.

The new “Kogel Mogel” is completely twisted, very frivolous, and at times even absurd – it is such a classic farce that you may be surprised by it. Especially when you are used to the standard formula of a romantic comedy that “seriously” shows some bits of reality. This is not the case – everything is exaggerated and comedic, without any pretensions to realism.

In short: Kasia’s son, Marcin Zawada (Nikodem Rozbicki), in love with Agnieszka Wolańska (Aleksandra Hamkało), has completely reverted, gave up the idea of ​​selling marijuana, runs a dog shelter and wants to make a pleasing proposal. The matter becomes even more urgent as Grandma Solska (Katarzyna Łaniewska) clearly demands the wedding of her beloved grandchild. Her daughter, who lives “on a bicycle license” with docent Wolański, is simply disappointed, so all hope is in Marcinek. His plans, however, fall apart like a house of cards, when an embittered Bożenka (Anna Mucha) – a building supervision inspector, with whom he had a short-term romance – begins to stir in his life. Agnieszka throws him and disappears, so Marcin seeks help from her brother Piotr (Maciej Zakościelny).

A comedy of errors for hard times

Ilona Łepkowska drew the right conclusions after the premiere of the previous part and wrote a very pleasant script: coherent, built on one axis and at a good pace. To my great joy, she also decided to develop the theme of Piotr as a luxurious and, at the same time, a very amusing retainer of her wealthy wife Marlenka (Katarzyna Skrzynecka), gifted with a specific, let’s say, new wealthy taste. To this delightful duo of good-natured lovers dressed in gold-spotted tracksuits, she added a third figure: Marlenka’s mother, Honorata, returning from the USA after many years, played with wild fun by Dorota Stalińska. At the premiere of Łepkowska’s film, the actress thanked her for such an interestingly written character for an artist of her age, and I must say, it is true that we use too little of Dorota Stalińska’s talents in the cinema.

Her Honoratka is a lady in her prime who spent the vast majority of her life in the USA, serially marrying another wealthy gentlemen. After returning to her homeland, she suddenly announces to her daughter that she has finally come to see her fiancée (Marian Opania) and marry him. And by the way, she does twines, mini shows of extravagant wedding fashion and mixes Polish and English so funny that you can listen to it for hours.

It is very well visible that most of the actors had wild fun with what was written in the script. Marian Opania, as a mercantile fiancé, Leopold Kapusta played like a child – dressed in a cowboy coat, he observes the commotion at Marlenka and Piotrek’s house with sincere admiration that the viewer really communicates. In addition, he throws various biscuits, which become more fun when, for example, we recall that Opania was also a teacher in the educational series “Once upon a life”.

The episode of a policeman, a former student of Kasia Solska, who was daringly played by Arkadiusz Smoleński, is also disarming. It’s only a few minutes on the screen, and my mother was remembered like hardly anyone! Karol Strasburger, just like in the case of “Nights and Days”, did not have to say anything to create an outstanding atmosphere with his mere presence. In addition, Ilona Łepkowska constantly educates viewers to be a more tolerant and aware nation: not only does she make fun of ‘whistleblowers’, but also reminds that love is love and continues the theme of love between the younger aspirant of Iwona Ząb and the protagonist’s ex-stepmother, Mary. By the way, he does not deny himself the pleasure of throwing jokes about the fact that men are a “dead end of evolution”, or throws in the thread of a man so depressed by failures in women that he begins to consider a partnership with a close friend. And without mocking, just to show that everyone needs a little affection and closeness to the other person, because “it’s not just about sex”. Nice and refreshing.

I was also captivated by various references to Polish pop culture smuggled in the script: either in romantic scenes with Professor Wolański or in conversations with Marcin Zawada, who loves to watch “Czterech Pancernych”, and the comedy series “Adventures of a Dog Cywil”. There are references to this production in dialogues and jokes, so maybe I’ll remind one in advance, and I’ll explain to another: it’s a black and white comedy series about a militia dog, which was created in the late 1960s. It was directed by Krzysztof Szmagier, a man who he later gave us “07 report” and hired Wojciech Pokora as a charismatic character, a formalist for lieutenant Zubek, who is still looking for the title character. Although the series is propaganda, it is in fact very charming – all the more so I appreciate the admiration of Marcin and Piotrek’s films.

With all this, you can also see that the new director – Anna Wieczur-Bluszcz – approached the story with an open mind and heart. You can feel in this film that it is well-kept in many details. It’s hard for me to underestimate the extremely picturesque photos (summer in Poland can really look so idyllic?) Or carefully selected costumes. Marcin, Agnieszka, Kasia, associate professor Wolański, grandmother Solska are examples of heroes dressed “normally” and properly embedded in their surroundings, but the real madness begins when we watch Piotr, Marlenka, Honorata and her fiancé Leopold or angry Bożena: their exaggerated costumes are many they also talk about the heroes they play. It is also worth paying attention to the luxurious outfit for dogs!

Of course, the new “Kogel Mogel” is not without its flaws: the first few minutes are a bit numb, some of the cast did not feel the convention, I must also admit that I do not buy the plot of Kasia’s and associate professor Wolański’s romance, and the ending in the case of, for example, Mrs. Wolańska is definitely too little embedded in the script. The same can be said on a smaller scale about Bożenka’s stance in the narrative, whose actions largely drive the action, and about which we don’t really know much. But that doesn’t stop you from having fun. Only, as I have already mentioned, you cannot take this film too seriously at the outset.

We should also remember that this is also a farewell to the screen of the three actors who died before the premiere: Katarzyna Łaniewska, Paweł Nowisz and Krzysztof Kiersznowski. And it just so happens that it’s a very nice farewell: their characters have so much positive energy that it’s hard not to smile at them, they arouse a lot of sympathy.