what is the appeal?

We love that film for great acting, romanticism, good humour. But main reason why russians consider "Irony of fate" as Number One is because of viewing of this film is tradition during our main holiday - New Year (this holiday mean for russian as Merry Christmas mean for americans). We associate this film with our main holiday.

If you are holliwood-like spectator you can consider that film as "too long". This is because of holliwood-like films have very dynamic plots (very often non-realistic) to entertain spectator. In the USSR "realizm" was main and only aesthetic system (other systems were prohibited by the authorities). Directors and script writers had to create “typical characters in typical situations and every work must include idea (to “teach spectators”) “. Because of it, soviet directors couldn`t create non-realistic plots (although non-realistic plots are more entertaining). “Irony of Fate” is “realistic” film (there are typical characters and very typical situations, realistic behaviour of heroes etc.), but have one non-typical situation – man confused his apartment. Eldar Ryasanov intentionally find that in real life one man confuse his apartment (but without falling in love with owner), and got “green light” for producing his film. But in the beginning of film he put message “Non-typical story, that could be only in New Year night…” .

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Yeah - amongst Ryazanov's films I prefer Office Romance, Garage and Vokzal Dlya Dvoih. Those are great films.

This is a bit of a holiday classic. I think that it appeals for the most part for its nostalgia of the holiday itself. The New Year's is a big thing for Russians. New Year's in the Soviet times holds a special place. It just hasn't been the same.

For the most part this is baloney, but people like to cling to nostalgic notions. There are still wonderful aspects to the film - the songs are beautiful and the atmosphere is uniquely Soviet. I guess it doesn't register if you haven't lived it. I just don't know how one can appreciate the sheer poetry of the lyrics without understanding Russian fairly well.

This is not one of my ten favorite Russian films. Probably not even top 20. But it has a great reputation and it is worth coming back to.

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Dear Mr Ken,
Good Day.

None.

I am from Russia but this movie has no appeal to me. I consider it to be flat, uninteresting, boring, awkward, sad, and very depressing. Why? I shall write a review one of these days.

I would advise a foreigner to watch "Kin-Dza-Dza" (1986), "Tot samyy Myunkhgauzen" (1979), "Mimino" (1977), "Priklyucheniya Buratino" (1975), and "Kanikuly Petrova i Vasechkina, obyknovennye i neveroyatnye" (1984). These titles are top-notch and must be on IMDb top 250 list (in the top 20, to be more exact). And if you want something over-the-top, try to find and watch "Gongofer" and "Zhmurki". Such movies usually blow the roof (you should know this Russian expression). If you watch something mentioned, get back to me with your impression. Glad to know.

As to "Ironiya sudby, ili S legkim parom!" (1975), it sucks big time. And its continuation should suck even more, I'm sure.

Regards,
Andrei

This film is to Russian pop culture what Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" is to American pop culture. It's a holiday tradition and it's a feel-good story with a similar central theme, namely that S*** happens, but sometimes very good things come of it. E.g. S*** sometimes happens for the best.

And both films manage to be both time capsules for their eras (WW2 era America; Brezhnev era USSR) and yet manage to be timeless.
-- Kathryn Coombs

I think that the main idea of the film that you should not go for less and wait for true love.
Zhenya's mother tries very hard to push him into marrying: remember when in the beginning Galya tells him that they will spend the New Year's night together (when his mom is out), he at first cannot understand her (or pretend not to). Galya ought to be very thick for not seeing that he is not immediately excited at the prospect of spending a night tête-a-tête. She sees he is not in love but still wants to have her way. Zhenya just allows himself to be guided by the two women.
Nadya, too, is feeling that her clock is ticking, she feels very vulnerable socially for being unmarried (after leaving her married boyfriend); she wants desperately to show to her friends her fiancée. Ippolit has no feeling for Nadya: he just feels it is time to have a family and his frustration when he founds Zhenya in her appartment is not jealousy, but, as Zhenya points to him, - he is just angry to see the established order of things upturned.
The message is that the New Year is such an important point in time and it gives you the possibility to look back, cast aside social conventions and find your real self.

I'm American and I can't stand "It's a Wonderful Life". And yet most of my fellow countrymen seem to love it and make it a holiday tradition.

Seems like Russians are just as divided about this film. It's nice to know that, no matter where we come from, we are all basically the same :)