The Cuckoo
Seen it?2002 | 100 min | Drama, Romance, Comedy
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (87% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for romantics and anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Casablanca, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Funny with heart, romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 40 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
September of 1944, a few days before Finland went out of the Second World War. A chained to a rock Finnish sniper-kamikadze Veikko managed to set himself free. Ivan, a captain of the Soviet Army, arrested by the Front Secret Police 'Smersh', has a narrow escape. They are soldiers of the two enemy armies. A Lapp woman Anni gives a shelter to both of them at her farm. For Anni they are not enemies, but just men.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
87% on Rotten Tomatoes, 69 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.1 out of 10
- AwardsBelow par
2 wins and 0 nominations from smaller awards and festivals
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 21K people sought it out in the past year
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Cast & crew
Directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin
- Anni-Kristiina JuusoAnni
- Ville HaapasaloVeikko
- Viktor BychkovIvan or Psoltõ
- Mikhail Korobochkinepisode
- Denis Aksenovepisode
- Santeri Kuikkaepisode
- Aleksandr Zubkinepisode
- Sergei Antonovepisode
- Svyatoslav Lezinepisode
- Vsevolod Lezinepisode