Entertaining film, but...

Rating: Null/10 (8 February 1999)

I thought this film was charming and quite well done. It was entertaining and made me laugh, but was also tender when appropriate. I do have couple of complaints, though. The father's incessant cheerfulness and insistence on sticking to his "it's all a game" approach with his son began to grate on me. I was not convinced that this was a concentration camp: the conditions weren't nearly harsh enough. What disturbed me the most was that what ultimately happens to the father was needless, but seemed included for emotional effect. Overall, what was a very enjoyable movie was muddied for me by the backdrop of a fantasy view of the Holocaust.