I used to like Jirina Bohdalová very much. And I still like her in her 60s, 70s and some 80s film and television performances. But... as time goes by, Bohdalová get more and more (and even more) hammy. I'm sorry to say her last two films - Saxána a lexikon kouzel (2011) and Vrásky z lásky (2012) are more than anything else just two confirmations of the fact that Bohdalová's aggressively theatrical acting simply is not acceptable in the 21st century. Especially not on the big screen.
The most entertaining idea of this film is that Bohdalová plays old, grumpy, self-centered former actress which constantly terrorizes people among her. So far so good. The worse part is that we are supposed to like her. And that is a huge problem. Mrs. Furtáková (character she plays) is such disgustingly selfish, vulgar and intolerant person that most of the evil characters played by Miss Bette Davis we might call "sweet old ladies" in comparison to her. And Bohdalová's own mannerism certainly does not help this.
So Mrs. Furtáková lives in the retirement home, where she's bullying helpless old people and arguing with the matron (well played by Tatjana Medvecká). Somewhere in the other side of the Czech Republic, old man named Ota (Radoslav Brzobohatý) remembers beautiful young lady he loved some decades ago. Due to his illness he decides not to delay anything and for the last time in his life meet the lady. As you certainly guessed, this person from the past is Furtáková and be sure she's not going to be very nice even to Ota.
Inside joke of this pairing is that in the 60s and 70s Bohdalová and Brzobohatý were married in real life (they also starred in several old films together) and after the divorce they supposedly not talked to each other over decades. PR of "Vrásky z lásky" presented the film as their great reconciliation. However, the film was a flop.
Vrásky z lásky surely have some qualities. In supporting and even episodic roles you might see some really good Czech actors. In addition to Medvecká as matron, specially touching are the last performances of Jirina Jirásková (Furtáková's confused roommate) and of Brzobohatý. They both passed away shortly after releasing the film. People like Anna Geislerová (nurse), Ivan Trojan (Ota's son) or Tatiana Vilhelmová (productionist on the film casting, where Furtáková auditioned) and some others normally took only starring parts, so this demonstrates how exclusive position among other Czech actors have Jirina Bohdalová due to her former artistic abilities.
However, the greatest art of them all is the art of leaving in time. In that, Mrs. Bohdalová is not the greatest artist.
