I watched "The Trotsky" for Jay Baruchel and I'm not disappointed - his acting is great. He's funny and smart at the same time and he can deliver these qualities in a pretty good way. This is a strong side of that movie but here's a weak one - the scenario is too flat and too overextended.Idea is pretty simple, movie could be more hilarious and less pretentious but director lost that chance. There isn't a lot of political stuff because story focused mostly on one guy, his behavior and way of thinking, which is very well-played by Jay Baruchel.For me, as Russian, all that pseudo-Soviet stuff in the movie is okay however there's just a small bunch of real Soviet artifacts with no any meaning or explanation to watcher and I wonder if they can decode what all these songs or posters or radio voiceovers mean.

This is an indie flick that isn't very funny, the situations are contrived and I thought everything was rather dull and unimaginative. The idea for the movie was however creative and the actors sell everything very nicely....but that's exactly where it ends, if you see the first 10 minutes then you'll have seen the whole thing (wink time savers). I think they stole the idea for the movie from an episode of the Wonder Years. If you are a history buff and really enjoyed the story of Leon Trotsky in 1920's Russia then this is your movie. Lots of 3-piece suit action and walking around from the main character, constantly ruminating about unions and high school, and constantly upset with his father and lawyer. Yes, it's a wonderland of laughs! Seriously, if you have some art house friends and you want to grade actors, this comedy is great, make sure you read the Trotsky encyclopedia page first. But if you want to laugh with your roommates, put The Big Lebowski back on.

By no means should one watch this film expecting a display of artistic profundity. For preventive measures, I should go so far as to even warn the observant and diligent viewer that one shouldn't expect even a modestly refined film here. As it does, effectively, preserve those prevalent formulaic variables of film which aficionados have come to despise so vehemently: the typical roller coaster relationship; the target objective that always seems so very far away, yet somehow the protagonist manages to overcome those countless obstacles and succeed; the strained relationship that concludes so predictably. It gets very tiresome, and, frankly, in the book of any wise movie goer these should stand out as the trademarks of ineptness. Nothing great has earned that title by conforming well to established routines and expectations--one would believe a film inspired by Trotsky would understand this much.Nonetheless, this hardly makes the film less enjoyable, just not well disposed to reside amongst the ranks of the truly memorable. If one is disposed to counter-culture as I am, then one should not hesitate to watch this film, despite its many shortcomings one will laugh often and maybe even discover some relatable experiences therein. Treat this film as a variant of the common mass-produced comedy with a twist in the favor of those of a progressive nature.

Leon Bronstein is a young man who thinks he's the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky and he lives his life according to the way Trotsky lived by using his life as blueprint. Along the way he annoys his parents (he calls his dad a fascist) and takes on his school. Along the way he falls in love with an older woman, reawakens the drive of a radical lawyer and sparks his fellow schoolmates to get involved.I saw this on the Tribeca Pay per view service. I was amused, and slightly disappointed. Its has some good performances, some great dialog and very strong sense of self. The trouble is that the film as a whole is very much like the main character, insisting on following a redetermined course as closely as possible. Yes there are small bits that break the mold, but for the most part the film follows a formula its already worked out. I hated that I could guess where it was going, it took the edge off the spontaneity.Its a good film but I wanted to like it more. Its one of those really good films that just misses being great and ends up being disappointing.Worth a look see on cable or as a rental.(A side note the film follows points of Trotsky's life so much that part of me kept wondering if this was going to end as Trotsky did, however this is a feel good film and that was never going to happen)