
Harvey, a self-doubting private investigator, plans to marry his girlfriend until he is hired to solve an adultery case and discovers the adulterer is cheating with his fiancée. Lost and dejected, Harvey quits his job and wallows in booze and the occasional odd blind date. Meanwhile, Katia, a Jewish woman from St. Petersburg, arrives in Sydney after answering an ad from an international matchmaking agency. But instead of love, she finds her prospective groom dead on arrival.... (Full plot summary below)
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Harvey, a self-doubting private investigator, plans to marry his girlfriend until he is hired to solve an adultery case and discovers the adulterer is cheating with his fiancée. Lost and dejected, Harvey quits his job and wallows in booze and the occasional odd blind date. Meanwhile, Katia, a Jewish woman from St. Petersburg, arrives in Sydney after answering an ad from an international matchmaking agency. But instead of love, she finds her prospective groom dead on arrival. Stranded in a foreign city with no one to turn to, Katia meets Ethan, a married man and Harvey's best friend. Ethan is soon scheming to figure out a way to keep Katia in the country without his wife Miriam discovering the affair. Ethan comes up with the perfect solution: he offers Harvey enough money to start writing the novel he has always dreamed of, if he agrees to marry Katia. Harvey is appalled by the idea. Ethan's marriage had been his only example that love can faithfully exist. However, since he needs the money to get started on the book, he reluctantly agrees to let Katia move in. But soon this "marriage of convenience" is anything but, as Miriam learns about the upcoming nuptials and is so pleased that her husband's best friend has finally found someone, she insists on turning the wedding into a grand affair. Inevitably, Ethan and Harvey's friendship is tested and hidden emotions are revealed between Harvey and Katia. Amid all the chaos of planning the wedding, every one is left to wonder, is this any way to find true love?
Leave your thoughts about Russian Doll.
| CompuserveHarvey S. KartenRussian Doll, whose title conveys a double meaning, is a find. |
| VarietyDennis HarveyA romantic comedy that treads familiar "Green Card" terrain with considerable charm if no great style or originality. |
| Matinee MagazineChuck RudolphMakes the romantic comedy genre seem a bit less mechanical, and a bit more genuine. |
| Ozus' World Movie ReviewsDennis SchwartzThere's a charm in these romantic developments that overcomes all its staleness. |
| New York PostJonathan ForemanResolves the romantic dilemma in the most artificial and unsatisfying way. A blaring swing score and some obvious dubbing do little to ease the pain. |
| New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanBaldly superficial, it probably should have been given a less demanding metaphor to live up to. |
| L.A. WeeklyPaul MalcolmKazantzidis struggles for the flavor of classic romance, with a string of standards on the soundtrack to little avail. |
| TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghLurches queasily between ghastly broad gags and oddly engaging, character-driven laughs born of clashing cultures and expectations. |
| New Times (L.A.)Luke Y. ThompsonIf you peel away the surface of this movie, one is left with not much at all. |
| South Florida Sun-SentinelLaura KellyOnly the farcical setup itself fails, but it can be swallowed for the sake of these enjoyable performances. |