I Served the King of England (2006)

I Served the King of England is a whimsical Czech film about a busboy who works his way up the ladder until he ends up a millionaire with his own hotel. The story begins as he's released from a 15 year prison sentence and he's essentially remembering his life from the secluded house in the Sudetenland that the authorities have relegated him to. It had a lot of potential and with a few tweaks could have been a great movie, I think, but as it stands it's an entertaining, unique, engaging, humorous film. I enjoyed it. There are moments that treat history in a surprising, irreverent way. He also deals with issues of class and consumption. There are elements of this movie that leave me ambivalent. I know I thought the very end was unexpectedly pat and disappointing. B-