Moy papa Baryshnikov (2011) User Reviews (3)

Was his father really Baryshnikov?

[Red-125 · 6/10 · 1 August 2013]

The Russian film Moy papa Baryshnikov (2011), written and directed by Dmitry Povolotsky, was shown in U.S. with the title "My Dad is Baryshnikov."

The film is set in 1986, at the famous Bolshoi Ballet Academy. The Academy's least promising student--Borya Fishkin--has reason to believe that he is the son of the famed Mikhail Baryshnikov. Borya achieves a certain degree of success because this belief gives him a new confidence in his skills, and a new prestige among the other students.

The film has been called a hilarious comedy, but I didn't find it very funny. Borya is lacking in talent, but that's not his fault. However, he's not really a likable character. For example, his goal is to impress the best, prettiest dancer at the school, which is understandable. However, he is cruel to a young woman who actually does care for him.

Vladimir Kapustin, who plays Borya, is a good actor, and he actually does have a faint resemblance to Baryshnikov. However, the film didn't impress me, except as a glimpse into the world of a ballet academy. (I don't have the expertise to know if the scenes of ballet instruction were realistic. However, they seemed genuine to me.)

This film was shown at the first-class Rochester Jewish Film Festival. (Fishkin is Jewish, although nothing much is made of this in the movie.) It will work on DVD.

Red-125 gets it wrong

[Keester · 7/10 · 17 December 2019]

Dmitry Vyskubenko plays Borya. A simple read of the opening title subtitles shows Dmitry Vyskubenko as the lead character which he is and a check here of the cast confirms it.

It consists to garner some authenticity

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 30 November 2023]

(2011) My Dad Is Baryshnikov/ Moy papa Baryshnikov (In Russian with English subtitles) COMEDY DRAMA

Written and directed by Dmitry Povolotsky that takes place during the early 1980's with a young scrawny boy, Fishkin Boris Mikhailovich (Dmitry Vyskubenko) at a prestigious dance academy in Russia called the "Bolshoi Ballet School". Compared to his fellow peers, Fishkin does not have any of the physical attributes like his fellow ballet dancers. Then one day, his mom, Larisa (Anna Mikhalkova) gave him a video cassette to watch, and as soon as he saw Mikhail Baryshnikov, he assumes that because his mother never told him who his actual father looked like that it must be the infamous ballet dancer he is seeing on screen. And for the next forty and some odd minutes, he then tries to convince his fellow peers that his dad is Mikhail Baryshnikov, and for some bizarre circumstance he ends up getting the lead, and to perform on stage front of some important people. And when he is not in the school, he sometimes sells or trade fake watches or actual items in exchange for money and gifts with visiting tourists.

And as it turns out, of course. Fishkin's dad is not Mikhail Baryshnikov, but is really a convicted convict, Mikhail Borisovich Fishkin (Vladimir Kapustin) and was just released for amnesty. Arrested for illegal currency trade the father felt it would be best if his son did not know where he was and what he was convicted for.

Some of the things I liked about the film is the fact, viewers got a glimpse of how a particular ballet school is operated in Russia, as it takes rigorous training. What I did not care too much about is the fact that at the end of the film, although satisfying, I was still unable to determine whether the entire story was made up. It was well told but with zero showcasing what that young boy is supposed to look like during the time of 2011. Was the story made up or was it based from another person's experience he refuse to name.