Lovefest Film Puts 'Putin' in Romantic Light

Just in time for Russian elections, gag movie hits the fans
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 14, 2008 11:12 AM CST
Lovefest Film Puts 'Putin' in Romantic Light
Anatoly Voropayev, producer of the movie "The Kiss is Off the Record" is seen at a special screening of the movie in the Khudozhestvenny Cinema in downtown Moscow, Monday, Feb. 11, 2008. "We believe that since today we are not ashamed of our leader, why not make heroes who are like him?" Voropayev said.   (Associated Press)

A warm and fuzzy Russian movie about a politician's rise to the Kremlin, released today for Valentine's Day, bears more than a passing resemblance to Russian President Vladimir Putin, CNN reports. "It's a film about the life of a politician, about love, and the relationships every person has," gushed the producer of The Kiss Is Off the Record.

The movie's hero, whose speech and gait are remarkably like Putin's, is portrayed as a loving husband, doting dad—and political miracle worker. Russians at a Moscow screening didn't have any trouble figuring out who the film is meant to portray. Critics say the film is pure propaganda ahead of the March election, but doubt the Kremlin actually commissioned it—they insist it's too terrible a film.  (More Vladimir Putin stories.)

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