A Russian film of the Goncharov novel about a sweet-tempered, overweight young landowner who doesn’t really see the point in getting out of bed. The director, Nikita Mikhalkov, ever the Soviet master of the ironic, the bittersweet, and the nostalgic (A Slave of Love), invokes Chekhovian atmospheres without Chekhovian insight—the emotions are pretty, beguiling, and empty. Like most Russian films, Oblomov spends over half its length on detailed exposition. When the plot finally begins, it does carry some strong moments, but until it does you may want to take a nap yourself (1980).