[3] The movie was met with strongly negative reviews in the Russian media, with some considering it being one of the worst films made to date, and it was a box-office bomb.

The plot as a whole repeats the story of the original comedy: journalist Shurik arrives in the Caucasus in order to study local culture and folklore, the ancient customs and traditions of the people in this region.

Per chance he meets and befriends a girl in a mountainous town, the beauty Nina, which the gouvernor, wealthy and powerful local Saakhov, is planning to marry — if not willingly then by force.

Using the gullible journalist as a strawman, Saakhov and his henchmen (Coward, Fool, and Pro, a trio of comic antiheros) are able to kidnap Nina, all seems to work according to plan.

Vladimir Medinsky, Russia's Minister of Culture, promised not to provide any further funding for Voronkov's films after an appeal from YouTube critic BadComedian.