Fußball ist unser Leben

I am still somewhat surprised about this film. When I saw the title at the beginning of a sneak preview, I feared that the result would be a fan-film for the German club Schalke 04. But it was a film about the *fans* which made the film worth seeing (but not necessarily very good). I especially liked that soccer was even criticized sometimes in the film.

The plot is bloody simple, the characters quite one-sided and boring, but still it is a nice satire on the fans, becoming more an more extreme in their actions. The setting (Gelsenkirchen) is very realistic and typical for both the area and many people who live there.

You don't go twice into this film (except if you are a HUGE fan of Uwe Ochsenknecht), but you don't waste your money if you've already seen Jeanne d'Arc, The Sixth Sense and American Beauty.

This is a fairly unsuccessful attempt to make a German movie along the lines of New British Cinema. I could not get warm with either the characters, who come across as one - dimensional and loutish rather than likeable, nor the painting - by - numbers storyline. The only highlight is the acting of Óscar Sánchez, who plays the arrogant football star at odds with his working - class fans.

Not really a bad movie, but I had the feeling that I had seen it all before.