Chantal im Märchenland

Admittedly, I am clearly the target audience for this film, as for whatever reason I enjoy writer-director Bora Dagtekin's humor in many (though not all) cases. Yes, he's a little rougher, a little more down-to-earth, not always nice and certainly not every joke is always right - but the bottom line is that his films and series are mostly good entertainment.

The film is accused of embodying everything that is bad about German film. It would be rubbish with no quality, made for the uneducated lower classes (the accusation alone says more about the aloofness of the critics than about the film). It's filmed "Trash TV". Nothing could be more wrong and anyone who believes that either hasn't seen the film or hasn't understood it.

Rarely have values such as friendship, willingness to sacrifice, willingness to learn, but also female emancipation and LGBTQ been treated so casually and humorously in a German film. When the main actress was confronted with a dragon (not a real spoiler), I had to think of the film "Damsel", which had only appeared on Netflix a few weeks earlier - and how intensively it was all handled there.

The film is just great fun. Not every gag works, but given the abundance of gags and the different tastes of people, everyone will find their own points of criticism. In the end, this film is carried by Jella Haase, who is without a doubt not only one of the most gifted comediennes Germany currently has to offer, but also one of the best actresses. Her "Chantal" is a stunner.

Typical German cinema. Clichéd, flat, simply shameful.

The director is obviously not capable of more.

The dialog is so bad that I get the feeling that my uncle, who doesn't really know how young people talk, wrote it.

I can't understand how a movie like this can still be released in 2024.

The movie is humorless and has neither entertainment value nor does it teach you anything.

How can a director despise his job so much to deliver such trash?

How little self-esteem an actor must have to be part of a production like this.

If that's all Germany has to offer in film, then there's no reason to invest even one more euro in this industry.

A witty and fast pace comedy with quite a message about feminism and patriarchy. Great cast, convincing special effects - it's a parody, nothing else. The viewer can feel the fun they had when filming.

Jella Haase is well accompanied by other fun guns like Nora Tschirner or Maria Happel, my nine stars come because in its category this movie is top notch entertainment. And finally, made for a local audience in first place, rather than producing a movie for international releases.

Full of funny details and citing many other genres, it's a ton of fun. Maybe not for young kids, because most dialogue is quite rough.

I guess people over 30 will not like it, but this movie was to target younger generation and can imagine that boomers will not understand half of the movie. Myself, I found it funny and liked the way how they connected the fairytales together. Also the background and coulisse was made very well, the digital part too. Rememeber what kind of trash teenage movies we had to watch.

Remember american pie. Rubish but iconic.

I guess people over 30 will not like it, but this movie was to target younger generation and can imagine that boomers will not understand half of the movie. Myself, I found it funny and liked the way how they connected the fairytales together. Also the background and coulisse was made very well, the digital part too. Rememeber what kind of trash teenage movies we had to watch.

Remember american pie. Rubish but iconic.

No pun intended - Chantal could be described as German Barbie - "real life" that is. But while she became a phenomenon after the F you Goethe trilogy (I think the international title is different, like Suck it, because ... well the F word is bad) ... she gets her own movie! And the turnout in cinemas proves whoever greenlit this, knew what they were doing. Not saying that you have to like it.

Just a side note about the swear words and youth: there is another F word (german) used, that is quite offensive! And yet this gets a rating 12 and above - which actually means kids under 12 can watch this if they are accompanied by an adult. Germany does not really care much about words - this would surely be at least an R rating in the US. Just saying - and for your consideration.

Now to the fact that this made good money, even though the reviews may suggest otherwise ... well the screening I attended was half full - and while some may want you to believe this is not funny at all - there were quite a few laughs. Comedy is in the eye of the beholder - is this silly? Is this even cringe as they say at times? Many times yes ... does it work though? Also yes - because the target group identifies with it. Or them - the main characters that is.

I would not call myself a big Jella fan, but what she did with that character (Chantal) ... even if you are not a fan of the movies, you can't deny the impact she had to modern German movie history. Cry more silently Chantal - not sure how this is translated ... but one of those things that got transported to society ... she may have sullied the name forever ... but also given it new life in a sense.

Same is true for fairy tales - and the message this has. She is anything but a princess ... and yet she is everything a princess is (nowadays) ... strong, independent ... maybe not intelligent - but still mostly on the morally good side ... and finds herself to be a feminist too - maybe another thing in common with Barbie ... nice outtakes during the end credits by the way.