Männer wie wir

Director Sherry Horman and writer Benedikt Gollhardt have not introduced any new ideas in 'Männer wie wir' ('Guys and Balls') - team sports dependent on camaraderie, outsiders getting the last laugh, coming out stories with sports as a background, homophobia to the max, and stereotypical depictions of gay men - but they have created a movie that has enough charm to get past all of the above. It is that kind of movie that makes you groan 'Oh no, not again', but then ends up making you feel warm and sentimental despite yourself! Ecki (a very charismatic and hunky Maximilian Brückner) has grown up in a rural town, the son of a baker, and a committed soccer fan since childhood. Now as a young man he is sought after by his girlfriend Cordula (Melody Sitta) but is unable to respond to her advances. As the popular goalie on his soccer team he is hailed until quite by accident he is discovered in warm embrace with a teammate: the teammate and the team trash him for being gay, his father (Dietmar Bär) throws him out of the house, and poor Ecki departs for Dortmund to live with his sister, swearing to his team that he will return with a gay soccer team to defeat the homophobic jerks.

Ecki and his sister Susanne (Lisa Potthoff) pair off to find gay team players and find them they do, in the strangest places (this is where the film sags due to the stereotypes the director elected to cast). Ecki creates a solid team, falls in love with his sister's co-worker nurse Sven (David Rott) and despite some minor setbacks, the team boards the bus to return to Ecki's hometown to face off the enemy home team. Yes, it ends as you would imagine, but along the way the writer and director manage to make a few healthy comments about being true to yourself and your convictions.

Despite everything predictable about the film, the actors - Brückner, Roth, Potthoff, Bär, Carlo Ljubek, Saskia Vester et al - bring a homespun credibility to the story. This is one of those films that requires forgiving its shortcomings to just enjoy the ride.

I was really looking forward to seeing this film ever since I saw an ad for it on TV. And when I finally went and saw it I was not disappointed at all. On the contrary: this is a great film! It's funny, light-hearted and brilliantly cast. The story focuses on Ecki, a young man who works in a bakery in a very small rural community and plays football in his local team. When his team-members find out that he is gay they throw him out of the team. With the help of his sister he subsequently tries to form an all-gay football-team to challenge his old team in a match. And this journey through tough-guy town Dortmund is really, really funny! The incredibly talented cast (especially leading man Maximilian Brückner) pull every scene off and make it believable. OK, there are clichés in this film but they are also made fun of and not taken seriously at the same time. The movie also features a love story between Ecki and Sven, his cute team-mate and these two characters are totally cliché-free.

This is a very good film and I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a really good laugh, see really good acting and a really touching love story - all in one film!

I just recently watched "Guys and Balls" and thought it superb. It far exceeded my expectations. What a pleasant surprise since so many gay themed movies flop on arrival.

It's basically about a young man named Ecki, played brilliantly by (Maximilian Bruckner) who gets busted kissing another guy and is outed to his friends and family. He is then subsequently booted from his local soccer team. Angry, he them challenges them to a soccer match made up by his soon to be all-gay football squad. He leaves home and goes to live with his sister while assembling a rag tag group of gay men who are appalling at playing the game and comprise of every gay cliché on the market. Still, these stereotypes are not offensive, mainly because all the players come across as such nice guys. Ecki, also falls for Sven, an attractive male nurse at the hospital where his sister works. Both these guys are cast perfectly, making for a sweet and believable couple.

If you want to settle back and watch a pleasant, funny, romantic movie with a heartwarming ending, then "Guys and Balls" is the movie for you. I watched it, loved it and now I own it.

Sure, this movie follows a formula, actually many formulas, about gay vs. straight flicks, soccer flicks, sports hero flicks, guy gets the guy flicks - but it does them all VERY well and with both love and humour. Although there is every cliché in the book here about masculinity and coming out, there is an equal emphasis on NON-stereotypical gay men. Ercin the Turkish player is as nelly as they come but hey, he's a Turk represented in a German soccer flick, AND his Dad is obviously 100% supportive and proud of him, fluffy hand-gestures and all. Hotte may be a stereotypical leather guy, but he's also a juggernaut on the field who strikes terror in his opponents. Our hero is so gosh-golly "straight-looking" that I had trouble believing in him as a gay guy in the opening sequence, but his dalliances with Sven change all that. I've been out since 1979 and have seen ALL the big- name "gay" movies. Some good, some downright awful. This one felt real, was engaging from the outset and made me laugh, good hearty belly-laughs, from end to end. I loved it. You will too.

Ecki is goalkeeper for the soccer-team in his small hometown in Germany (near Dortmund). After losing an important game, his mates accidentally find out that he is gay. They throw him out of the team. Out of anger and hurt he dares them to play against a gay team. Ecki has only four weeks to build this team and train them.

The movie plays with clichés in a hilarious and yet pleasant way. Good looking guys, leather and chains, love, revenge, and soccer. Witty dialogues and good action. Highly recommended.