Der Vorname

The first temptation is to define it as provocative. For situations, humor, dialogue, clash between characters and adorable end. But it is more. It is a realistic - precise portrait of contemporary family. Eccentric ideas, secrets far to be comfortable, couple huge problems, wives and husbands - and a mother in not ordinary situation- , love and hate in large portions. A nice comedy for its smart levels.

The premise for the film is the conflict that naming your child "Adolf" could cause in your family. That alone would not be enough to sustain a full feature film, and indeed this is only a starting point.

A whole host of family secrets are unraveled in the process, how they think about one another, what they have done in the past and present. It is like throwing a burning match into the store of a gunpowder fabric and making damn sure it stays alight. The result pushes their relations in way one might otherwise see in a Luis Bunuel film, just staying one step short of surrealism.

There are small hints here and there that this is French (rather than German) in its origin, and it may have been better (with a German cast) to adapt these subtle cultural differences to place this in a pure German setting.

Anyway, this is very entertaining for its witty dialogue. The after-the-party events that concluded the piece seemed unnecessary.

Never thought about to use this headline for a review but it fits absolutely perfect to the plot. And yeah, this was one of the funniest german movies i've ever seen so far.

Think about a usual family dinner with friends, cozy small talk, good dinner and some glasses of whine in relaxed atmosphere. At some point one couple offers the name of their unborn child and it's "ADOLF". Now everybody in the room is triggered, exactly like you. You can feel the moment, when the whole mood in the room is going to a complete different direction. Everything's getting a bit more aggressive but also funnier with every minute.

But no worries, this is not the complete plot, it was only the warm-up. Be prepared and listen carefully. This kind of comedy is all about the dialogues and i loved it.

Enjoy!

Cheers, Fletcher

I saw this movie during a trans-Atlantic flight. This is a German comedy-of-errors centered around a family member's desire to name their new child, "Adolph." This desire causes horror and disgust in the family, but it also exposes the very fragile bonds which exist among the family members. Who says Germans have no sense of humor? The script is witty, the repartee between antagonistic members in these families is genuinely funny, and the surprises we learn about their family secrets are unexpected but do not break the audience's necessary suspension of disbelief. It is an interesting look into German middle class life which does not always receive. Much recommended.

German "How About Adolf?" (original title: "Der Vorname", 2018) is the latest remake (in my count))) of the Italian "An Italian Name" (original title: "Il nome del figlio", 2015) which in turn is the remake of the French "What's in a Name?" (original title: "Le prénom", 2012), but I think the German is better (more mature)) than other two. Well done!