Frau Ella

Annoying situation comedy that tries to cross Goethe with Bertrand Blier and fails. Here's the story in brief: a young Berliner learns from a dying woman who rejected her GI suitor (read post-WWII Germany) that he must acknowledge his bastard son with his German girlfriend (read Germany post-Unification) while on a voyage of discovery to France (read Germany's experience with the EU). If this sounds didactic it is. I suppose it's part of a grand literary tradition: Goethe's Bildungsroman was just as dull.

To be avoided. I only watched it because I was stuck on a flight from China where every other option was in Mandarin.

Apart from the inciting incident (it's far fetched to say the least how our two main characters meet, but even more so what makes them bond together), the movie is pretty decent. It's a German comedy (most movies produced here will either be comedy or drama, but any starring Schweighöfer is very likely to be a common comedy), but it does actually seem to care about the characters in it.

The dialogs are decent enough, the characters feel real (as real as possible that is) and especially our older female actress is very good. We know where this is heading (no pun intended), but it's still kinda fun to watch.

A young Taxi Driver finds out his on and off Girlfriend is pregnant and gets in an Accident. At the Hospital he is put into the same Room as an elderly Lady due do a Flooding in the Hospital. Somewhat annoyed having to share a Room, she starts warming his Heart and when telling him about her upcoming Surgery - as a Med Dropout - he understands that this simple Surgery could kill her if she signs the Papers. Under Medication she does sign the Documents, so Sasha doesn't see any other Option than to get her out of the Clinic. With Cops looking for them Sasha gets nervous and a bit annoyed with Ms. Ella again. She agrees to be taken home after they go to one Place she'd like to show him. There the spontaneous Idea evolves to drive to Paris to look for Ms. Ella's long lost Love, a Soldier that she didn't have the Guts to move to the U.S. with.