Zucker! ...come diventare ebreo in 7 giorni

There are two big divides in the family that this film centers on, and these are the premises of what could have been a very fun and touching movie at the same time, with a political and human message not to be missed. It's about Jewish family led two brothers, where one side are orthodox and observant Jews, while the other side are completely agnostic, actually involved in mixed marriage between a Jewish man and a non-Jewish woman which would make the children non-Jewish according to Jewish faith. The other divide is the Berlin wall and the division of Germany during the cold war which makes the observant family leave in the prosperous West, while the other half of the family leaves in the East. Not that the Eastern European brother lacks success and charisma, he is actually the more interesting character of the two, a former TV sports reporter dealing with a small prostitution business and a champ in billiards, but who finds himself in dire straits because of gambling and debts. Ten or fifteen years after the fall of the wall, when reunions are possible the mother of the two dies and in her the testament she asks for a traditional burial followed by the one week shiva mourning period, and a true reconciliation as a precondition for inheriting.

There are two ways to approach making such a movie. Rely on character comics, but here you need to be quite careful as a movie dealing with Jewish characters risks to be considered as too offensive if they pedal too much on this line. Although a lot of stereotypes are present I did not find them offensive at all (yes, I am Jewish), actually it's more the gay and sexual allusions that some may find more visible and doubt there good taste. The other approach would be to deal more with the political theme, but here the film is just a pale social commentary, and it never gets even close to the subtlety and human dimension of a film like 'Good-bye, Lenin'.

Unfortunately by choosing the middle of the road the director condemned the film to mediocrity, and instead of good laughs it's mostly polite smiles all along. It's not that good comedy scenes are completely missing, but I could not escape the feeling that the premises of the movie are better than the outcome, and that if the authors had chosen a more definite line, or just dared to be more crazy the result would have been better.

There's been a media buzz surrounding this movie since its release in Germany. It is a bittersweet satirical comedy on the relationship between Jewish and non-Jewish Germans, making it - to my knowledge - the first movie of its kind and utterly successful.

Since the Shoah, there has been a perception among the majority of non-Jewish Germans that Jewish people in this country have to be treated with velvet gloves in every respect. This perception is strengthened further by the fact that due to the small number of Jewish communities in Germany, many non-Jewish Germans don't know Jewish people personally, thus creating an abstract image of easily offended Jews who have to be treated with utmost political correctness.

This movie by Dani Levy puts things into perspective again, demonstrating that despite the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany against the Jewish population, one nowadays is allowed to laugh about curiosities caused by Jewish rituals like problems in keeping the household going during Shabbat or about other Jewish/non-Jewish incompatibilities without breaking a taboo. Both Jewish and non-Jewish stereotypes are equally poked fun at in this movie, and with its intentional and charming political incorrectness and spot-on irony on this complex and sensitive matter, it is hilariously funny and an absolute must-see! I am convinced that this movie will help bring relations of Jewish/non-Jewish Germans to a more normal, more natural level, based on more mutual understanding. But even for those not looking so much for a movie with a message, but rather for an evening highlight of clever entertainment and big laughter, this is an ideal choice!

9/10

This movie starts with the main character lying in a coma in a hospital ward, attended by two orderlies. The unconscious main character is heard in a voice over, saying that the orderlies are gay. The orderlies kiss. I watched this in a DVD version and I have the suspicion that this is supposed to be funny – it said „comedy" on the DVD case, after all and it goes on like that. Had I seen this in a movie theater I probably would have heard part of the audience roar with laughter, because it is so funny – and because they are supposed to sit in a comedy. While it is fascinating to think about what it is funny and what isn't, this movie unfortunately only delivers arguments about what isn't.

Brilliant brains can MAKE anything funny, people like Ernst Lubitsch, Billy Wilder or Mel Brooks have proved that fact. But you have to know the „mechanics", I suppose. Director and co-scriptwriter Dani Levy does not bother about those mechanics, he thinks that certain things simply ARE funny, the fact that two orderlies are gay and kiss over a man in a coma, for example. Do not get me wrong, some people can MAKE that funny, Dani Levy can't, not for me, anyway.

The main problem I have with this movie is that I can't see a reason behind the way the main characters behave. I could not understand why the two brothers, one an orthodox Jew from West Germany one a third class carbon copy of Fast Eddie Felson from former East Germany so strongly disliked each other. They are both rather bland characters. Their children are boring apart from the fact that they are sexually attracted to each other (well, one is a lesbian now but raises the daughter she has with her cousin). But even these incestuous relationships – if anything they are embarrassing - just come through as an excuse because the scriptwriters could not come up with anything better.

The acting is not bad, Udo Semel I actually came to like quite a lot although he reminded me more of ex chancellor Helmut Kohl (a lighter version) than of a venerable Orthodox Jew. The direction in itself is not really bad either, but maybe Levy should stick to directing movies, leaving the scriptwriting to someone else. Now I heard he did a comedy about Hitler. Oi, Vai!

This movie is really great. I fully enjoyed it and it was fun and gives you an idea of what the Jewsish community would have added to German society if they would not have been killed during the Holocaust. This is a sad thing and I say that as a German. I love to see what light hearted story Dani Levy made and it's really excellent actresses and actors. This movie is entertaining, easy to watch but has it's twists. Personally I really admire the screenplay of the actresses and actord -it is really wonderful and sets up a 'believable' environment for the movie. The fight between the brothers is also very noticeable.

Lighten up. It's a movie. It's not real life. Enjoy it for what it is. I laughed out loud in the theater continually. These are romantic movie characters. My belief was definitely suspended. i recommend this movie to others constantly as one of the best I've seen this year. Reality TV is no more real than these characters. It's refreshing to finally see a German comedy rather than the pap that the American cinema churns out. There are many twists in this movie that will add levity to your day. Go Go Go And take someone with you. Germany has become so strict and gloomy in the world's eye that it's great they can cross boundaries that many are scared to talk about. C'mon we're all people. We all have beliefs. We should be able to laugh at ourselves and certainly have to ability to see the human in this mortal existence.