Allô pizza

This film breaks the boundaries of the 'typical' German film, creating a whole new genre for the German speaking film. It is a film full of catchy lengthy dialog, which is dominated by the very funny character Kai. The film deals with the issue of being cool, and how you present yourself towards others. Kai is very observant of this fact, constantly judging other peoples actions and commenting on these. Whilst doing this he comes up with new wild theories, which are highly entertaining ranging from Baywatch actresses breast implants, to golden goal theories.

His partner in crime is fed up with his lax attitude to life and the aimless life he leads. He himself though is also never happy with what he is doing, always complaining that he's wasting his valuable time doing nothing, but never realises that this is his own fault. His attempt of studding law seems pretty vague and half-hearted and remains a grey area throughout the film whether he is ever going to complete it.

Spun into these issues of the main characters, the film shows their new innovative and highly lucrative business plan of distributing cannabis products through their own pizza delivery service: 'Pizzaria Lammbock'. This business of there's goes extremely well allowing them to lead a relaxed and carefree life. In their new found 'paradise' they become careless and too trusting, ultimately letting in an undercover cop in their little secret. Turning their environment and that of their friends into a hostile terrain. The two weed mongers don't find out what kind of mess their in until its all too late, and the undercover cop comes out of the closet!!! What follows then after is a desperate fight to come clean of their deeds which are now not only drug possession with intent to distribute, but also a lot of other things have heaped up on their shoulders. Yet the serious situation the two main characters are in and how they manage to deal with it, by no means lowers the entertainment level, varying from extreme laughter to suspense and surprise.

Whether their encounter with the police, leaves them behind bars, or just makes them turn over a new leaf, or indeed leave them unchanged remains the little incentive to learn German and then find out for yourselves!!!

I don't think it is justified to diss Lammbock because of a) "toilet humour" or b) low moral standards. It's a funny movie, which demonstrates the problems of growing up instead of making a pure comedy out of it. There may be some harsh scenes, but in no way are they dominating the film. instead the movie treats its characters with honesty and doesn't sell them for a cheap joke, which you can see in so much "growing-up"-comedies: it has a certain warmth at his heart. It is indeed a german attempt to make an "earnest Tarantino-style" -movie but Lammbock doesn't even try to hide these facts - it is in some way a homage to Tarantino-style dialogues.

Stefan (Gregorowicz) and Kai (Bleibtreu) are best buddies who run a rundown little Pizzeria named "Lammbock". However, rather than Italian delicacies, the customers tend to order their home-grown Marihuana, which is hidden under a leaf of salami. While Kai is your typical Stoner, content to smoke until the end of his life, Stefan comes from a more rigid, upper-class background and tends to worry about his examinations to become a lawyer (and getting caught smoking by his stern father (Wepper). Other than that, the duo is concerned only with their marijuana-plantation in the woods, getting stoned, playing video-games, getting stoned, talking trash, partying with their friends-slash-customers and, well, getting more stoned. Trouble arrives when. Trouble arrives when their plants are infected with parasites and they seek aid from smooth-talking Achim (Weigend), who just happens to be a young, ambitious underground-cop.

Let me say first of all: I'm not the biggest fans of many of the actors in "Lammbock". Especially Bleibtreu, who for a while was hyped as movie-star and Wotan Wilke Möhring, later hyped as protagonists in crime- and action-films have a rather limited acting-range, examples that almost anybody can learn how to function a piano but many will never become master-musicians. However, for their roles in "Lammbock" they fit like fists in gloves.

The movie often has a very witty dialog and incredibly funny scenes, that makes it sorta a German mix between "Dazed and Confused" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". To mention a few highlights would be Möhrings performance as stoner suffering from Tourette's syndrome (making ever second word from his mouth an unintentional obscenity), a scene where Gregorowicz is forced to swallow some highly potent hashish and then attend a formal dinner with his father's colleagues or a policeman (himself a pothead) who lectures future underground-cops.

There are some uneven, even unnecessary subplots and plot lines, especially those involving Stefans little sister Laura (Zielcke), her Aids-test, a potential liaison with Kai and of course the infamous "unintentional incest"-scene, which go nowhere and add nothing to the movie but time. But those moments are few and far between and take nothing from the overall quality. What separates "Lammbock" from many similar-themed films – say, for example, the Jay & Silent Bob or Cheech and Chong flicks – is, that "Lammbock" is rarely over the top or some overblown parody and shows the protagonist as people easily can relate to, be they friends of this kind of horticulture or not. It's not like in the mentioned Cheech / Chong films, where you simply know that the duo will escape while smoking the largest joint since Bob Marleys last birthday party, but rather, it keeps the viewer rooting for our "heroes", even fevering along with them (especially in the last quarter of the movie).

Word of warning though: some of the dialogs will make little sense if you're not familiar with the German background in which the topics take place and if you've never been out with your buddies, smoking the "hooch", well, you might not get the point in the first place.

Other than that, I'd call it one of the best (if not the best) stoner-comedies produced in Germany (where possession generally carries a hefty fine, possibly jail, social discrimination, etc, etc).

7/10

Lammbock is one of these - new modern german movies, made by "hot young" directors - bullshit. The movie is supid from the first minute on. The six minute starting dialogue about Pamela Andersons Breasts is a sign of that, what follows. Boring quotes, humor about incest, puking and drugs. But there is nothing new in it. It seems, that the director has made a summary of every urban teeny legend he ever has heard in his high school time. No Joke was bad enough for him to fit his 110 pages Screenplay. There is only one word with wich i could describe this movie - cheap! A black chapter in the career of Moritz Bleibtreu, Marie Zielcke and Sönke Wortmann.

You don't have to be into smoking (weed) to find what is going here funny. This comedy goes above and beyond what others do. Our two main protagonists do stuff ... well, it's a good thing they are so likeable. And after all it is a movie, so no harm, no foul (in reality). The actors in general ... so good. I usually am very critical when it comes to German actors ... I can not fault them! And that elevates the movie more. I feel really bad now that I have not watched this before/earlier.

But my missing out on this aside, I could watch this back to back with the sequel, which while it ain't as good as the original still has quite the flavor to it. If you are too sensible you may feel offended of course, by this and even more by the Remake. If you find it on yourself I would urge you to watch this and have fun with it. Take the ride the characters offer you and just have a good time. The movie is set up to offer you that - without having to take any drugs