Keinohrhasen

Achtung, this is a German comedy! Well, actually the movie is a lot better than what I expected (I painfully remember sitting through a few boring German comedies... Ja!).

The film's first third is very promising - unfortunately there are two other thirds which lack imagination and creativity. Especially the last third is more than lame. The movie makers obviously had used up all of their ideas before.

Til Schweiger proves to be a reliable and sympathetic actor. But he should do something about his voice. He would do himself a favor if he managed to lower it a little bit and get more melody into his way of speaking.

They say that Nora Tschirner is one of Germany's most popular young actresses. I can understand that. She delivers a convincing portrayal of an erotically retarded young woman whose seductive aura equals zero. What I didn't understand was the reason why she has to do two brief, totally superfluous nude scenes. What we get to see is really not that remarkable. At the same time, the bare chest easily destroys some of the ambiguity that Tschirner tries to put into her character.

In short: Enjoy the clever beginning, but prepare for an unsatisfying ending enriched with some clichés.

When a director stars in his own movie, it can sometimes be a recipe for disaster. They just give all the screen time to themselves and it becomes a self indulgent mess like in case of "Dances with Wolves". If done correctly they are able to use the actor within themselves to their full potential as they know their own limits.

This is the latter case. Til Schweiger again plays a cynical guy who seems to immune to love or affection. He has given a wonderful performance and done an admirable job in directing as well. He reprises the character he plays in Barfuss, which also has a very similar feel to this film. I saw him in this movie first so I like it much more. Of course Barfuss is almost as good, and I recommend it if you have liked this movie.

Also the scenes with Jürgen Vogel were hilarious.

Keinohrhasen has absolutely swept me off my feet. This romantic comedy will make you laugh, cry and day-dream from the first minute until the last second. The movie is probably the best German romantic comedy I have ever seen. Everything about this movie is amazing: the great story, the funny and intelligent dialogues, the high quality pictures, the perfect setting in wonderful Berlin, and of course the superb cast. Til Schweiger has managed to shoot a movie classic; this film will find its place in German movie history. The cast reads like the "who is who" of German cinema and delivers some unforgettable acting performances. I think Nora Tschirner and Matthias Schweighoefer will soon be recognized as two of the biggest young acting stars not only in Germany. In combination with the hilarious story and the stellar camera work, Keinohrhasen will set a new standard for romantic comedies. Don't miss this gem and book a flight to Berlin to see it – it's your dollars well spent…. :-). Run to Berlin!!!

If, like me, you're in it for the nanny (Nora Tschirner), you're bound to be disappointed. True, you get to see lovely Nora in the nude, but for 114 out of the movie's 115 minutes, she is wearing her spinster glasses, crow's nest hairdo and embroidered cardigan. For her character Anna, it's a Cinderella story minus the ball gown. She doesn't even change for the red carpet. But once you do away with the babe alert, "Keinohrhasen" is actually pretty funny. I can't believe I'm saying this, but writer-director Til Schweiger obviously knows both women and kids. Pleasant surprises include his daughter Emma in the part of jet set baby Chayenne Blue and Brigitte Zeh as her foxy celebrity mum. Oh, and if, like me, you can't get over Nora, check out "Ijon Tichy", last year's groundbreaking miniseries set in space. From now on, no self-respecting starship commander will get by without a hot hologram in a 1960s micro skirt.

I gotta admit, up till now I have neither been a big fan of Til Schweiger nor of German movies in general. But I changed my mind after watching Keinohrhasen. I simply loved it. Yes, it is completely predictable (what romantic comedy isn't?) and yes, there are a few inconsistencies and even some unnecessary scenes - but who cares?! The chemistry between Til and Nora is - surprisingly - just great, the story is classic, but so beautiful and I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard in any movie.

All in all, even though I'm not a big romantic, I was, to my own surprise, somehow very touched by this movie and I enjoyed it very much, I laughed, I cried, I sympathized - the perfect entertainment. I will definitely buy it on DVD.