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Germany's probably most popular male actor Matthias Schweighöfer plays the most well known Russian born German writer Wladimir Kaminer in Russendisko.

This is a somewhat true story based on Kaminer's life and his bestselling book of the same name.

Now that I've finally read the book I watched movie again and must say: the movie is much better than the book.

The book is merely a loose collection of sometimes tragic and usually ridiculous anecdotes.

The movie in contrast is a partly realistic but very light-hearted depiction of Berlin in the early nineties, at the outset of the GDR.

It captures the fresh start and "golden era" spirit of that time and place pretty well. I was only a teen but I felt it and experienced it to some extent back then.

I even visited the Russendisko - the actual place in Berlin - a few times later in the mid "zeros" when I returned to Berlin. The place still looked and felt like in this movie.

I drank the best White Russians there and danced to Polka music.

So it's accurate historically. It's fun and optimistic like its main protagonist. The love story is quite relatable, romantic and cute as well.

Watch it to feel better and remember the time when you were around. Enjoy it if you weren't. This is a history lesson as its best. Even the ludicrous German bureaucracy is shown with plenty of humor.

The other reviews are abysmal and petty. Ignore those. They motivated me even more to clarify.

Fritz (mistakenly?) ends up in an inhabited place he assumes he rented in Palm Springs for a week. A famous Hollywood star already resides there. When they bump into each other they both pass out and wake up cuddling accidentally.

Yet Lilly who is undergoing an "existential crisis" already spontaneously decides to keep the intruder and introduce him as her new boyfriend to her family. This hilarious premise becomes less far-fetched as we meet the extended family, friends and coworkers.

Despite their privileges they all deal with all kinds of issues, fears and sorrows, just like everybody else. There is a lot of authentic dialogue in here (not the scripted artificial blockbuster one). So you have to listen and empathize.

At the end the movie fizzles out a bit as we get a closer look at more characters. If you are into a meditative and even spiritual experience this slow paced chamber play is for you. It mainly takes place in one house, the other scenes outside are merely changes of place and not meant to introduce action sequences either.

So wind down, relax, extend your attention span and enjoy. Otherwise move on. If you make it to the end you may have gained some insights on how near actual happiness is.

I knew Rebecca Blumhagen - who plays the main character Claire - from Get Happy, which was quite a deep yet still somewhat lighthearted movie.

So I considered Other Plans as well. I was astonished about the low rating and lack of reviews. This intrigued me a bit. I was right. This is another indie that went under the radar of mainstream audiences.

Unlike Get Happy this is more lighthearted than deep even though Claire, the protagonist, has some childhood trauma of poverty to overcome. Thus she focuses on her career and "other plans" to prevent that from happening again while neglecting her private life.

Meanwhile an unpublished writer - who is working as a janitor in the building the publishing house she works for resides in - falls in love with her. Due to his low status he feels unworthy to approach her though.

Yet one day due to a mishap and a case of mistaken identity (and a little magic) he ends up doing that despite his fears.

First off, this love story is a bit of a fairy tale. It uses some romcom stereotypes and has some logic holes and inconsistencies yet overall it will brighten your day. Rebecca Blumhagen offers a constant cute overload for the eyes and even in her annoyance stays always gorgeous.

The male lead, Nathan, the undercover writer, plays his part even more convincingly as he has to change repeatedly from dejected janitor to aspiring writer and embodies both quite aptly.

Of course we expect the final outcome yet it's still an enjoyable watch to find out how Claire and Nathan will navigate the pitfalls of identity theft, toxic coworkers, misunderstandings etc.

With the help of some likable and truly supporting characters (Claire's friends, Nathan's brother, a homeless/magician) there are glimmers of hope we can relate to.

An overall likeable cast, positive message, and pleasurable love and personal development story that is uplifting without being too cheesy. Some of it is also a bit too obvious or spelled out. Clearly a movie for the heart and not the brain. Exactly what I needed today to wind down.