Der Zimmerspringbrunnen (2001) Reviews

• Good Actors, good music, bad script

  Patrick Tews2001-12-13

  Peter Timm is specialist for the German reunion. „Go, Trabi Go` shows, how a Saxon family conquers the western paradise. Now, the circle of life close. The hero of his latest piece is an failed victim from 1990. In both movies, Timm hand out good-timed jokes and sideswipes to the society at the beginning, for example the culture clash of Bavarian and Saxon or the exciting life of an travelling salesman. A fast start, but then ? Boredom and a lot of misfires. The portrayal of the east-German habitants should be near by reality and satirical at the same moment. This mixture is underdone and heavily digestible. It weaves, as if someone want to amuse about losers from East-Germany, and this was surely not the intention of Timm. The story of Lohbeck, who get a chance and use it (simple moral: everyone should have the possibility to fulfill his dreams) is mostly predictable, phlegmatic and, not interesting. But: main actor Götz Schubert impress. He plays Lohbeck so slowly, nostalgic AND convincing, that you think, he is this character. Probably the first goal of all Actors. The underlaid music and the singing comedian Bastian Pastewka create a little bit variation, but that's all. Script and idea of the movie are the deciding drawbacks. Because, if it follows his satirical attempts or some British models, it could have been a good one. `Billy Elliot`, `Trainspotting`, `The Full Monty'` or "Brassed off` have shown, how you combine social critic, individual destinies and humor on a entertaining and intelligent way.