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Special Features
- Director Dani Levy on making a German-Jewish comedy
- Production notes
- Director biography
- Photo gallery
Editorial Reviews
Dani Levy's controversial and highly entertaining contemporary farce GO FOR ZUCKER, is one of the first German-Jewish comedy to come out of Germany since World War II. The cultural phenomenon dominated the 2005 German Film Prizes, picking up six Lolas including best picture, best actor (for Henry Hübchen), best direction and best screenplay before hitting theaters in the U.S.
GO FOR ZUCKER stars Henry Hübchen and Udo Samel as two brothers-- Jaeckie Zucker, a hard-living, hustling former East German celebrity sportscaster (Hübchen), and his quasi-Orthodox brother Samuel from the West (Samel). Jaeckie is up to his ears in debt again--facing jail, divorce and general ruin--when word comes that his mother has died, leaving an inheritance. But according to his mother's will, before he can cash in Zucker first must reconcile with his long-estranged brother, who is arriving the next day, family in tow, expecting to sit shiva for seven days. Can the secular Zucker and his non-Jewish wife pass as observant? And will he be able to sneak away to compete in a high-stakes pool tournament? The film also stars leading German actress Hannelore Elsner as Zucker's hard-pressed wife and the Warsaw-based Yiddish diva Golda Tencer as the religious brother's extravagantly pragmatic wife.
Originally slated for television, the film was almost never made because of anxiety over its unapologetically Jewish humor, political incorrectness, and somewhat indelicate plot. Mixing slapstick humor with a jaundiced eye for sharply drawn social satire, the film has sparked animated debate around the globe. Not only has its unique pedigree as a German-Jewish comedy and its portrayal of a comically dysfunctional Jewish family raised eyebrows, but its story about two brothers from opposite sides of the Berlin Wall has proved to be a powerful metaphor for the cultural and social estrangement that Jews and Germans (East and West) have been grappling with since the Holocaust.
GO FOR ZUCKER stars Henry Hübchen and Udo Samel as two brothers-- Jaeckie Zucker, a hard-living, hustling former East German celebrity sportscaster (Hübchen), and his quasi-Orthodox brother Samuel from the West (Samel). Jaeckie is up to his ears in debt again--facing jail, divorce and general ruin--when word comes that his mother has died, leaving an inheritance. But according to his mother's will, before he can cash in Zucker first must reconcile with his long-estranged brother, who is arriving the next day, family in tow, expecting to sit shiva for seven days. Can the secular Zucker and his non-Jewish wife pass as observant? And will he be able to sneak away to compete in a high-stakes pool tournament? The film also stars leading German actress Hannelore Elsner as Zucker's hard-pressed wife and the Warsaw-based Yiddish diva Golda Tencer as the religious brother's extravagantly pragmatic wife.
Originally slated for television, the film was almost never made because of anxiety over its unapologetically Jewish humor, political incorrectness, and somewhat indelicate plot. Mixing slapstick humor with a jaundiced eye for sharply drawn social satire, the film has sparked animated debate around the globe. Not only has its unique pedigree as a German-Jewish comedy and its portrayal of a comically dysfunctional Jewish family raised eyebrows, but its story about two brothers from opposite sides of the Berlin Wall has proved to be a powerful metaphor for the cultural and social estrangement that Jews and Germans (East and West) have been grappling with since the Holocaust.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Zucker is Sweet,
By Paul Grant "historian-in-training, author, sp... (Madison, Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Go for Zucker (DVD)
It's a comedy, first of all. It's not trying to plow new ground. What it's doing is tell lots of little slapstick jokes around the themes of cross-cultural confusion and similar.
And it works. This is a genuinely fun movie. I recommend viewers click around on wikipedia beforehand, dusting off their knowledge of the GDR. This movie touches a lot on religion, but there's an element of "Ostalgie" -- nostalgia for East Germany -- involved here.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A comedy for grown-ups,
By
This review is from: Go for Zucker (DVD)
A fantastic comedy, people who loved Billy Wilder will certainly enjoy Go for Zucker. Finally a comedy for grown-ups who can appreciate a good script, something we miss in Hollywood movies. It needs some knowledge of Jewish tradition.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Go for Zucker,
By
This review is from: Go for Zucker (DVD)
Funny and heart-warming story of 2 families in Berlin reunited after the collapse of the Berlin wall. Very well done. For the whole family.
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