Customer Reviews

Kebab Connection

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4 star:		(4)
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Ibo Secmez (Denis Moschitto), a young German whose parents came from Turkey, has one ambition, to make the first German kung fu movie. His girlfriend, Titzi (Nora Tschirner), has a German mother and a great desire to be an actress. In this movie, two things happen that are going to change a lot of plans. Ibo's uncle, who owns King of Kebab, a kebab joint in Hamburg, pays Ibo to make a television commercial for his place. It's not long before Ibo's commercial is shown...with a kung fu showdown at the counter, with feet flying, with swords spinning and with the camera focusing in on a great looking, juicy doner kebab. Customers rush to the place (or at least they do until they actually taste some of the food, like tripe soup with testicles). The second thing to happen is that Ibo and Titzi find out they've unexpectedly collaborated on a creation of their own. Titzi is pregnant and decides she wants to keep the baby.

What follows is an undemanding and amusing comedy that involves Ibo being tossed out of home by his taxi-driver father (You can have a German girlfriend but you never, never, never get her pregnant. You'll marry a nice Turkish girl!), with Titzi's mother not pleased, either, and the with the pangs and stumbles of Ibo as he tries to decide whether he wants to take on the responsibilities of fatherhood. Titzi loves Ibo but she's determined to be an actress as well as a mother. Any husband of hers has to be ready and willing to pitch in, and she'll test his sincerity. She's a bit of a skeptic. "Ever see a Turkish guy with a baby carriage?" she asks a friend.

Ibo's effort to prove to Titzi that he's ready for fatherhood -- the old diaper changing routine, the sure-fire birthing class with a male friend -- comes awfully close to sitcom land. To compensate, there are fine performances by Moschitto and Tschirner. They both are actors with engaging personalities and good comedy skills (especially Moschitto, whose role calls for a lot of kung fu enthusiasm). And the two commercials Ibo makes for his uncle are just as funny as the movie...imagine Bruce Lee taking on the bad guys with a blade in one hand and a doner kebab sandwich in the other, with a sliced off head on the floor praising the product.

I've got two words to get the attention of fans of international cinema who might otherwise overlook this film: Fatih Akin. This singular mark of excellence (writer/director of Head-On [Gegen die Wand] and Edge of Heaven) adds his writing chops to this under-appreciated gem.

Oh, let me give you another two words: Sibel Kekilli. The breakout star/beauty/discovery of Akin's Head-On appears here in a very small role about two-thirds of the way through. [You really need to be on the lookout for her.] 'Kebab Connection' was filmed prior to Head-On's release and Ms. Kekilli's subsequent explosion, so she's a bit part player here. But when she appeared unexpectedly, I yelped with the delight of this little 'Easter Egg' planted in the film.

Viewers of Akin's work will appreciate director Anno Saul's somewhat lighter take (vs. Akin's heaviness) on the complexities of being a Turk raised in Germany. And Saul's superlative "movies within the movie" are the real gems here. These are the two 'commercials' that Ibo (Denis Moschitto) makes for his uncle's kebab ("doner" actually) restaurant. These aren't so much commercials as they are short films of the kung-fu genre (Ibo aims to one day make a full-length feature). His uncle thinks his money has been squandered...until the masses pile in as testament to Ibo's genius and vision.

I have first watched this two years ago at a movie festival and ever since I have looking for the DVD... I was very happy to find the DVD. Even for the second time, the movie has its charm and is still vey funny... Definitely recommend it if you want to have some laughs...

Guys and girls will like this romantic comedy. Turkish-German director deals with cultural clashes in a funny and poignant way.

The martial arts scenes are in themselves enough to make the film worth seeing. Beware of a few dashes of corniness. . .