Customer Reviews

Men [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Men ... (the title in German is Männer) is a different and enjoyable film that I've viewed numerous times ever since I first saw it a few years ago. It's a thought-provoking satiric comedy (a character study of relationships) that's written and directed by Doris Dörrie. The intriguing plot deals with a workaholic businessman, Julius Armbrust (Heiner Lauterbach), who's having an affair with his attractive secretary--he's married and has two children. Coincidentally, on their wedding anniversary, Armbrust finds out that his dissatisfied wife Paula (Ulrike Kriener) is also having an affair with a free-spirited artist who's single named Stefan Lachner (Uwe Ochsenknecht), and he isn't happy about it--a remarkable double standard. Subsequently, out of jealousy and curiosity, he decides to learn some things about her lover, so he goes undercover and becomes Lachner's apartment roommate with the intention of figuring out what his wife likes so much about him. From that point on, Men ... gets even more interesting and unusual. The entire cast does well in their roles--Lauterbach and Ochsenknecht especially turn out convincing and solid performances. There are funny scenes throughout. The movie unfolds at a steady pace and never becomes tedious. The aspects of it that impress me the most are the story line and the acting. I find the music to be nice, too. The dialogue is in German with enhanced yellow subtitles in English. It's in letterbox format and 96 minutes in length. It was also released in 1985 and is unrated and in color. I actually give it 3.5 stars. Men ... is a better-than-good film that's engaging, novel, and well worth a watch.

Very bad quality DVD; Labels on CD and Package appear to be "home made"; Returned product to Seller ("importcds") and so far, did not hear from them nor was I reimbursed (nearly 2 months after product arrived returned at their facility).

Regret that this otherwise positively ranked seller does not step up to the issue. The following note went to the seller.

Dear Import CDs:
I returned above mention DVD and still have not received the credit of "$15.60" to my credit card.
I ordered via Amazon the DVD "MEN" as indicated in above order number. The DVD turned out to be a cheap bootleg, possibly taped directly from TV or VHS (judging from the picture quality) and voice synchronized by amateurs. I expected an original DVD. The DVD arrived as a return at your facility in Irvine, CA on 10/30/09 according to USPS tracking.

The movie itself is great. I saw it a long time ago on VHS. I was hoping that this just released DVD would give me a high quality version of my old VHS tape and was very disappointed. For one, it is only in English, there is no choice of selecting the original language. The quality is not any better than the VHS tape I have had for over 15 years. To be fair, nowhere did the product description state that it had been digitally remastered or that the original language was available, however, in this day and time, one expects that of just released DVD's, even if the product description does not mention it.
That being said, the movie itself is still great, loved it, very funny.

This is clearly Doris Doerrie's best effort. "Men" (Maenner in German) is a great, funny, yet sensitive satire and a tongue-in-cheek look at many 80's stereotypes. Julius Armbrust (brilliantly played by Heiner Lauterbach) is the stereotypical successful executive: art director at an advertising firm, nice house, beautiful wife, nice kids, Maserati in the garage and an affair with the secretary. On his wedding anniversary (which he almost forgets) he finds out his wife has an affair and his world unhinges. He leaves the house and starts spying on the wife. Her new guy is a free-spirited artist who lives in an off-beat shared apartment. When he kicks one of his roomies out, Julius moves in with him, and it only gets better from there....how will they fare as room-mates and who will Julius' wife Paula choose in the end? Just watch it, this movie is great!

I also caught this on the Independant Film Channel in Seattle. I was fortunate enough find and to rent it and surprise my German boyfriend when he came to visit me from the east coast to Seattle. He was so surprised, it was one of his favorite films! Honest and funny, characters actually have an on-screen raport and are believable and true to life. None of the fake Hollywood stuff here. You'll love it!

"Men" is funny without asking us to swallow many improbabilities a la US TV or Hollywood. Too many American comedies require viewers to switch off logic and reason as the plot gets into the situation where the funny stuff starts happening. There are exceptions: one thing that makes "Dr. Strangelove" such a classic is that we can actually imagine things happening that way.

Since I am fluent in German, it was interesting to note that the subtitles were occasionally naughtier than the actual dialog. In one place, "Asshole" was used where "Jerk" might have been truer to the original German. Germans often use the term "Arschloch" (Asshole), so if that had been the intended meaning, "Arschloch" would have been in the soundtrack. However, that doesn't detract at all from an outstanding film that teaches us that Hollywood isn't the only source of great comedies.

This one of my favorite German-made films. It really makes a lot of sense. The guy thinks it's okay if he strays outside of his marriage, yet thinks it's wrong if his wife does it even though he does. This movie is pretty funny and the dialogue between the husband and the man he's temporarily rooming with (the guy his wife's having an affair with) is great. Great movie.

After I saw this movie in Germany just after it came out, I tried to find it in the US. I saw it again on cable a few years ago and have been looking for it for years. I checked everywhere and I'm so glad to finally find it again. I can't wait to get it! This is the kind of movie that gets better with each watching. I'm glad that this is the subtitled rather than the dubbed version because it loses so much in the translation. The subtitles are well done and my American husband had no trouble following it.

I caught this movie on the Independent Film channel and was thoroughly delighted. With the disclaimer that I am not terribly experienced with foreign films, I loved the feel of the movie: it was clearly not from Hollywood! The movie has some serious themes but the many laughs bring it to a level that has a wide appeal. I would definitely recommend "Men" to anyone who is wanting to experience something outside of typical Hollywood fare; this movie will satisfy that craving without going over your head.

Here's an offbeat movie that is clever and funny. A happily married man (so he thinks), played by Heiner Lauterbach, is about to celebrate his 12th wedding anniversary when he discovers his wife (Ulrike Kriener) is having an affair with an artist (Uwe Ochsenknecht). He decides to get revenge by moving in with Uwe and attempting to change him into someone just like himself. It works and his wife comes back to him. The movie looks at gender roles in an upside-down, clever way that is both insightful and very humorous. It's a wonderful little farce. Shot on a shoestring, it was a mild hit when it first came out. Definitely worth a watch.