This movie is about three immigrants from the wave of Russians with German or Jewish ancestry, of which many came to Germany between 1989 and 1993. Its simply ruined by the strange decision to let the three main actors speak in perfect high German and not do accents, which everyone coming from Russia I met at that time, had. In their suits they also look like modern hipsters. So they come off more as the annoying douchebags you can find in every bar in Berlin today. Maybe they thought it was "racist" to let these guys sound as if they were from Russia, but it s not fitting at all especially since this is kind of a time piece.
Equally fatal is the decision to put Matthias Schweighöfer in the main role. His acting style is polarizing anyways (imagine a 30 year old man talking, grinning and gesturing like a child actor as Macaulay Culkin, but many think its "sweet"), but here it looks like he intentionally avoided to give his role any depth with his constant frolicking and grimacing. Unfortunately, despite its about three friends, he is in nearly every scene.
Equally fatal is the decision to put Matthias Schweighöfer in the main role. His acting style is polarizing anyways (imagine a 30 year old man talking, grinning and gesturing like a child actor as Macaulay Culkin, but many think its "sweet"), but here it looks like he intentionally avoided to give his role any depth with his constant frolicking and grimacing. Unfortunately, despite its about three friends, he is in nearly every scene.