"Pappa ante Portas" is the second and last full feature film (after "Ödipussi) written by, directed by and starring late German entertainer Loriot (at almost 70) aka Vicco von Bülow and this one here is also already 25 years old, but by many considered one of the finest German comedy films ever made and definitely proof that Germans can make funny films as well. In this one, Loriot plays a man who has worked for decades, but after making a somewhat stupid decision about buying a bit too much typewriting paper, he gets told by his (considerably older) boss that it is time to retire. This also sounds like a potentially good drama movie, but it is really all comedy here. Loriot gets help from a couple familiar faces from his career, most of all Evelyn Hamann (rip), with whom he worked together for a very long time too and these two are the perfect example that you can be the closest friends and colleagues without being an actual couple.
But back to this movie: When Mr. Lohse is retired by his boss, his wife and son, just like himself, struggle a lot to get used to the new situation and finally it looks like the best way out of the chaos is for his wife to stop being a housewife and get a job herself instead. Some people just can't live with or without each other. There is a lot of situational comedy in this film and Loriot is probably the best take on this genre that Germany has to offer. It comes in terms of actions by the characters or words, which makes it very difficult to understand (in both senses of the word) for non-German audiences and I am also sure that it would be a huge challenge for a translator to make English subtitles for this one without losing the goofiness and humor the script has from beginning to end. I thought the IMDb rating for this one may be a bit too high, but it was still a decent watch and at least on par with "Ödipussi". I recommend "Pappa ante Portas". Thumbs up and my favorite scene is probably the one at the grocery store when he order all the mustard. Pretty perfect scene from everybody involved: My Name is Lohse and I am shopping here!"
But back to this movie: When Mr. Lohse is retired by his boss, his wife and son, just like himself, struggle a lot to get used to the new situation and finally it looks like the best way out of the chaos is for his wife to stop being a housewife and get a job herself instead. Some people just can't live with or without each other. There is a lot of situational comedy in this film and Loriot is probably the best take on this genre that Germany has to offer. It comes in terms of actions by the characters or words, which makes it very difficult to understand (in both senses of the word) for non-German audiences and I am also sure that it would be a huge challenge for a translator to make English subtitles for this one without losing the goofiness and humor the script has from beginning to end. I thought the IMDb rating for this one may be a bit too high, but it was still a decent watch and at least on par with "Ödipussi". I recommend "Pappa ante Portas". Thumbs up and my favorite scene is probably the one at the grocery store when he order all the mustard. Pretty perfect scene from everybody involved: My Name is Lohse and I am shopping here!"