"Männer..." is a West German movie from over 30 years ago. It runs for 95 minutes and was the breakthrough for writer and director Doris Dörrie and lead actor Heiner Lauterbach. His co-lead Uwe Ochsenknecht was already a bit more famous at this point thanks to "Das Boot". The film is basically about two men and their interaction with each other and with the women in their lives. Occasionally, their professional life (business, creativity) also becomes part of the story. But it is really all about masculinity or lack thereof and what women really prefer. Unfortunately, I cannot say I found this film as good as awards bodies everywhere around the world did. One problem is that Lauterbach and Ochsenknecht may have good charisma and recognition value, but they do not have great range or talent in terms of acting and this is as true today as it was back then as both actors are still pretty famous here in Germany.
Sadly, this movie is evidence that the 1980s really weren't the greatest decade in terms of film for Germany. It's a sad state of affairs when a film like this gets picked up to represent Germany at the Academy Awards. needless to say, it did not manage to get nominated. As for Dörrie, I have seen some of her other works and it shows that she wasn't even 30 when she made this. It is nowhere near her best in terms of story-telling or character evaluation. It is extremely showy and many fell for it, but it lacks (besides great acting) convincing subtlety and relatable characters. It is still better than Dörrie's most recent work "Grüße aus Fukushima", but this does not make "Men..." a satisfying watch. Not at all. I give it a thumbs down as this is a mix of bad and mediocre and nowhere near the filmmaker's best work, even if it is still, despite the age, among her most known. Not recommended.
Sadly, this movie is evidence that the 1980s really weren't the greatest decade in terms of film for Germany. It's a sad state of affairs when a film like this gets picked up to represent Germany at the Academy Awards. needless to say, it did not manage to get nominated. As for Dörrie, I have seen some of her other works and it shows that she wasn't even 30 when she made this. It is nowhere near her best in terms of story-telling or character evaluation. It is extremely showy and many fell for it, but it lacks (besides great acting) convincing subtlety and relatable characters. It is still better than Dörrie's most recent work "Grüße aus Fukushima", but this does not make "Men..." a satisfying watch. Not at all. I give it a thumbs down as this is a mix of bad and mediocre and nowhere near the filmmaker's best work, even if it is still, despite the age, among her most known. Not recommended.