"Schwere Jungs" or "Heavyweights" is a German 90-minute movie from 2006, so this one had its 10th anniversary last year. The director is Bavarian filmmaker Marcus H. Rosenmüller, but the script comes from somebody else this time (Philipp Roth). For Rosenmüller, it was his second full feature film after the very successful "Wer früher stirbt,...". Sadly I must say I am not a great fan of the latter and this one we have here did not convince me either of Rosenmüller's talent. Maybe he just isn't my preferred choice in terms of story-telling and style. There is a historic real life reference in here as the film is about the 1952 Winter Olympics and a German team of bobsledders who want to win the Gold medal or any medal at all. I personally must say, from these 1,5 hours I cannot really agree on the idea that these people need a film made about them, at least not in the way it is depicted here. Of course, a whole lot (including names) is fiction in here and this also applies to many of the core conflicts between characters in this one. There is a lot added for dramatic purposes I am sure. But it still did not feel interesting to me.
The cast includes a handful actors that German film buffs may recognize, such as Schwarz or Monot, certainly Pastewka (with his memorable presence) and Krause (a personal favorite). Maybe some even recognize lead actor Bezzel or Potthoff or any of the others. But if you don't, then it is also not a problem at all as this film lives or does not live) through its story rather than through individual performances. But as I already stated earlier in my review, I don't think it was that good of a watch and while there are many sports events in German movies that deserve their story made into a movie, I was never convinced that this one here does. And the performances also felt very interchangeable honest and not like they would elevate the material in any way. That's why I give it a thumbs-down and I hope I will see a more convincing Rosenmüller film at some point in the next years.
The cast includes a handful actors that German film buffs may recognize, such as Schwarz or Monot, certainly Pastewka (with his memorable presence) and Krause (a personal favorite). Maybe some even recognize lead actor Bezzel or Potthoff or any of the others. But if you don't, then it is also not a problem at all as this film lives or does not live) through its story rather than through individual performances. But as I already stated earlier in my review, I don't think it was that good of a watch and while there are many sports events in German movies that deserve their story made into a movie, I was never convinced that this one here does. And the performances also felt very interchangeable honest and not like they would elevate the material in any way. That's why I give it a thumbs-down and I hope I will see a more convincing Rosenmüller film at some point in the next years.