"Am Anfang war die Eifersucht", which means "At the beginning there was jealousy", is a German television movie from 2001, so this one is already almost 20 years old. Well, if we take a look at the year of production shown during the closing credits, it actually has its 20th anniversary this year. It runs for 90 minutes, slightly under like most German small screen releases, and it is a sequel to a movie that has almost the same name and was released back in 1999. Only the ord at the end is different. What is not different, however, is that these two films are basically the same level quality-wise and this level is one that you really really want to stay away from. Admittedly, and this is the only positive thing I can say about this film here is that it is sometimes not as horrible as the original, but still there was never any other plan in my mind while watching this film that I could give it more than one star out of five, which is my lowest rating and means failure territory. It's no surprise it turned out this bad with basically not only the entire cast returning, but also the crew being the same. Director is once again Hartmut Griesmayr and the script is by spouses Amelie Fried and Peter Probst. The first film was based on Fried's novel. This one here is not. It just continues the story for the characters and as far as I know there is also no book that this sequel is based on. So the readers are more lucky than the viewers here that this unbearable mess does not existed in print. I have not read the original book, but like I said the writer is the same as the one in charge of the screenplay, so I am entirely convinced the book is bad too. By the way, I just watched the first film not too long ago for the first time. I usually say that it is pretty shocking if there is more than one writer in charge of the screennplay and the outcome is really so horrible, but here I am not surprised. I am really sure that both Fried and Probst lack the talent for a quality script completely. Still pretty horrible how a man can at least be partially in charge for a film that is so strictly against males in its desperate attempts to get femmales to watch the movie. Disgusting. Women's rights activists would be up in arms if the gender roles were the other way around. It really is an abomination. Be it the happily cheating husband in the first film or the guy who is interested in the female protagonist in this one, it is just embarrassing. By the way, you can also include Korff's character here. He plays a really likable character, but of course he also gets the possibility that he could just be a fraud who is after Queen Mom's (ugh!) money, even if the truth is different in the end with this pseudo dramatic cancer story. And by the way with one character saying that it was all a lie and he cannot give them the money, that makes no sense either because the money would be from the bank and not from him directly. Ridiculous stuff. By the way when the female protagonist's character does not mention she is secretly preparing for an exam to make money for the family, it is alright because it is such a kind-hearted idea, but when Korff's character dooes not say it, then he is stupid and a liar because everybody would have understood. Oh yeah, the husband here also gets his fair share again of course with how he spends all day on a park bench after secretly quitting his job or how he is super jealous when he suspects his wife is having an affair. So the negative references in this film as well as the first are about him both times. Of course both negative aspects about him, while his wife is a true saint. And obviously they did not forget to remember us of his affair from the first film.
Now I mentioned the female protagonist already a couple times and with this I mean Simone Thomalla. If you hear this name, then you will know immediately that this film is one to stay away from. She has been a lead in so so many German films over the year and God knows why. Or Satan more likely. She has not a single ounce of talent in her body when it comes to acting, showing range and versatility. All her popularity is about her looks, which are also really overrated in my opinion. So in short you can say that she is just as untalented as her influencer daughter, but strangely enough she managed a long career. I mean the moment when the film hits rock-bottom comes early on already when we see her fake an orgasm after her man does not ant to have sex with her and honestly this scene alone if a prime example of how this woman does not care one bit for females and being an inspiration or even role model to them. It was incredibly messy. And she has more scenes like that. It sure requires a really special (absence of) skill to make this horrible screenplay look even worse, but she manages masterfully and effortlessly to do so. There are so many examples I could state. Be it the speech at the wedding near the end, all the scenes with her new suitor or everythink linked to the house possibly being sold or her role as a mother (and daughter). By the way, speaking of her suitor, he is of course scum too as he indirectly tries to blackmail our lovable heroine into sleeping with him if she wants the job. And of course he realizes immediately that he made a huge mistake because she is so perfect and talented. Really ironic to see this "actress" portray somebody allegedly talented. I guess people who believe one bit of this movie are completely hopeless and there must be quite a few if this film received high enough ratings for a sequel. Oh and I also would like to mention those scene involving the male child actor. Of course, he was pretty bad too here, but the script definitely did not do him any favors. I laughed so hard at the scene when he poses as a blind man. I am sure the filmmakers meant this seriously, but this was so bad it was funny. Sadly, this was the only moment with such absurdity that made me at least chuckle a bit. The rest was just plain bad. This includes the entire story about the boy and his eyesight. I mean what parents do not realize how their child sees nothing basically. Awesome parents. Oh well, I guess they are forgiven eventually because we find out the boy faked it all along, so they do not move to another home. Oh that makes sense, very good connection there. Then again, obviously Thomalla's character is also a great mother, so she would have recognized it in fact before it had even happened with the boy's eyesight. The scene at the oculist (terrible actor too and so poorly wwritten) is just as cringeworthy as the moment when the boy quotes his grandma later on. But what was even more rock-bottom was when he says he would get lost in the new apartment right at the very start. Honestly, I was already willing to turn this off when I heard the characters singing. At least they did not continue with Thomalla's character's story from the first movie that she is a talented singer, which her voice is nothing special at all. So overall, everybody who worked on this project should really be ashamed. This is such a mess and honestly I am glad to see they did not make a third movie another two years later. Looking at writer Fried's other works as well, which basically all sucked, yet got adapted into movies, you know this one here is a project that you would not ant to atch a single minute from. Second, actually, also because you can see it takes itself completely seriously, has this stupid unrealistic happy ending and the over-the-top soundtrack. Highly not recommended. You can hear your brain cells commit suicide while it's on.
Now I mentioned the female protagonist already a couple times and with this I mean Simone Thomalla. If you hear this name, then you will know immediately that this film is one to stay away from. She has been a lead in so so many German films over the year and God knows why. Or Satan more likely. She has not a single ounce of talent in her body when it comes to acting, showing range and versatility. All her popularity is about her looks, which are also really overrated in my opinion. So in short you can say that she is just as untalented as her influencer daughter, but strangely enough she managed a long career. I mean the moment when the film hits rock-bottom comes early on already when we see her fake an orgasm after her man does not ant to have sex with her and honestly this scene alone if a prime example of how this woman does not care one bit for females and being an inspiration or even role model to them. It was incredibly messy. And she has more scenes like that. It sure requires a really special (absence of) skill to make this horrible screenplay look even worse, but she manages masterfully and effortlessly to do so. There are so many examples I could state. Be it the speech at the wedding near the end, all the scenes with her new suitor or everythink linked to the house possibly being sold or her role as a mother (and daughter). By the way, speaking of her suitor, he is of course scum too as he indirectly tries to blackmail our lovable heroine into sleeping with him if she wants the job. And of course he realizes immediately that he made a huge mistake because she is so perfect and talented. Really ironic to see this "actress" portray somebody allegedly talented. I guess people who believe one bit of this movie are completely hopeless and there must be quite a few if this film received high enough ratings for a sequel. Oh and I also would like to mention those scene involving the male child actor. Of course, he was pretty bad too here, but the script definitely did not do him any favors. I laughed so hard at the scene when he poses as a blind man. I am sure the filmmakers meant this seriously, but this was so bad it was funny. Sadly, this was the only moment with such absurdity that made me at least chuckle a bit. The rest was just plain bad. This includes the entire story about the boy and his eyesight. I mean what parents do not realize how their child sees nothing basically. Awesome parents. Oh well, I guess they are forgiven eventually because we find out the boy faked it all along, so they do not move to another home. Oh that makes sense, very good connection there. Then again, obviously Thomalla's character is also a great mother, so she would have recognized it in fact before it had even happened with the boy's eyesight. The scene at the oculist (terrible actor too and so poorly wwritten) is just as cringeworthy as the moment when the boy quotes his grandma later on. But what was even more rock-bottom was when he says he would get lost in the new apartment right at the very start. Honestly, I was already willing to turn this off when I heard the characters singing. At least they did not continue with Thomalla's character's story from the first movie that she is a talented singer, which her voice is nothing special at all. So overall, everybody who worked on this project should really be ashamed. This is such a mess and honestly I am glad to see they did not make a third movie another two years later. Looking at writer Fried's other works as well, which basically all sucked, yet got adapted into movies, you know this one here is a project that you would not ant to atch a single minute from. Second, actually, also because you can see it takes itself completely seriously, has this stupid unrealistic happy ending and the over-the-top soundtrack. Highly not recommended. You can hear your brain cells commit suicide while it's on.