While I agree with the others that the film has lots of interest and interesting performances, I just can't find it in my heart to believe that Leo would go for Alex. Alex is cold and his personality is pretty wet noodle. Why would anyone fight for him. While a man doesn't have to look attractive, he should have something attractive in his personality. Cutie Leo could do better!! The deux machina ending is also a little contrived. While all of that is true, this film does bring together a group of very interesting people, all with diverse lives, and spotlights their plights. I especially enjoy Tobias who is very off the wall and fun. He shows a wide range of emotional states and plays them out in a way that most of us would like to, but probably never would. Relative to most gay films that are thrown together and often hard to watch, this is a pretty decent film and will film an hour and a half nicely!
13 Reviews
subtitles a bit goofy too
ksf-212 December 2022
Alex and leo.. or, in deutschland, Alex und der Löwe. Written, produced, and acted by André Schneider. At least he didn't also direct... that's frequently the kiss of death for films. Leo (schlutt) has recent come out, and pines for alex (schneider). But alex has just dumped his cheating partner, and doesn't want to settle down right away. And has a great support group of friends who hang on a regular basis. All good. When all this is verbalized, suddenly alex is standing out in the hallway, holding his clothes. That part didn't feel right... two guys, who had just been very intimate, but have a disagreement would have that bad a blowup that now alex is standing in the hall, completely undressed? Didn't really make sense. Aside from that, it's mostly good. We get the warm fuzzies when the group hangs out together, and even has a bikini party. Tobi is the outrageous loudmouth, similar to "jack", from will and grace, and steals every scene he's in. Another odd scene is when tobi is performing on stage, in a costume. Instead of concentrating on the performance, suddenly they use trick photography and special graphics effects to divide the screen like a kaleidoscope, with flashing lights and effects. That clearly the tv viewer can see, but the audience in the film cannot. Didn't really make sense. It felt like tobi's act was so weak, it needed spicing up, but rather than write a better scene, they relied on trick photograhy and special effects. Odd choice. Directed by ivesyuri garate. It's mostly good, but needed a few script changes to keep it realistic.
Could do without Tobi
tdbyukon13 March 2022
This could have been so much better
pornoplatte18 July 2010
I saw the movie "Alex and Leo" at a screening at QFest in Philadelphia. So here is my opinion: This movie could have been so much better. With better actors, better character developments and better comedy. Don't get me wrong, the movie is charming in a amateur kind of way but it also has many flaws. Beginning with the camera work, the quality of this changes from scene to scene. In one scene it's very professional and in the other scene it's very amateurish. The performances in the movie are split between the good Ones like Udo Lutz and the wooden Ones like Andre Schneider. He, as the main guy of the movie has not much leader qualities, the same goes to Marcel Schlutt who is gorgeous to look at, but doesn't have the acting range to play such a part. Their is no real chemistry between both of them, Schlutt does his own thing and never clicks with Schneider. On the good side is Udo Lutz, who creates a funny Tobi. But even he can't save this flick from being a mediocre German import. The saddest thing to say here is that the timing which is so important in these kind of movies is totally off limit. Like I said: This could have been so much better.
If you want skin exposure from Marcel Schlutt.....watch porn and not legit gay themed film
eastonkellan_ru7 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
For a low budget gay themed movie, Alex and Leo is a funny movie and the timing (although not that great) is just right. This is a fiction so anything can happen, for instance, someone as gorgeous as Leo (Marcel Schlutt) can fall for someone as ordinary looking as Alex (Andre Schneider) is not so bizarre.
Marcel Schlutt acting here is okay (meaning not wooden) although i much prefer him in Gefangen (locked Up). He's a porn actor who is playing in, between porn and legit gay themed film (just like Brent Corrigan. who uses Sean Paul Lockhart when doing gay themed film).
The supporting cast are funny, especially the super bitchy friend Toby (Udo Lutz).
For me this is an okay film and not trash, maybe because it's Marcel Schlutt on the cast.
Some expected more skin exposure and if they are expecting that, then watch gay porn and not gay themed film like this
Marcel Schlutt acting here is okay (meaning not wooden) although i much prefer him in Gefangen (locked Up). He's a porn actor who is playing in, between porn and legit gay themed film (just like Brent Corrigan. who uses Sean Paul Lockhart when doing gay themed film).
The supporting cast are funny, especially the super bitchy friend Toby (Udo Lutz).
For me this is an okay film and not trash, maybe because it's Marcel Schlutt on the cast.
Some expected more skin exposure and if they are expecting that, then watch gay porn and not gay themed film like this
Awful movie with really bad actors
trustoch5 February 2013
Oh my dear god. This movie is so bad it almost wanted me to destroy my computer. No chemistry whatsoever between any of the actors. Bad music and really fake dialogue all around. I watched it because I have seen Marcel Schlutt in other movies and he was so much better than in this One. I don't know what went downhill here. Everything, I guess. I didn't care for the characters, I didn't care for the story and for the really bad camera work. Don't get me wrong, I love berlin but they show none of it in the movie. The jokes were non-existent and and the actors should go to acting school before doing a movie again. I was hoping for a decent comedy but this is not what I got. Keep away from this one.
a mixed review
justontheverge18 July 2010
For me, "Alex and Leo" was one of the few bright spots of this year's QFest, but even this one had its bad moments and many, many flaws. The unconvincing camera work and the poor sound quality almost ruined it for me, but then again we have to be aware that there was absolutely no budget involved.
The story: Alex (Andre Schneider) walks in on his boyfriend doing someone else and ends the relationship which makes his friends Tobi (Udo Lutz), Kerstin (Beate Kurecki) and Steffi Graf (Sasca Hai) quite happy, and the reasonable Steffi tries to comfort Alex. German porn icon Marcel Schlutt stars as Leo, who falls madly in love with Alex and leaves his bossy girlfriend for him. (Schlutt is decidedly handsome but also pretty deadpan and totally lacks the ability to act.) Alex is very reluctant at first but can't resist Leo very long. And somewhere in Berlin, love's also waiting for Tobi and Steffi.
Fine performances by Lutz, Hai, Schneider and Hans Hendrik Trost (who plays Schneider's cheating boyfriend) and a nicely penned script save this ship from drowning, the editing is good, and the music (mostly French and German songs) makes "Alex and Leo" so enjoyable that I left the theater with a big smile. Normally, I'd give "Alex and Leo" five out of ten, but compared to all the other shitty films at 2010's QFest, this was a true gem, so I added two more stars.
The story: Alex (Andre Schneider) walks in on his boyfriend doing someone else and ends the relationship which makes his friends Tobi (Udo Lutz), Kerstin (Beate Kurecki) and Steffi Graf (Sasca Hai) quite happy, and the reasonable Steffi tries to comfort Alex. German porn icon Marcel Schlutt stars as Leo, who falls madly in love with Alex and leaves his bossy girlfriend for him. (Schlutt is decidedly handsome but also pretty deadpan and totally lacks the ability to act.) Alex is very reluctant at first but can't resist Leo very long. And somewhere in Berlin, love's also waiting for Tobi and Steffi.
Fine performances by Lutz, Hai, Schneider and Hans Hendrik Trost (who plays Schneider's cheating boyfriend) and a nicely penned script save this ship from drowning, the editing is good, and the music (mostly French and German songs) makes "Alex and Leo" so enjoyable that I left the theater with a big smile. Normally, I'd give "Alex and Leo" five out of ten, but compared to all the other shitty films at 2010's QFest, this was a true gem, so I added two more stars.
Unbearably fake and unauthentic
Horst_In_Translation26 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Alex und der Löwe" or "Auf den ersten Blick" or "Alex and Leo" is a German German-language film from 2010, so this one is neither a relatively new or old movie I guess, 7 years by now. It runs for 95 minutes and is so far the only directorial effort by Yuri Gárate, who is an actor as well but not in this film. The writer, André Schneider, however, plays Alex, one of the two title characters and here we have perhaps the biggest problem of the film already. He is unbearably bad and it is impossible for me to say if he did a worse job as an actor or as a writer. The dialogues feel ridiculous from start to finish, the line delivery is abysmal at times too and all the actors (especially the female ones) are completely incapable of delivering subtly convincing moments. When it comes to Schneider, he is the lowest of them all. There wasn't a single moment when I felt with him that I was really watching an authentic character instead of a very limited actor. So I wish I could say he should stick to writing as acting is not his thing, but yeah, like I said the screenplay is one gigantic mess too. It actually made it almost impossible for any of the actors to deliver a meaningful turn. And this made it equally difficult for the audience to care for any of the characters whatsoever or hope for them to find happiness.
As for first-cast Leo Schlutt, I must say he was surprisingly bearable, but that is just because everybody else is so bad and not because he is good or anything. In terms of the particular scenes, I will not go much into detail because you will recognize the horrible stuff right away when you see it and honestly there were so many scene that rang completely fake and authentic, that it is impossible to miss these. One example would be when all character suddenly start making chicken sounds completely out of nowhere and it was supposed to be funny. I personally say instead they are all insane. Oh yeah, the way the film tried to deliver meaningfully in terms of an ugly break-up or one character not being able to cope with his boyfriends circle of friends was of course not a success either. Eventually, you can say that it is 10 times more painful for audiences to sit through this film than it was for Alex to find his boyfriend having weird sex with some stranger. I highly recommend you stay far far away from this garbage movie.
As for first-cast Leo Schlutt, I must say he was surprisingly bearable, but that is just because everybody else is so bad and not because he is good or anything. In terms of the particular scenes, I will not go much into detail because you will recognize the horrible stuff right away when you see it and honestly there were so many scene that rang completely fake and authentic, that it is impossible to miss these. One example would be when all character suddenly start making chicken sounds completely out of nowhere and it was supposed to be funny. I personally say instead they are all insane. Oh yeah, the way the film tried to deliver meaningfully in terms of an ugly break-up or one character not being able to cope with his boyfriends circle of friends was of course not a success either. Eventually, you can say that it is 10 times more painful for audiences to sit through this film than it was for Alex to find his boyfriend having weird sex with some stranger. I highly recommend you stay far far away from this garbage movie.
Bad gay foreign movies happen too
scottinhawaii-18 July 2018
Come to America, Mr. Lutz! Hollywood needs you!
nounsalvin10 August 2010
"Alex and Leo" is mediocre in almost every way. The direction is clumsy (non-existent?), most of the actors really aren't that good (especially Marcel Schlutt (another porn star who desperately tries to act), the guy who's supposed to be carrying this flick, is excessively bad! Truly, the film's most unintentional horror is Schlutt's "acting"), and the awful camera work makes the whole thing painful to watch.
Some moments sparkle though. André Schneider has written a beautiful screenplay with some pretty nice jokes and characters in it. (About his acting one has to say kindly: he's proved his dramatic abilities elsewhere; here he's basically required to look petrified and sweet.)
The movie should be called "Tobi", because it's mainly the comedic timing and genius of Udo Lutz (who's never acted before!) that makes "Alex and Leo" worth watching. He's the ultimate gay super-bitch and shines above the rest of the cast. Definitely a talent to watch! (And sexy, too!)
Otherwise: who cares about German movies anyway?
Some moments sparkle though. André Schneider has written a beautiful screenplay with some pretty nice jokes and characters in it. (About his acting one has to say kindly: he's proved his dramatic abilities elsewhere; here he's basically required to look petrified and sweet.)
The movie should be called "Tobi", because it's mainly the comedic timing and genius of Udo Lutz (who's never acted before!) that makes "Alex and Leo" worth watching. He's the ultimate gay super-bitch and shines above the rest of the cast. Definitely a talent to watch! (And sexy, too!)
Otherwise: who cares about German movies anyway?
Happy Times
BILLYBOY-107 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Leo is coming off a LTR with a woman and knows he's gay. Alex is coming off the same with his BF whom he has caught shagging another guy. I think this movie was a lot of fun and enjoyable and a big relief from all the high drama, angst gay-themed films out there. A lot of laughs and the ending is perfect. Nothing wrong with a easy going fun film that has a happy ending. Enjoyed it immensely.
Real Charmer
donwc19966 May 2014
This is an unexpectedly charming film although I am a big fan of Marcel Schlutt and will watch anything he is in he is so great and so great to look at - my best bud told me tonight that Marcel used to be a porn star - easy to see why - you just cannot take your eyes off him - but the cast in this film was really good - a great ensemble group that was very convincing and very real - set in Berlin the photography was gorgeous - as interesting as the people themselves were - in German with English subtitles which I found particularly interesting since last night we saw Schlutt in a French film that was in English - those Europeans really know their languages.
Who Needs a Budget?
arockingchair14 July 2010
An excellent piece of European gay cinema! 100 well-spent minutes! "Alex and Leo" proves that a great movie doesn't necessarily need a big budget if the chemistry between the actors is right. And the acting in "Alex and Leo" is wonderful! Hard to say whether German porn icon Marcel Schlutt is a good actor or not, but he's cast perfectly as Leo in this droll romantic comedy that features Spanish actor André Schneider (from "La paz de tus ojos tristes") as his love interest. (Schneider has become a little chubby, but let me tell you, he has the movie world's most beautiful eyes since young Paul Newman!) They fall in love immediately but have some mild trouble in the process of becoming a couple. Of course, "Alex and Leo" has a happy ending. We know it as soon as Schlutt and Schneider meet in a hip Kreutzberg bar, and the movie doesn't ruin our expectations. (A little more nudity from Schlutt and Schneider during their sex scene would have been appreciated, though.) There are some mind-blowing performances from the supporting cast as well (Udo Lutz as Toby the Super-bitch is comedy at its best!), and the music is great, too. A movie that makes me wanna go and see Europe. They seem to have the hottest men on earth.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
