"Sieben Tage Ohne" is a German television film from 2014, so it had its fifth anniversary last year and these slightly udner 1.5 hours are the second of three movies from the "Dienstagsfrauen" film series, even if this reference is not existing on imdb here like it is with the other two or at least not for the title. Speaking of the title, the meaning is "Seven days without", so clearly this is a reference to sex and no, it is not just my mind. Does not apply to me anyway, but it is a cheap attempt by the filmmakers to get people to watch this movie. Truth is this is about fasting as the protagonists go to a spa or something like that in order to change their nutrition for a while and get rid of the poison in their bodies. Or the not so healthy elements, let's call them that. The not so healthy elements from this film, however, are all of them. Each and every single one. It may sound harsh, but I would not say so if it wasn't the case. Yes, it is this bad. Director just like for the first is Olaf Kreinsen and the screenplay is by Monika Peetz again, the actress who also wrote the original novel that these films are based on. Both have bodies of work that can easily be described as not too good if you wanna be gentle and it must be said that Kreinsen is way more prolific than Peetz, probably because the latter mostly focuses on writing books. But this shall be no excuse for her. Actually, the opposite is true. It is one thing if a writer comes up with a weak book, but exposing people who rather watch movies than read to this mess too is just shameful. Luckily, the third film from this franchise is over five years back, so it seems really likely that there will never be a fourth movie. Let's hope so. As for the cast: I am not a fan of Inka Friedrich by any means, but props to her for not returning here to this sequel with how terrible the first already was and instead having another actress play her part. Same cannot be said about the other three: Kriener, Hoger and Vester and especially the third one Vester is one you really annoys me with her Martha Plimpton lookalike looks. Without the talent obviously. However, all three of them really manage with their complete absence of talent to take their characters to new lows. Same is true for Ronstedt, who is filling the gap. As for the male characters in here, no surprise, they are once again depicted as fools from beginning to end. I will get a bit deeper into that later on, but let me assure that those who have almost no screen time as they play completely insignificant characters are still on the lucky side because let's not even get into detail what they did with those male characters that add a bit to the abysmal story. I must say I am pretty disappointed to see Didi Hallervorden as part of this mess. He has been in some of these crappy ARD television films, but also sometimes he is way above this level and his inclusion here is especially a lot of a downer because this is from right after he did "Sein letztes Rennen", a tremendous movie and performance from the man. Reiner Schöne also deserves better by the way.
Okay, now a few words on the plot: This time, they are not on Spain like for the first movie, but in a health spa together trying to do something for their physical wellbeing. This results in messy scenes like the one when all of them (or almost all) sit on the toilet. I mean this kinda would have made sense if they had eaten something that was not fresh anymore, but here it was just another massive unrealistic coincidence. There are many moments like these, especially when they were going for comedy. I guess we were supposed to see this as some kind of gross funny humor moment and be happy to see them all united on the screen in this somewhat bizarre manner, even if we (luckily) only see their legs, but the opposite is the case. It is plain embarrassing. However, in terms of realism (or lack thereof), this is by far not the end of the road. The worst here involves Vester's character, who makes a deep and meaningful (well, "deep and meaningful") connection with her mother during the journey and tries to find out a bit/lot about her own past on the way, namely about finding out who her real father is. I mean yes, this happens every day basically no that you go on a travel and at the same time find out who your dad is while you are already there? I guess this is what these untalented clowns understand to be deep and meaningful storytelling. Okay, I already mentioned the key quartet here, but there is a fifth younger woman who joins the bunch (poor her!) and she gets her own story too, one more at the center of most of the others' this time. Fresh blood I suppose. However, I personally find it pretty shocking that already in a second film they have run out of quality material for no less than four key characters that they simply add another. But then again, quality material never existed with this series in the first place. But of course, as bad as they may be, every woman gets her own story this time too, like one who seems to have a secret relationship with a guy who she is not sure about if he fits in her life. Oh the revelation who it is is so interesting, wow! Basically this is only to show us again that in these anti-male films we only have desirable women and the men must give everything all the time to please these queens. hat can I say, it's directed at female audiences exclusively. I applaud every smart female (although you don't even have to be smart) who sees through this travesty. Oh yes and finally another story for one of the girls who out of nowhere ends up kissing one of the employees. How tolerant and progressive. Let's just forget realism completely for a second. Minute. Hour. I felt really bad for Minh-Khai Phan-Ti there. Oh girl, what has your career turned into by now.. Maybe welfare would be the better choice. Then again, nobody forced her to accept the part I assume, so I should not feel bad for her. But still, first her character has to listen to these clowns all the time, especially to one of them. Then she gets instructions from her. SHE is the employee, what the heck? And finally she has to kiss a woman not nearly half as attrractive as her. And then she has constantly smile in the face of all these abominations. Good thing for her is that talent and polularity really having to do with screen time in this film or the other two as you can see by the lead quartet that possesses neither and Hallervorden being such a non-factor. Oh well, there is one who does not get a big story and that would be Hoger's character, which also applied in the first film already. She is more of an observer who sometimes comes up with funny ("funny") lines. Alright, that is all I have to say about this mess of a movie. As bad as the first. As bad as the third. Stay far, far away from this franchise. The only somewhat positive thing for me to say here is that (for whatever reason) you liked the first film, you will also be fine with this one here because the quality does not get considerably worse, maybe not even worse, but yeah that is really only because this trilogy is a true stinker from beginning to end. Shameful this is still on national television after all these years. Your GEZ money at work. Highly not recommended. watch something else instead. Ah yes, one thing finally, there are more songs in here than in the first, some okay songs even, but the Doris Day number you hear several times in here really gets ruined and "Maneater" in the context of this film is also a mess obviously. Keep your distance at any cost. That would be all. Never again!
Okay, now a few words on the plot: This time, they are not on Spain like for the first movie, but in a health spa together trying to do something for their physical wellbeing. This results in messy scenes like the one when all of them (or almost all) sit on the toilet. I mean this kinda would have made sense if they had eaten something that was not fresh anymore, but here it was just another massive unrealistic coincidence. There are many moments like these, especially when they were going for comedy. I guess we were supposed to see this as some kind of gross funny humor moment and be happy to see them all united on the screen in this somewhat bizarre manner, even if we (luckily) only see their legs, but the opposite is the case. It is plain embarrassing. However, in terms of realism (or lack thereof), this is by far not the end of the road. The worst here involves Vester's character, who makes a deep and meaningful (well, "deep and meaningful") connection with her mother during the journey and tries to find out a bit/lot about her own past on the way, namely about finding out who her real father is. I mean yes, this happens every day basically no that you go on a travel and at the same time find out who your dad is while you are already there? I guess this is what these untalented clowns understand to be deep and meaningful storytelling. Okay, I already mentioned the key quartet here, but there is a fifth younger woman who joins the bunch (poor her!) and she gets her own story too, one more at the center of most of the others' this time. Fresh blood I suppose. However, I personally find it pretty shocking that already in a second film they have run out of quality material for no less than four key characters that they simply add another. But then again, quality material never existed with this series in the first place. But of course, as bad as they may be, every woman gets her own story this time too, like one who seems to have a secret relationship with a guy who she is not sure about if he fits in her life. Oh the revelation who it is is so interesting, wow! Basically this is only to show us again that in these anti-male films we only have desirable women and the men must give everything all the time to please these queens. hat can I say, it's directed at female audiences exclusively. I applaud every smart female (although you don't even have to be smart) who sees through this travesty. Oh yes and finally another story for one of the girls who out of nowhere ends up kissing one of the employees. How tolerant and progressive. Let's just forget realism completely for a second. Minute. Hour. I felt really bad for Minh-Khai Phan-Ti there. Oh girl, what has your career turned into by now.. Maybe welfare would be the better choice. Then again, nobody forced her to accept the part I assume, so I should not feel bad for her. But still, first her character has to listen to these clowns all the time, especially to one of them. Then she gets instructions from her. SHE is the employee, what the heck? And finally she has to kiss a woman not nearly half as attrractive as her. And then she has constantly smile in the face of all these abominations. Good thing for her is that talent and polularity really having to do with screen time in this film or the other two as you can see by the lead quartet that possesses neither and Hallervorden being such a non-factor. Oh well, there is one who does not get a big story and that would be Hoger's character, which also applied in the first film already. She is more of an observer who sometimes comes up with funny ("funny") lines. Alright, that is all I have to say about this mess of a movie. As bad as the first. As bad as the third. Stay far, far away from this franchise. The only somewhat positive thing for me to say here is that (for whatever reason) you liked the first film, you will also be fine with this one here because the quality does not get considerably worse, maybe not even worse, but yeah that is really only because this trilogy is a true stinker from beginning to end. Shameful this is still on national television after all these years. Your GEZ money at work. Highly not recommended. watch something else instead. Ah yes, one thing finally, there are more songs in here than in the first, some okay songs even, but the Doris Day number you hear several times in here really gets ruined and "Maneater" in the context of this film is also a mess obviously. Keep your distance at any cost. That would be all. Never again!