Feel the Motion (1985) User Reviews

Bunk

[Puckdeestubenfliege · 5/10 · 20 October 2019]

If for some reason the movie would have made the international market, this would have been a genius title! It's demented, it's an 80s bunk fantasy, and one main character actually bunks off. While there are some seasoned talents, the main acting is brutally amateurish, which presumably as hoped-for is quite charming though. From what is available, Sissy Kelling seems to be a working musician first, so this part does come natural to her, while Ingolf Lück effortlessly showcases his cabaret skills. This movie - just like the other 80s FRG big screen relic, "Hanging Out/Gib Gas Ich Will Spaß" - is another extension of the classic racket and junk tradition of W-German cinema, which started in the early 50ies, displaying the same obvious golden thread up until the 90s ("Manta Manta", e.g.): Love, Othello psychosis, cars, in fact an independent freespirit young female character, music, and stars. Not shabby here, against all odds extensively engaging Falco and Die Toten Hosen, and Limahl, all displaying a pleasant self-irony, with Pia Zadora, and The Flirts on the other end. Still, a rainy, perefectly grey train station goodbye scene, featuring Purple Schulz's, "Nur Mit Dir", is what does save this movie from a one-star rating! This scene is great, but futile in only a healf-hearted attempt to provide the movie with a serious nuance, only touching the entire set of troubles that comes with general military conscription. There are a couple of other scenes inhering that too, and maybe if you happen to have experience, male or female side, it will make you reflect on how that generation never really addressed how abnormal and offbeat that situation was, since you compare it to the standards not of today's youth, but, as always, with the harsh substandard of your parents, and grandparents. Also, the 80s were a ticking time-bomb in more than one way, with just another massive numbered age-group always lurking to take over from the one before! What was pop in 1984, seemed outdated only 10 months later, I don't even know, but I assume this movie was fated not to be a box-office-hit for that reason alone. Yet, movie historians get treated to a run around the Bavararia studios, including set-visits of "Das Boot" (ridiculously small), and, "Rote Erde". If you are in the know, you will also appreciate authenticity of actual circumstances, like, the Bundeswehr being massively slapsticked was absolute Zeitgeist, or, the most expensive clothing being your underwear. Hindsight and nostalgia in this pov included, bottom line, this is still a trashy movie, but - keep an eye on props, sets, and other details, there's some subtle fun, and, I suppose messaging going in there. Hence with a grain of salt, or two, this movie does provide a quite accurate insight to mid 80s W-German way of life, you might want to watch it for that reason, or the music.

Only good if you loved Formel Eins back then.

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 30 December 2016]

First of all, let me say that the film is of course not about the famous auto racing competition, but about a pretty successful German television show back then that focused on music for the most part, the disco scene that includes acts and performers like Nena. And just like she got her own movie, so does Formel Eins. It runs for slightly over 90 minutes and is one of the most known works by director Wolfgang Büld, who is also one of the writers here. There is a bit of a behind-the-scenes feeling to this one as many performers in here play themselves such as host Ingolf Lück, but also talented singers like Meat Loaf or Falco. You can of course argue how good they are when it comes to acting, but the fact that they are still themselves probably saves them a bit. However, one group who isn't saved at all are the "Toten Hosen", one of Germany's defining rock music bands for ages. And while I am not a great fan of their music either, I must say their acting is even on a completely other level of how shockingly bad it is. They come off like clowns to be honest not hitting a single right note, but constantly being over the top and they aren't even in many scenes, but they are so bad that it leaves a lasting impression.

Besides that, there is also a story of course. It is about a young woman played by Sissy Keiling who dreams of becoming a star and performing on the show in the title. It is a bit generic, stereotypical and expected and while Kelling is easy on the eyes and probably a better actor than most people in here, her talent when it comes to music is highly questionable. The ending that was supposed to be so spectacular, maybe even touching, was absolutely nothing good at all and it makes me think of this film even lower than I did after seeing everything before that. Of course, there is a lot more music than at the ending only, but this is obvious to everybody who sees the cast list. Finally, I can only say that this film does not get me motivated at all to take a look again at the famous show. I think people who loved the show back then may get back some nice memories by watching these 1.5 hours. Everybody else, however, will not see the appeal at all I am afraid and this includes myself. It's mostly loud and over the top and not in a good way. I don't recommend the watch. Thumbs down.

Even old Eddie Wood would have been ashamed...

[Pucki · 1/10 · 4 February 2000]

What would you expect from a movie that opens with a slate "This film should be played LOUD"?

"Der Formel Eins Film" was a sad effort to adapt a successful "Top-of-the-pops"-like TV music show to the big screen. Obviously the producers had the idea that it would be enough to throw in a couple of pop stars and then get away with no story, no actors and no humour. Probably all participants had their deal of fun doing this, but watching it is almost unbearable.

I guess it would be quite funny to ask Campino, mastermind of German punk legend "Die Toten Hosen", about their appearance in this movie as "running gag", trying to sneak in the show in various idiotic disguises (at least that lead to a funny mini-album).

Example of the gags? You've been warned: "Let's go to the fitness center". - "F**kness center?"

The 80's might have become some kind of cult era. If the whole decade would've been like this movie, we'd have to thank our maker that we've gotten out there alive... Go and watch some MTV instead.

I rented this film at my local video store after s...

[Holden-19 · 7/10 · 21 September 1999]

I rented this film at my local video store after searching for a completely different movie. I'm a big fan of the 80's so I thought I might enjoy this movie. And I did. I like this movie. The actors behave like it's the first time for them standing in front of a camera (And for half of them it was obviously the first time). The dialouges are completely not from this world, and the Story is.... just not there. But it has a good soundtrack, and it shows you a bit of the style in Germany in the middle of the 80's.

If you're interested in the 80's take a look. If not, let this movie rest in peace!!!

There are a lot of German Films that deserve to be watched.

80's Cheese, just the way I like it.

[samantha_jayne_fox · 10/10 · 10 May 2007]

I saw this movie ages ago when I left the VCR running when I was recording another film. This gem of movie was recorded by accident. It then took me years to track it down. Its an 80's feel good movie.

This is a true 80's movie. If you are a child of the 80's you will appreciate this movie and enjoy it. Its got Meatloaf, Falco and Limahl in it, for heavens sake. Contrary to the previous review, it does have a plot, flimsy though it may be; its still a plot.

So the jokes are cheesy, so what, so were the 80's, thats its charm. 'Meatloaf', 'Limahl', 'Falco' and 'Die Toten Hosen' all in the same film, how often does that happen?

Rock me Amadeus!

It's not bad. It's not great

[stevenboljau-23868 · 6/10 · 19 May 2021]

I saw it today. It's a typical sunday afternoon movie, where you can sit down and relax. It doesn't bother if the actors aren't that good. It's mostly played by musicians so don't expect oscar worthy scenes. It has great music, legendary stars like Falco and it's nice to see that everyone has having a good time in this idiotic story. That's what makes this movie a kind of exciting to watch.

A music show at movie length, aged quite well

[hoschi2k · 7/10 · 14 March 2023]

Well, the storyline is dead simple, so no surprises there (people want to appear in a famous TV show). They try hard to be funny, but that did and does not work very good, so don't expect a good comedy, but a cheesy one.

When the movie was released, the "Formel Eins" TV show was the only regular one to feature pop music and videos on all three available channels in Western Germany. So this movie had success for the brand name in '85.

40 years later it is still a not-so-funny cheesy flick, but it brings back a lot of memories, not only for the music acts and their careers since then, but for all the props, clothing, cars and places. You can ignore dialog and story, just focus on how it was back then... So yes, it is a bad comedy. Some acts are forgotten for a good reason, but not all of them. And if you lived in the 80s in europe, you will return to the feeling of this now distant era - and you will enjoy the movie for capturing the Zeitgeist.

A hilariously horrible and thus oddly engaging piece of 80's Eurorock trash stupidity

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 28 September 2006]

A criminally neglected mid 80's glitzy Eurotrash rocksploitation nugget. Any self-respecting aficionado of choice crummy films has their deepest, most hopeful prayers immediately answered when only a minute and a half into the picture the beauteous slinky brunette female lead Sissy Kelling takes an utterly gratuitous, yet much-appreciated shower. It gets significantly worse/better after that promising beginning. The dopey connect-the-dots basic plot is wonderfully trite: Aspiring singer Kelling, tired of toiling away as a car mechanic, snags a lucky break as a gofer who looks after the assorted famous rock bands who appear on the hit TV music show "Formula One" (said program title can also be aptly applied to the rudimentary hack mentality apparent in both the script and direction for this endearingly awful clinker). Naturally, this lucky break comes with a few hitches, specifically the unwanted advances of an amoral on-the-make smarmbucket record producer and the inability to win over the affection of an amiably klutzy hunk studio worker.

Toss in gaudy punk fashions (blue spiked hair, metal-studded leather jackets, enormous earrings), pitiful dubbing, ultra-rapid slice'n'slice editing, hideously vulgar, hyperactive cinematography embellished with then hip MTV-style visual flourishes (excess of billowing and swirling smoke curling around the edges of the frame, motion sickness-inducing shaky'n'speedy camera pans, hazy diffused backlighting), dreadful acting, erratic pacing, an uneven tone which clumsily wavers between sophomoric comedy and heavy-going drama, no quality to speak of, and you know that you've got a real dilly of a stinker on your hands, man. Hilariously horrendous special guest musical appearances by such distinctly atrocious New Wave 80's flash-in-the-pan acts as the Flirts, Katrina and the Waves, a down and out, desperately trolling for attention, stuck in a career slump Meatloaf, the eminently cute and huggable impish camp icon Pia Zadora (squeaking out "My Little Bit of Heaven" and sporting a horribly overpermed frizzy coiffure) and even the notorious Falco doing his nauseatingly stupid, stomach-knotting #1 hit smash "Rock Me Amadeus" serve as the deliciously tacky icing on an already quite tasty cinematic cheesecake. Without a doubt, it's a delightfully dismal lump of vintage 80's kitsch and as such a definite must-see for hardcore bad movie buffs.