Kebab Connection (2004) User Reviews

Impressive Achievement

[tributarystu · 7/10 · 8 December 2005]

When fate is friendly, it makes the impossible possible. Like, what was the probability of some random Romanian movie fan of ever seeing a German film about the Turkish "speciality", Döners? And what is even more amazing, what were the chances of this film actually being a great watch?

The "Kebab Connection" deals with a couple - Turkish boy, German girl - who are about to have a baby and are trying to get back together. But in the whole mix, you've got tradition, family values, a Kebab shop and a Greek "taverna", kung fu and William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In a way, the film is a modern R&J...but it would, paradoxically, be unfair to label it only as such, as it is much more. More than an amusing get-together of events and characters and more than a social satire. It's a film with soul and, most importantly, it's original an authentic in both storyline and plot as well as "presentation". In addition to this, the characters are extremely likable, although they aren't always played at what I felt could have been their maximum potential. But ultimately that doesn't even matter.

Because with all these elements cleverly and humorously brought together, the "Kebab Connection" may well be a small milestone in German comedy. It's worthy all the way. If it hadn't been, what would that say about faith?

Great hilarious movie with cultural and serious elements

[a-spoelstra · 8/10 · 25 February 2006]

This movie just rocks! It's a great combination of Action, Romantic, Serious, Cultural and last but not least Hilarious scenes. It shows a Turkish family with combined Turkish and German habits. The scenes in which the 'father to be' tries to impress and persuade his girlfriend that he will be a good father are just hilarious. Also the scenes between the grandpa to be and his son are serious and filled with humor at the same time. Among the sweetest scenes are the ones in which the much younger sister of the 'father to be' tries to mend the broken relationship between her brother and her future sister in law. If you're interested in Multicultural society, want to have a good time, laugh like hell, and enjoy serious moments as well, you can't afford not having seen this movie ! Enjoy!

Great Movie, really bad subtitles

[Visual_junkie · 8/10 · 5 August 2006]

Watched the movie last night with my girlfriend and I must say, this is the funniest German movie I have ever seen. Being able to speak German like myself is a big plus since the subtitles are horrible. The movies main message is for the German public, especially the Berlinese public to lighten up about multicultural relationships, in other words, Turkish people with German people. It's a great mix of action, romance, comedy and some more action. Great use of the camera, really one of the best German comedy movies I've ever seen. If your on the look out for movies that make you laugh but still touch upon serious issues then this movie is for you.

great culture-clash comedy

[mtoumba · 7/10 · 28 October 2005]

For all that didn't know: "Döner Kebab" is a fast-food invention made by Turkish immigrants in Berlin. It revolutionized German gastronomy and is being re-ex-imported nowadays all over Europe.

This is a great culture-clash comedy, personally I liked it way better then "Jallah Jallah", "Real women have curves", or "Kick it like Beckham". It has so much more style! Sensitive and refreshing. All this makes sense in contemporary Turkish popculture in Germany. Movies of that kind tend to be cheesy, this is brilliant. I was laughing my ass off.

Somebody who likes this should also try movies by Faith Akin (wrote the book to Kebab Connection)

The best German film about a Turkish man who wants to make the first German martial arts epic!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 13 March 2013]

Okay. I'll admit that this is probably the only German film about a Turkish man wanting to make a martial arts epic...or at least the only one I've seen! But it is quite enjoyable and silly--and worth your time.

Before I get to the review, the history teacher in me wants to point out to the non-German viewers out there that Germans of Turkish extraction are very common--and make up one of the largest minority groups in the country (probably the largest). So, seeing a film about Turks in Germany is a natural. And, for those who don't realize it, OFTEN Turks and Greeks do NOT get along--they have a long and tumultuous history together and this will help you understand some of the antipathy in the film between the two restaurant owners.

Ibrahim is a strange young man. He is a very talented director of commercials for his uncle's Turkish restaurant. But they are NOT typical commercials--they are like mini-martial arts films--complete with wire-fu and stunts--all to advertise for a sandwich shop!! The customers love the ads and life looks very promising for this odd filmmaker. However, he also is VERY immature--very. And when his girlfriend, Titzi, becomes pregnant, he seems about as happy as a cannibal who is given tofu! Naturally, Titzi is very upset--as are Ibrahim's parents who naturally want him to marry a Turkish lady. Can all this get sorted out?! And, what of his uncle's competitor across the street? Can this Greek restaurant owner convince Ibrahim to make some ads for him as well? And, are any film producers crazy enough to give the guy a chance at directing a feature film?

I liked this film--it was quirky and funny. So why do I give it a 7 and not something higher? Well, Ibrahim is a jerk and VERY immature--so much so that although you might like him in some ways, it's also easy to dislike him. Seeing his lack of commitment to the pregnant girlfriend is pretty sad--and makes it hard to like him. This is a serious problem in a romantic-comedy! But, on balance the good still outweighs the bad and the film is well worth your time.

"Ever see a Turkish guy with a baby carriage?" Or a sliced-off head praising a doner kebab sandwich?

[Terrell-4 · 7/10 · 11 September 2008]

Ibo Secmez (Denis Moschitto), a young German whose parents came from Turkey, has one ambition, to make the first German kung fu movie. His girlfriend, Titzi (Nora Tschirner), has a German mother and a great desire to be an actress. In this movie, two things happen that are going to change a lot of plans. Ibo's uncle, who owns King of Kebab, a kebab joint in Hamburg, pays Ibo to make a television commercial for his place. It's not long before Ibo's commercial is shown...with a kung fu showdown at the counter, with feet flying, with swords spinning and with the camera focusing in on a great looking, juicy doner kebab. Customers rush to the place (or at least they do until they actually taste some of the food, like tripe soup with testicles). The second thing to happen is that Ibo and Titzi find out they've unexpectedly collaborated on a creation of their own. Titzi is pregnant and decides she wants to keep the baby.

What follows is an undemanding and amusing comedy that involves Ibo being tossed out of home by his taxi-driver father (You can have a German girlfriend but you never, never, never get her pregnant. You'll marry a nice Turkish girl!), with Titzi's mother not pleased, either, and the with the pangs and stumbles of Ibo as he tries to decide whether he wants to take on the responsibilities of fatherhood. Titzi loves Ibo but she's determined to be an actress as well as a mother. Any husband of hers has to be ready and willing to pitch in, and she'll test his sincerity. She's a bit of a skeptic. "Ever see a Turkish guy with a baby carriage?" she asks a friend.

Ibo's effort to prove to Titzi that he's ready for fatherhood -- the old diaper changing routine, the sure-fire birthing class with a male friend -- comes awfully close to sitcom land. To compensate, there are fine performances by Moschitto and Tschirner. They both are actors with engaging personalities and good comedy skills (especially Moschitto, whose role calls for a lot of kung fu enthusiasm). And the two commercials Ibo makes for his uncle are just as funny as the movie...imagine Bruce Lee taking on the bad guys with a blade in one hand and a doner kebab sandwich in the other, with a sliced off head on the floor praising the product.

Loved it and hated it

[caroline69-1 · 7/10 · 31 March 2007]

All the foolishness and energy of a naive, ambitious young German film-maker with Turkish parents is beautifully observed by German writer(s?) and directors with Turkish parents. The original observation mixes with homages to all kinds of directors. As a non expert, I got the Matrix and the Battleship Potemkin references. Lord knows how many martial arts films were parodied, and was there a homage to the Three Stooges in there? There's a shambolic, happy feeling to the film with its silly plot twists and fight scenes that captures the essence of young male film-maker energy and gives you lots of laughs.

Things only go wrong when the film has to deal with women. Enter the US-style clichés:

precocious pre-teen sister;

eminently sensible mother;

neurotic, self-obsessed mother in law;

unpretty (and therefore socially awkward and untalented, of course) flatmate of love interest;

very pretty (which means lots of close-ups), very confident and apparently very rich love interest, whose means of support is not mentioned, but who looks about 20, studies drama, drives a car, lives in a nice flat and plans to have a baby, without any mention of a job. She solves her problems the Hollywood way; by means of a spontaneous monologue about her youth and passion that wows the judges and the undecided boyfriend in one fell swoop.

Oh, I almost forgot the last and ugliest cliché; the femme fatale who sucks her fingers and wears a leopard-skin corset and looks out from under her lashes at the hero because of his film-making talent.

My boyfriend and I started out laughing every two minutes at this wonderful film. I ended up cringing every two minutes and thinking that the Turkish machismo mentioned in the film must be very strong indeed for the writer(s?) and directors to have observed themselves so well and women so badly. It's not just Turkish machismo, though. They're not the first to have cut and pasted all of their female characters from the big book of Hollywood stereotypes.

Nice movie

[ilkerkostur · 10/10 · 10 September 2005]

Meeting of cultures with comedy and love. I like this movie. You might not laugh a lot but you will find something to learn about Turk traditions. Director is great like in all his movies. Ibo's family is traditional Turkish family and they are trying to adapt with a German wife of their small sons. They are afraid in the beginning but they use to live with this in time, after they learn the they will be Grandparents. In a scene you can see Turk children don't smoke near their parents in Turk traditions. This movie is not only about Turk traditions. Director added Greek traditions too. And there you can see some similarities of Greek and Turk traditions.

Not bad, better than expected

[jlewis-64867 · 5/10 · 27 October 2016]

From time to time everybody watches a movie they normally wouldn't be interested in, whether it's from boredom, curiosity, or just to try something new, we've all done it. No one ever expects much out of these films and more often than not they seem to flop (I'm looking at you Lifetime Original Movies). Occasionally though we do see one that peeks are interests and gives us more than we expected. This is exactly how I felt about "Kebab Connection."

The movie is somewhat of a mixed bag when it comes to narrative. It falls somewhere between comedy, action, and social drama leading to an interesting variety of scenes. We have emotional moments between protagonist Ibo (Denis Moschitto) and his family, Ibo's struggle to grow up and become mature enough for his upcoming role as a father, witty dialogue with some slapstick comedy tossed in, and that's all topped off by the sporadic kung fu tossed into the film.

The film follows Ibo as he strives to follow his dream and become the first director of a German produced kung fu film. After directing two wildly popular commercials for his uncle's kebab restaurant Ibo finally sees a chance at achieving his dream. Ibo faces many challenges along the way such as impregnating his girlfriend and dealing with the many problems his family create as well. Through all of this we see Ibo struggle with his maturity and self image as he must face the problems he has in order to keep his family and fulfill his dream.

While "Kebab Connection" certainly isn't any blockbuster film it was an enjoyable watch (for me at least). If you have some free time maybe give it a watch, you'll get a few good laughs in as well as some enjoyable feel good moments as well.

Overall very entertaining and well carried out!

[miakwechin · 8/10 · 25 October 2016]

I enjoyed this film greatly for its entertainment value as well as the outstanding motifs I felt it translated effectively. One of the motifs I found to be most striking was the sort of coming-of-age. The audience can root for Ibo, the main character because he is portrayed as morally good and we follow him in his pursuit of responsibility and worthiness of a child and Titzi. The motif of cosmopolitanism and the blending of cultures was approached in a light-hearted manor. We see Ibo's struggle to please his father, who is both supportive of Titzi and rejecting to Ibo. The efforts Ibo makes to please Titzi, including lessening his societally deemed masculinity, is refreshing because it is not accompanied by a complete loss of his Turkish culture; it was important for the cosmopolitan discourse for him to not lose his Turkish culture as a result of integration. The most interesting aspect I found in "Kebab Connection" was the film team's use of film inside the film. The use of Ibo's commercials in plot development and exposure of the underlying story to other characters is very clever. The second way the film-in-film technique was used was to show the internal discourse within Ibo. I feel that this is often a great challenge of directors; to discretely show the thought progression of the characters. I felt when watching that this internal peek was effective in both making Ibo more likable and it made it easier for me to "root" for him, and allowing the audience to follow his development. Overall very entertaining and well carried out!

Very good first half, pretty bad second half

[martinnull6-1 · 5/10 · 9 October 2006]

In the beginning I really liked the movie very much. The whole kung-fu advertising stuff is really funny and special. I like Ibo played by Denis Moschitto, he's a real good actor, in Kebap not as good as in Süperseks, but still authentic and with a brilliant way of playing comedy. His father is played very good by Güven Kirac, also very believable and authentic and no cliché type like Hasan Ali Mete's performance of Ibo's uncle. Nora Tschirner is without a doubt extremely beautiful, but her acting is more than boring, and so is her character in the movie. When the first half is over it's getting pretty bad. The whole baby-stuff is pathetic and exaggerated. Only total stupidos will see this as funny. Than you're asking yourself the whole time, why the hell everything is that complicated, why Ibo cannot meet Titzi anymore. It's meant to be romantic and tragic at this part, but it just doesn't work! A good director would have sensed that, but Anno Saul obviously lost the overview on the story. It's just scene after scene after scene without dramaturgy or any empathy. You feel that he just desperately wanted to reach the end of the film by any means, and he just failed. Nevertheless you can watch the movie and have fun, but you better don't expect too much...

good movie

[minesomemc · 9/10 · 20 November 2017]

ill love the humor and story of this movie. The one thing that excites me in German class. I enjoy the fact Ibo's dad keeps on getting mad at Ibo for having a baby and then later ignoring the baby. I love the creativity of Ibo with his kung fu kebab ads. And the fact he wants to make Germany's first Kong Fu movie is great.

Very funny, plays with cultural stereotypes

[mbrady-27847 · 9/10 · 23 October 2016]

"Kebab Connection" tells the story of Ibo, a second generation Turkish German aspiring filmmaker who finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant. The film finds humor in toying with stereotypes associated with Turkish Germans, and with notions of Turkish German identity. It's very enjoyable, and succeeds in communicating a positive social message about intercultural harmony.

Ibo initially avoids his responsibilities as an expecting father in a western society that strives for gender equality. His behavior exemplifies the stereotypical Turkish father unwilling to assume some of the duties associated with the traditionally feminine role of raising children. While he eventually mans up and commits to being a good father, the film gets laughs from poking fun at his struggle to do so. For example, he lets a stroller purchased by his pregnant girlfriend roll down a hill to avoid being seen with it.

Another interesting characteristic of the film is Ibo's lack of a strong Turkish of German identity. Contrary to what one might expect in a film dealing with Turkish/German cultural differences, Ibo's greatest cultural identification seems to be with Hollywood Kung Fu films. Ibo is a Kung Fu film fanatic, and the commercials created by Ibo shown in the film are affectionate parodies of the genre, employing its conventions to sell fast food. His love of this cultural import transcends issues of cultural conflicts between ethnic Germans and Turkish Germans, making light of them.