If Jessica Schwarz wasn't so spectacularly cute dolled up as a 1950s office girl, I'm sure I would have walked out during the opening credits. I don't know whether that proves the movie's point (men want sex and women want babies), but in my experience any movie out to prove a point is usually a lost cause anyway. This one is hopelessly uptight, clumsily old-fashioned and at least half an hour too long. I guess I could have seen it coming had I read the best-selling book, by Allan Pease, the film is based on. Someone should have told the filmmakers populist non-fiction writing makes for very stale scripts. I couldn't help laughing though when Rüdiger (Benno Fürmann) ruins a priceless polar artifact as he finds himself cornered by a hirsute globe-trotting alpha male (Uwe Ochsenknecht) hitting on his girl. As I said, she really is very, very cute. Kudos to Kitty Kratschke in make-up for those black tresses and sparkling eyes and glossy smiles. Extenuating circumstances, both for the movie and myself, but nothing more.
5 Reviews
The ultimate evidence that script is always more important than cast
Horst_In_Translation9 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps" (I will refrain from mentioning the German title because of the spelling correction program, but it's interesting how the second part is translated differently because it says that woman are unable to move their car into a parking spot in the German title - different countries = different prejudice) is a German 100-minute movie from 2007, so this one has its 10th anniversary this year. The books this film is based on are by Allan and Barbara Pease and Rochus Hahn and Alexander Stever worked on the screenplay. It's probably a contender for most known work for both of them. The director is Leander Haußmann and he is mostly known for his films that focus to a major extent on German history, so the subject in this 10-year-old film is something entirely difference. And it is also something he never may want to do again. Then again, Haußmann did not work on the story apparently, so you cannot really blame him for how badly all this turned out eventually. This is especially disappointing because the cast is massive, certainly a contender for German movie with the best cast in both quality and quantity of the 21st century. So with a better story and better attention to detail, this actually could have turned out really decent. I will not mention the cast members' names I am referring to as you can check out the cast list yourself. Let me just say that the story turned many characters into caricatures that never were allowed to show us their range and talent. Or maybe they are just better when it comes to drama compared to comedy.
Anyway, now about the story. This is a relationship comedy from start to finish. But the quality is on the level of Mario Barth, at times perhaps even lower. One major problem is that the writers in their attempts to make it funny and entertaining completely forgot about realism. There is zero authenticity in here and almost never one has the impression to watch actually existing characters. Instead one "funny" scene after the other was included here for cheap entertainment purposes and the material wasn't good either. This gives the entire project a very try-hard vibe in my opinion. It never makes powerful or memorable or at least witty statements on human relationships (especially between partners) as it is all lost in the unsuccessful attempts of rushing one comedic scene after the next. The negative highlight (and there were several contenders) was probably when the male protagonist even ends up in the newspaper towards the end and as such somewhat funny. It just did not make any sense. A contender for worst film for everybody involved including Haußmann, at least from what I have seen by him so far. His narration being one of the better aspects of the film is not because it was any good but because it did not suck as much as the rest of it. Admittedly Uwe Ochsenknecht was mildly funny at times, except the closing credits where he just sucked as much as everybody else. What a waste. Luckily this did not run for 2 hours. Stay far far away from this piece of garbage and I can only shake my head at most of the other reviews that found this a good film.
Anyway, now about the story. This is a relationship comedy from start to finish. But the quality is on the level of Mario Barth, at times perhaps even lower. One major problem is that the writers in their attempts to make it funny and entertaining completely forgot about realism. There is zero authenticity in here and almost never one has the impression to watch actually existing characters. Instead one "funny" scene after the other was included here for cheap entertainment purposes and the material wasn't good either. This gives the entire project a very try-hard vibe in my opinion. It never makes powerful or memorable or at least witty statements on human relationships (especially between partners) as it is all lost in the unsuccessful attempts of rushing one comedic scene after the next. The negative highlight (and there were several contenders) was probably when the male protagonist even ends up in the newspaper towards the end and as such somewhat funny. It just did not make any sense. A contender for worst film for everybody involved including Haußmann, at least from what I have seen by him so far. His narration being one of the better aspects of the film is not because it was any good but because it did not suck as much as the rest of it. Admittedly Uwe Ochsenknecht was mildly funny at times, except the closing credits where he just sucked as much as everybody else. What a waste. Luckily this did not run for 2 hours. Stay far far away from this piece of garbage and I can only shake my head at most of the other reviews that found this a good film.
see it
crazylikefox4 June 2008
I saw this on a plane from Germany this year. It was titled "Why men don't listen and women can't parallel park." A good movie, both funny and scarily poignant. If you get a chance, watch it. A combination mocumentry and situational comedy, with some good performances. If you liked "Amelie" this is worth a shot. An exaggeration of real life, but I guarantee these characters will remind you of someone you know. Subtitled, obviously. So if you are one of those people who thinks all the best movies, actors and directors speak English, skip it and put in another inane Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler movie. I look forward to it coming out on DVD and will be purchasing it.
Well done hilarious movie
albnet1 August 2011
I saw this movie 3 years ago on a plane. It was irresistibly funny, full of irony and laughs. Most important, it was fast, dynamic, it never bored me.
I think there are many factors contributing to the impression of a film: the place you saw it, your expectation, the price it was paid, etc. That's why is impossible to have all good reviews. However this movie is underrated, people have mistreated it because it's German, it didn't receive enough attention (like most European movies) and there is no marketing for the digital version (DVD, download, etc). However, this movie won-t get you bored for an instant, thus it's a gooood movie. Technically speaking, the authors have done a good job, photography was OK, and editing good. Of course, it's not a mega production, but I would like to have 10 movies like this rather than a Hollywood mega production tuned to sell politically correct stuff. Beside all, the script of this move (based on a book), is original, while most other overwhelming titles have repetitive ideas: the dumb discovering his moral, the single discovering love, the marriage as a monogamous promise.
Watch this movie, it's worth 7-8 stars.
I think there are many factors contributing to the impression of a film: the place you saw it, your expectation, the price it was paid, etc. That's why is impossible to have all good reviews. However this movie is underrated, people have mistreated it because it's German, it didn't receive enough attention (like most European movies) and there is no marketing for the digital version (DVD, download, etc). However, this movie won-t get you bored for an instant, thus it's a gooood movie. Technically speaking, the authors have done a good job, photography was OK, and editing good. Of course, it's not a mega production, but I would like to have 10 movies like this rather than a Hollywood mega production tuned to sell politically correct stuff. Beside all, the script of this move (based on a book), is original, while most other overwhelming titles have repetitive ideas: the dumb discovering his moral, the single discovering love, the marriage as a monogamous promise.
Watch this movie, it's worth 7-8 stars.
Not what I expected - nevertheless entertaining!
richard-posch30 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie yesterday, as I was invited to do so, not expecting much as I had read so many negative comments about it. I must admit, that I haven't read the book yet; perhaps it would have made me more critical then. The main line through the movie is concerned with the relationships between Jan and Katrin on the one side and Rüdiger and Melanie on the other. Uwe Ochsenknecht as Jonathan (the alpha-man) is brilliant. I simply liked watching the characters, who seemed sympathetic and mostly "taken from real life". I enjoyed the occasional flashbacks into stone age behavior. If you liked watching Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask, you will certainly enjoy this movie and have a good laugh. But don't take it too seriously! When it appears on DVD I'll be sure to get it, as it is a movie that I would like to watch again ...and again.
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