I must admit that when I decided to watch the German full feature film "Wie die Karnickel", my expectations weren't too high really. But it was a positive surprise. First things first though. This one is from 2002, so it has its 15th anniversary and it runs for easily under 90 minutes and this includes credits already, so not a long movie at all. Don't be fooled by the design here on IMDb as despite the Werner Beinhart lookalike poster, this is not an animated movie. This is merely because the film is based on a comic by Ralf König. The director is Sven Unterwaldt Jr. and I guess you can say about them both that they have some hits and some misses in their long careers. This one is more on the hit side I guess. The performances are good and I am a bit surprised that really none of the lead actors and major supporting actors are that known in Germany really. The likes of Karrenbauer, Trump and Schafmeister are certainly more known and I'd definitely have preferred more screen time for the latter as I am quite a fan, but all three of them really don't have that much screen time despite being (by today's standards) the biggest names in here. You can add Niels Ruf to that even if he basically just plays himself and today he is probably also only somewhat known for his (admittedly entertaining) Twitter escapades.But back to this film now. Relationships and sexuality and the habit of watching porn play a major role in here. I thought the screenplay was actually pretty smart. Not only did it offer quite a few interesting, entertaining and funny scenarios and situations, there is also a lot of truth to it like when we hear the male co-lead (a gay man) talk about the habits in heterosexual relationships before it comes to having sex. Also it's somewhat refreshing to hear somebody talk about sex and emancipation and porn and lots of other stuff while not knowing any taboos and saying it as it is. Of course, the film lacks realism completely, but that's fine as they never went for it from start to finish, so you cannot say anything about failed ambition. instead they went for something you could almost call a satire of our society and customs when it comes to love, but even life in general. Add in spicy entertaining parts about hunky furniture packers (you know what I mean I hope? otherwise watch the film and you sure do). This is a film that never takes itself seriously and still it is really spot-on on many occasions and when it goes shamelessly over the top it still does so in the most entertaining manner. It also needs to be said that with all the really bad gay-themed films out there, this one here shows how it can be done correctly. Just one approach. And it's working. I certainly recommend checking it out.

Well you all know how the old saying goes, "You can't please everyone". Apparently the other reviewer of this movie just doesn't like the kind of humor in this movie. I, however, enjoyed it. The movie is based on one of Ralph König's comics. Another movie that was based on another one of his comics was "Der Bewegte Mann". It was released in the U.S.A. under the title "Maybe, Maybe Not..." and stared Til Schweiger. Unlike that movie, this one has yet (as of this review) been released in the U.S.A. It's really a shame, because I know my non-German-speaking friends would enjoy it as much as I did. There are many funny scenes in this movie. One in particular (involving a sex shop and a container of buttermilk - or something along those lines - was so funny the first time I saw it, I was in tears it hurt so much). Perhaps it's because I read the comic first and knew what to expect and that allowed me to enjoy the movie as much as I did.If this movie ever comes out dubbed in English, you can be sure I'll get my friends together to go see it. Definitely worth seeing.

Yesterday, I saw this film. I didn't know anything about it before and was surprised how light-hearted and charming it is, just like the comic books from Ralf König, a famous German comic author. Unlike other films based on Ralf König's comics (Der bewegte Mann, Kondom des Grauens), this film transports all the spirit you feel when reading the comics. I laughed from the first minute to the last. The humour is partly subtle and partly very obvious. The film sure has a layer that can only be understood by a German gay man but is nevertheless thrilling to watch for everybody.It is for sure one of the best German comedies I saw for a long time.Mrs Schneider gives an outstanding performance as a Russian Opera Diva, including her famous "Bulgarian" accent - so be sure to see the original version in German.

This is another typical german "comedy", seen both from the plot and the humour. The plot is rather simple: A player in an orchestra is left by his wife because he purchased a porno and gets into a sexual relation with a opera star by the name of Kriemhild (Wagner, you know, this is probably supposed to be funny!). His gay neighbour by the name of Siegfried (Wagner again! A running gag?!) has relationship problems himself because he has one-night-stands but loves only his ex-friend... then there are several situations which are probably supposed to be funny but are not. In addition, the actors are throughout the movie nothing but bad, really bad. The director seems to have no idea what "timing" or these things are for- all in all one of the worst films I have seen in years. And I do watch many. 1 of 10, save your money, and if you do not, you are warned!