Turkish for Beginners (2012)

"Türkisch für Anfänger" is a German film from 3 years ago that is actually a spin-off from a really successful German television series. I have not seen that series, but it's really hard for me to believe that they made it work looking at how big a mess this film has become. The writer and director is Bora Dagtekin and he was also the creator of the television show. You may know him better from his recent film "Fack Ju Göhte", one of the most commercially successful German movies of all time and of course they will make a sequel soon. But back to this one here. The biggest problem is definitely the script. Hardly a single line feels authentic that it's really coming from the character and not just an actor pretending to say it. Of course this also has to do with the talent (or lack thereof) from the lead actors Josefine Preuß and Elyas M'Barek.They thought to make this somewhat special by putting all the action on a tropic island, but they really failed here. The banter by the protagonists and the constant question on how masculine is too masculine and how emancipated the female character has to be in order to be respected but not annoying is pretty bad. It's sad to see how this film actually takes itself so seriously at times and at other times is trying so hard to be funny. And it fails on all fronts. One of the worst parts would be when that guy kisses the mother of Preuß' character at the end, but it still can be worse. The worst moment of all is when the mother tells the daughter that she is glad that her daughter finally did drugs. Like wtf? Then again, it's just the tip of the iceberg. There are embarrassing scenes every couple minutes. Truly embarrassing. Not just uninteresting and unrealistic, but really even way worse than that. Probably the worst German movie of 2012 and it's quite a shame it's actually among the most known from that year too as it really gives a bad name to German cinema. Highly recommended to stay away.

OK, I don't know what kind of Humor these other critics have but I thought it was very funny!!! Stereotypes or not, Stereotypes are Stereotypes for a reason. Don't take it all so serious. I loved the dry sense of humor and their sometimes wrong, sometimes just filled with sassy remark kind of conversations, where the chemistry is just bubbling waiting to explode. I bought the DVD and have watched it probably 3x in the last 2 weeks. See for yourself. Just watch the Trailer and you'll see :) The Movie as well as the TV-Show contains a lot of irony and on purpose but in a fun and self-ironic way makes fun of stereotypes as well as the Person's own Personalities. The four getting stranded on a lonesome Island couldn't be more different from each other yet they bond and - yeah, I won't spoil it :)

First, the good news: If you are into men - Elyas M'Barek walks through most of the movie bare-chested; in a few scenes bare-assed.The bad news is: This doesn't help this bomb. The story line is: Turkish boy meets German girl, boy's dad meets girl's mother. Before the two prospective couples live happily ever after, they have to wade through a pile of the lowest, most vulgar clichés about Germans and Turks you can dream up.M'Barek's character is a male chauvinist pig from the books. He treats his sister like a piece of junk, he yells and bullies most of the time, he starts fights - a real macho. Josefine Preuß' character is an indecisive, post-pubescent, hare-brained bitch. This is supposedly non-PC. Unfortunately, it's also unfunny.So: Unless you are a stickler for prejudice from the stone age - don't buy or watch this flick. It's a complete waste of time.

There are two main reasons, why i've chosen to see this movie - first there's the funny TV-Show, finished a while ago and the very well chosen scenes from the trailer shown in cinemas. Compared to the TV-Show, the movie isn't less nor more funny - refreshed with new jokes according to the present situation in Germany (and the world).The actors are the same - it's the story that's told in a different way - awesome decision and thrilling plane crash (like seen in trailers). Actually, the crash let me go out of the movie with a bad attitude towards flying... Nevertheless, that's where the fun begins and you start to enjoy the movie, the Germans, the turks and the Greek. The end is predictable for those who've seen the show, but it is not taking the joy.Funny, funny, funny and entertaining 'til the credits!