Overlong and drawn out at nearly three hours, this one gag, so-called comedy left me totally cold (along with 70% of a sold-out auditorium). It is personally beyond me in understanding why this nonsensical whimsy has so many plaudits.
Ines (a continually sour-faced Sandra Hüller) is a high-flying executive with no time for her estranged father (Peter Simonischek). A disastrous impromptu trip to Bucharest to visit Ines results in the practical joker Winfried looking to introduce a little humour into his daughter’s life. A bewigged, gnarly-toothed Toni Erdmann is the result. Very occasionally funny, Erdmann inveigles his way into Ines’ personal and professional life.
Dire.
Nominated for the 2017 best foreign language Oscar.
Rating: 30%
Director: Maren Ade (Alle anderen, Der Wald lor lauter Bâumen)
Writer: Maren Ade (Alle anderen, Der Wald lor lauter Bâumen)
Main cast: Sandra Hüller (Requiem, Uber uns das All), Peter Simonischek (Hierankl, Mozart in China), Michael Wittenborn (Yella, Wir sind die Neuen)
An Opinion or Two 