What a Man

What his colleagues Til Schweiger or Michael Bully Herbig can do, he can do for a long time. Matthias Schweighöfer must have thought so when he decided to take on the difficult double role of director and leading actor in a feature film. The result is called What a Man and is a romantic comedy with which Schweighöfer should satisfy his female fans.

The young teacher Alex (Matthias Schweighöfer) is amazed when his girlfriend Carolin (Mavie Hörbiger) cheats on him with the nasty macho neighbor Jens (Thomas Kretschmann) and then throws him out of their apartment. Was he not enough of a man for Carolin? And what does it actually mean to be a real man? His best friend Okke (Elyas M`Barek) doesn`t really seem to know the answer to this question either, because the first pick-up attempts with Okke`s supposedly surefire pick-up tips go really wrong. And even Okke's sister and Alex's childhood friend Nele (Sibel Kekilli) can't really give the abandoned boy any helpful relationship tips. And so Alex sets out to become a real man himself. In the process, however, he runs the risk of overlooking the fact that the solution to all his questions is very close at hand.

For his directorial debut, Matthias Schweighöfer has chosen Frankfurt as the location for filming. And even if he has taken a few geographical liberties here and there, which, however, should only be noticed by Frankfurtians, he has nevertheless succeeded in setting the scene of the Main metropolis in an extremely attractive way. Frankfurt hasn't looked as good as it does in What a Man in cinema or television for a long time, and it's clear that Schweighöfer has recognised the potential that Frankfurt certainly has to offer as a film subject and used it magnificently.

But it's not just visually that there's a lot to praise about the comedy. It is What a Man clearly noticeable that Schweighöfer has copied especially from his colleague Til Schweiger, with whom he has filmed Keinohrhasen and Zweiohrküken, so some. In terms of humour, editing, set design and camera work, there are some clear parallels to be seen here. However, Schweighöfer avoids a mistake that was particularly noticeable in Zweiohrküken: he knows exactly when a scene is over and doesn't hold the camera on it for an extremely long time to make it clear to the last viewer that he has just seen something funny. In addition, the soundtrack is not so penetratingly superficially mixed, as in Schweiger's last films, where the impression has been created again and again that one would see an overlong video clip.

What is also positively noticeable is a very endearing naivety, with which the story is told. This is especially noticeable in Alex's relationship with Nele and Okke. Especially in one scene the film could have turned into something like My big fat turkish wedding very quickly. But except for two small moments the nationality of Nele and Okke doesn't play any role at all. Maybe this doesn't always correspond to reality. But it should be like that. Just as Alex's students and the goings-on in the schoolyard are portrayed. Real conflicts, as they can unfortunately be observed in everyday life again and again, do not exist here. Everything here is nice, clean and cheerful. Perhaps that's the way it really looks in very few schoolyards in Germany. But Schweighöfer's aim was not to stage a socially critical drama, but a romantic fairy tale. And this embellished, refreshingly positive picture of interpersonal togetherness just fits in very well.

Sure, here and there Schweighöfer's inexperience as a director is still noticeable. The humor doesn't always hit the mark and some scenes just overshoot. But even in the weaker moments there is an obvious joy in the project, which can be seen in the actors as well as in the production as a whole. Whether the absolutely likeable Sibel Kekilli, the wonderfully bitchy Mavie Hörbiger, the lovable Elyas M`Barek or the wonderfully smarmy Thomas Kretschmann, they all acted with obvious pleasure alongside and under the direction of Matthias Schweighöfer.

May be that all this is not positively evaluated by all critics. However, Matthias Schweighöfer can count on the support of his fans, which was also evident at the Frankfurt premiere (all information can be found <link><link cinema s theme what-a-man-matthias-schweighoefer-stellt-seine-erste-regiearbeit-vor.html _blank>HERE) has been noticeable. Here, Schweighöfer and his co-stars were greeted with loud cheers and the film was received with enormous applause. What a Man may not be entirely great cinema, nor is it the best comedy of the year. But it is without question good and likeable cinema entertainment, which should more than satisfy not the feuilleton, but the target audience. And for that there is a deserved: Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp