Yangzom Brauen in Schluss mit lustig! (2001)

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This cute made for German TV romantic comedy is the directing debut of Isabel Kleefeld who had previously been working as second unit or assistant director on such successful films as Männerpension, St. Pauli Nacht and most noteworthy Das Experiment. While the two male leads Martin Glade (Long Hello and Short Goodbye, U-571) and Wotan Wilke Möhring (Bang Boom Bang, Anatomie 2) are rather well-known actors, the female lead is played by Yangzom Brauen, a lovely newcomer making her movie debut.

Felix (Glade) and Moritz (Möhring) are two long-time buddies who share a chaotic flat in Cologne (where Schluss mit lustig! actually was shot). While his friend appears to be a very self-assured person, Felix is a clumsy guy who doesn’t seem to have the slightest hint of taste in terms of clothes. Both of them, however, have some serious difficulties with their girlfriends; Sandra (Alexandra Kalweit) and Leandra (Sólveig Arnarsdóttir in a very funny performance) and thus both get dumped by them early in the film. Moritz, who soon reunites with Leandra, feels bad for his flatmate and decides to help the poor fella at finding a new one… Maja (Brauen) on the other hand is the single mom of seven-year-old Paul (terrific: Nikita Wokurka) and fed up with men only regarding her as a mother, not a woman - she’s searching for someone uncomplicated with whom to have some fun. After two minor encounters Maja and Felix accidentally meet again at a party and get to know each other better which finally blossoms in an apparently loose relationship. In order to protect herself from the problems that usually occur when men find out about her having a son, she doesn’t tell Felix about him. The fact that he isn’t exactly a fan of kids doesn’t make things easier for Maja. What neither of them knows is that Felix and Paul already met unknowingly at the local swimming pool where Felix (no typo!!!) takes swimming lessons. After a couple of meetings he gets curious why his new girlfriend always wants to visit him at his apartment and why she only has time for him on Tuesdays. In order to prove to Felix that she isn’t hiding anything (or anyone) from him, Maja sets up a date at her place while hiding Paul at her neighbour and friend Connie’s (Caroline Peters)’s place. Nevertheless Felix soon finds out about the kid and breaks up with Maja. Not necessarily because of her having a child, but because of her not telling him the truth. That’s at least his version - of course he’s also somewhat afraid of the responsibility that comes with having a child. Paul doesn’t actually mind his mother’s lover not being around anymore as the two didn’t get along too well during their swimming-pool encounters anyway. But when he sees how sad Felix’s departure makes Maja, Paul realizes that they may be better off with him...

Director Isabel Kleefeld does a great job by avoiding usual movie stereotypes and creating three-dimensional real-life characters. In addition Schluss mit lustig! contains some absolutely hilarious scenes like the one in the closet where Felix tries on female underwear while reading a friends’ sex-letters to Moritz. Be that as it may, the biggest strength of this little movie is its great actors. Glade obviously has a hell of a time playing this flawed but sympathetic nerd while Möhring is equally good as his partner in crime. Yangzom Brauen shows some real potential, though her performance may be a little bit uneven at times. Especially in the scenes where Maja and Felix argue she doesn’t always come across that convincingly. Still, her extremely sympathetic and charming appearance more than make up for that! The sole star of this movie, however, is the über cute Nikita Wokurka (Paul) who effortlessly steals every single scene he’s in from the very first one that features him rebuffing the advances of a little girl during a school-break, to the last one where he and the same girl finally get together, as well. All in all Schluss mit lustig! is well worth watching (and obtaining if it ever were available on DVD) due to several great performances (Moritz Bleibtreu has a very brief cameo) and its funny but realistic portrayal of twentysomethings who have to overcome their fear of committing themselves to a long-term relationship (several of the characters, especially Felix, Maja and Moritz, are such cases). A real feel-good movie which is hereby highly recommended!!!

Nudity Report: Beautiful newcomer Yangzom Brauen shows some skin in three sex aftermath scenes. The second one is especially well worth a look (or two, or three,…) since it features a nude Yangzom lying quite naked on her male co-star. When she gets up, we are blessed with a brief look at her sweet and small-nippled hooters. Caroline Peters can be seen wearing a bra while changing clothes in a canteen 9 minutes into the film.

Critics: IMDB 8.2 out of 10 (18 votes). Udo: 3/4. As good as made-for-TV comedies get.

Box Office: Schluss mit lustig! premiered on German TV on the 27th of September 2001 after being shown at several festivals where it was received very positively.

DVD Info: No DVD available!


Written by: Udo Baumann