Opening 6 Jan 2005
Directed by:
Dani Levy
Writing credits:
Holger Franke, Dani Levy
Principal actors:
Henry Hübchen, Hannelore Elsner, Udo Samel, Golda Tencer, Steffen Groth
Jaeckie Zucker (Henry Hübchen) is a gambler in trouble. His wife (Hannelore Elsner, who you probably know from German TV) has threatened to divorce him and, if he cannot soon find a way to pay off his gambling debts, he is off to jail. The last chance for the ex-East German sports reporter is his mother's inheritance. However, there's a hitch! In order to inherit her money, there is a stipulation in the will that Jaeckie has to make up with his estranged brother Samuel (Udo Samel), an orthodox Jew from Frankfurt. When Samuel and his family show up in Berlin to sit shiva (observe the mourning period) with Jaeckie's family, we have two dysfunctional families with two different "cultures" in one household. The director, Dani Levy, provides lots of laughs, but, beware: the pace of the movie is really hectic. (Thelma Freedman)
