Opening Day: 13 January 2011

Synopsis:

Tabloid reporter Ludo and kindergarten teacher Anna have been together for two years now and have settled into the everyday routine of coupledom, meaning that taking out the garbage and picking up dirty socks keep a pretty even balance with passionate lovemaking and candlelight dinners.

When Ludo runs into his old flame Marie, he accidentally triggers Anna’s jealousy. Where Anna sees a big-bosomed predator sharpening her claws for the kill, Ludo sees nothing more than a mild flirt. But it’s enough to cause a breach of trust that devastates Ludo and makes him demand more breathing room. Unfortunately, Anna’s ex-boyfriend Ralf chooses precisely this moment to reenter her life.

And suddenly Ludo isn’t too crazy about his new breathing room anymore ... Ralf here, Ralf there – Ludo can’t compete with Mr. Sexy, who also happens to be a humanitarian worker in Africa and a fabulous cook.

Now it’s Anna’s turn to stray, and Ludo’s turn to make some unusual erotic discoveries.

Will the quarrelsome duo come together again?

Movie Review:

So, what’s with the title “Rabbit Without Ears”? And how many of you out there have actually caught the first movie when it was released here in 2008?

If you are in the mood to watch a romantic comedy, the above factors do not really matter. There is no need to trace the origins of the title, and there is also no need to know what transpired between the protagonists in the first movie. All you need to know is, there is nothing refreshing about this passable romance flick except that it’s a German movie.

You know how it goes – when a couple has been living together for some time, routine sets in. This is the issue faced by our protagonists in this movie. The guy neglects his household responsibilities, and the girl goes into the inevitable nagging mode. An old lover shows up in the guy’s life, and an old boyfriend appears in the apartment. What ensues is a series of misunderstandings, arguments and fights which have people shouting, screaming and hurling objects at each other.

Sounds familiar? Probably you have been the victim (or initiator, depending on how you look at it) of such situations. For 124 minutes, you will be duly entertained by the couple as they go about their everyday quarrels and quibbles – but no worries, because what’s in store is still a happy ending. How else would the first movie have made its presence felt at the local box office charts in Germany? Expect a mesmerizing montage of images, with the couple gazing longingly at each other as they stroll past picturesque backdrops.

If you are in the mood for such romantic fluff, you may want to take caution that the setups that happen before the finale are unnecessarily superfluous – we get the point of the story half an hour into the movie. And while some viewers may find jokes involving human feces, cross dressing and male reproductive organs funny, such exploits get tiresome after a while. And we are not even mentioning the side plot involving the male lead’s best buddy, who tries too hard to get successful with women, only to find himself in absurd situations and finding solace in a sex addict eventually.

Til Schweiger and Nora Tschimer star as the couple in this Schweiger directed movie. While both have what it takes to be a star, they are let down by an unfocused script which does not do anything but to have us wondering where the movie is headed. The production values are fine here though, as the lenses capture some eye pleasing images which lure the more idealistic viewers into the mood for love. Editing is adequately done too, as you do not feel any jarring portions thorough the production.

However, the filmmakers seem to be suckers for using radio friendly pop songs to tell the story: these somewhat irksome tunes appear every 15 minutes or so. Of course, we may be exaggerating, but when the movie begins to feel like a music video, we can’t help but comment on this.

 If you really must know, the origin of the title comes from one of the scenes in the first movie: The guy sews a stuffed rabbit without ears and gets mocked by the girl. That, of course, is a romantic and signature moment for the couple to remember by. When it comes to this sequel, we really can’t care less.

Movie Rating:



(An overlong rom-com which has nothing new to offer except the occasional chuckle)

Review by John Li