This film is aided tremendously by the performances of its very charismatic stars, Moritz Bleibtreu and Christiane Paul. For a movie that relies on two people to carry it, it is imperative they appeal to the audience and, fortunately, both succeed. This German movie is everything a road trip movie should be: fun, surprising, unabashedly romantic, filled with well-developed characters and plot twists interesting enough to hold one's attention throughout. It is testament to the solid writing that we genuinely care about both of the main characters and like them so much that we simultaneously want them to attain their own desires as well as those we have chosen for them. I didn't really find any false steps in this movie and every time it seemed to venture into an undesirable area, it ended up advancing the plot in a positive way. No, it isn't terribly realistic, some of it seems contrived and in ways it is somewhat predictable. These faults are forgivable, however, because it is so well done. Another thing that sets this movie apart from the pack is that it is one German movie that does not actually attempt to deal with the country's Nazis past (for once). For me it has the added attractions that some of it was set in Hamburg, where I lived for a time, as well as being in German, which was my major in college. However, that is a personal preference and not everyone will find that terribly appealing. If road trips or romantic comedies are your bag, I recommend this one highly.
