Ils ne pensent vraiment qu'à ça

"Hammerharte Jungs" is a weird teen comedy, even by German standard. "American Pie" it is not, but it might be an almost worthy German version. Almost.

The Good: Lacking an ensemble cast, instead we get childhood buddies Paula and Charly, two high schoolers with talking genitals. Yes, it's weird. Lacking in sexual experience, they are egged on by their eager talking organs to lose their virginity. Somewhat comedic moments ensue.

The Bad: And that's the main problem with this movie. Moments and situations that should have been played for comedy somehow got too serious and suddenly very unfunny. The end result is something much less than "American Pie," and instead just another teen drama.

And then there's a strange side story about Charly's parents.

Probably this movie was misclassified as a comedy. As a drama, however, it is not bad. Real-life situations and problems of high school life are worthy subjects and had the "comedic" talking genitals been cut out, "Hard Feelings" would have earned more stars.

8 stars for tackling real issues minus 2 stars for misplaced comedy.

This has to be one of the best films I've viewed in a long time. Firstly, it's funny as heck, with it showcasing life as a teen who's experiencing puberty. It admittedly get's less funny as the film progresses, but that's only due to the wider focus on the storyline and so is no reason to critique this movie. There's plenty of comedic value to be had, although the entire subject of comedic value is subjective in itself. The acting is well done, with many scenes and cinematic effects foreshadowing what's to come in the film. It can make it predictable but in a predictably humorous way. There are some negatives to this movie which I won't outline here, but overall it was thoroughly engaging and enjoyable to watch.

Unfortunately, "Hard Feelings" falls short of its superficial presentation. The sexist undertones are evident and contribute equally to both the amusement and alienation of the audience. The film relies on cheap jokes at the expense of women and perpetuates stereotypical notions of masculinity. Instead of offering intelligent humor, the film sinks into disrespectful and unimaginative moments.

Even if one assumes the film's intention is to parody questionable male images, it still misses the opportunity to deconstruct or question these clichés in a humorous way. Instead, it remains superficial and delivers a stale portrayal of gender roles.

Overall, "Hard Feelings" is a disappointing comedy that is clichéd, sexist, and tailored for toilet humor. It lacks an intelligent approach to dealing with the themes at hand. For a wide audience that values respectful and sophisticated entertainment, this film is definitely not recommended. The sexist overtones and shallow humor are major drawbacks.

I asked my wife if she had ever been watching a bad movie but kept watching hoping that it will get better..but it never does?

This is that kind of movie, it had many opportunities to be more interesting or substantial, but it kept scattering in multiple direction, some quite implausible (Paula on the bridge??) At that age we were all very confused, lost, turkeys as my principal used to call us. Charly seems to be from another planet, not funny I have to give the writers credit for getting the correct name of a woman's external genitalia . It is "vulva" NOT VAGINA, and for the emphasis on solidarity with and not judguing our peers instead of shaming and humiliating them. I am not sure that our adolescents will enjoy this movie as one of the reviewers suggested.

Against all evidences, I like it. Sure, modest in many senses, too simplistic, pale copy of American Pie, it is the gift to remind the basic traits of teen life and the high school hypocrisies. But, more important, I like it for be just simple amusing comedy and for the lead actors who are not bad at whole in their roles, reminding long term friendships, cruelty and gossips around them, the imaginary friend in kynky version and the foreign student change in new perspective.

In short, a fine easy comedy, not exactly for present teenagers but for nostalgics of the teen comedies of the begining of century, maybe for some Adam sandler.

So, my opinion is simple and clear - just a pretty nice film- with some frontal exposure as chery on top.