Der Spitzname

I've always been a fan of this series, and I really enjoyed the first two films for their wit, sharp dialogue, and chemistry between the cast. That's why Der Spitzname was such a letdown for me, it's easily the weakest of the trilogy.

The new cast members don't fit in well, and the overall tone feels forced. I didn't like how the movie tried to weave in current social topics like gender debates, it felt unnatural and out of place in a comedy that used to rely on clever writing instead of commentary.

The one true highlight here is Christoph Maria Herbst, who once again proves how strong and versatile he is. Without him, this film would have been much harder to sit through.

Not a terrible movie, but a disappointing and unnecessary finale to a series that started with so much charm and promise.

No pun intended - free choice in so many regards and ways. So much so, that you may scream me too ... see what I did there? Yes you did - silly joke aside (and we do have a pretty bad one, yes even worse than mine, at the beginning that is about gender sensitive language - but even that has a background and gets even clearer towards the end - even if it doesn't make the joke itself better) ... the movie works like a charm.

I am a bit surprised that the rating is so low at the moment - and the people I watched the movie with (general audience) reacted in a manner that tells me they like it better than a 4,... something this has at the moment.

Christoph Maria Herbst may be a show stealer (and word mingler), but the tight script is giving everyone the time they need to breathe and make good and bad decisions. Yes there are things that should be an absolute no go ... but this is a movie after all ... so suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow. You will have fun with it ... even more so if you have seen the two previous movies (yes this is a sequel ... a trilogy overall) ... the very first one was a remake too ... and a very good one at that! The touchy subjects (they/them to name just one) are being handled exceptionally by the actors and the script ... two new additions to the cast ... and they do not just give the age boost this may have needed (as in making this younger) ... but open up discussions for so many other things! And this fares better than another movie of the "metoo" era that came out in Germany this year (old white man)