Reviews

I loved Züberts two earlier films, LAMMBOCK and TREASURE OF THE WHITE FALCON. And in this one she shows again, that he can create authentic, likable characters, funny situations, that he can tell warm-hearted stories without being cheesy... but: nothing more! This movie is very nice, very entertaining, funny, but i lacks this little extra that made Züberts previous movies so special. One has the feeling that he relied to much on the stuff he knows he can do and didn't really aim for something new or pushing his limits. Moviegoers seem to see it the same way. It got decent reviews and in the cinema everybody laughed, but it bombed big time at the box office. It seems to miss some edge, some special stuff, that makes you pay seven euros.

So, lets view this one as a short rest in the career of this director and lets wait for his next movie, where he hopefully goes to the edge again!

This movie is obviously inspired by STAND BY ME, but has enough original ideas and qualities to stand for its own. The performance of the young actors is very good and realistic, the camera-work is beautiful. It's entertaining and exciting for children but still emotional and nostalgic enough for adults. The music, for my taste, does a little bit to much sometimes and some scenes feel a bit constructed, but the whole feeling and atmosphere make up for it. I especially liked the love story.

One of the best German youth/kids movies of the last years! It's a shame it didn't do so well at the box office but its success at festivals is well earned.