Reviews

To keep the repetition among reviews brief: most creative movie I have ever seen, crafted well from overarching storyline and philosophical messages down to tiny details, very compelling character development, flawless acting, visual feast, fast-paced and complex but never overwhelming, utterly hilarious, applied humour ranges from flat-out college humour to subtle situational comedy - very brave, bold, heartfelt, relieving and intelligent.

The movies effect of flipping the viewer between laughing, crying, thinking and awe continued for me after I left the cinema: Sat in contemplation at first, then cried - and went on to have the happiest night of this entire year. This movie can change your life and your decisions.

To add something new: Why is noone mentioning the incredible job that the costume designer had done here?

From the beginning I couldn't help but feel the entire movie is a kind of a try to be like The devil wears prada: Overexited, naive young woman with bangs - (what's with the bangs all the time?) - works her ass off for her job, has to convince everyone of her value and capacity etc - her cuteness and professionality saves the day against all odds. To make it brief: I found the movie very uninspiring, stale and predictable, the performance of the actress flat (as all other characters) and she literally does not do much more than hastily picking up stacks of papers 90% of the movie. Diane Keaton is charming, Harrison Ford looks like he himself can hardly believe what he is doing in there. I don't like to give harsh critique but if I want to be honest on this one, it gotta turn out ... well, harsh. So yes, it is cute but also annoying in its repetitiveness of scenes, speeches and storyline.

PS: Don't even get me started on that stale romance element - god forbid, they'd have added some spice to the movie by including a (realistically) acting boyfriend, taken aback and making her work for getting him back after pushing him away repeatedly. I don't get what message this movie is supposed to pass on to viewers - especially, young women...

I found it cause I have been following the artist loundraw for I can't remember how many years and wanted to know what he'd be doing now. Having loved his artworks, I was pleasantly surprised to see his work in a movie - but also had quite some expectations.

Considering the ones complaining about the drawing style I'd recommend the interested viewer to do a quick google search on loundraw to get a glimpse of how his visuals work in delivering an emotional message - if you do that it helps greatly in getting a feel for how to understand this plot, the seemingly simple character designs while carving out the genuine uniqueness in the story, the interactions, the empathy. All turns and actions were very believable and reasonable in a way and the movie takes the attentive viewer on a touching journey that might subtly teach you a life lesson.

For all the comparisons to Your name, I'd like to add, that this one is only superficially alike, maybe in terms of depth, but I personally, did not enjoy Your name half as much due to it's over the top intricate storyline, colour explosions and cheesyness. I want to eat you pancreas is romantic yet humble/plausible. If anything, I'd rather compare it to the short "Garden of Words" (despite it's very different visual approach).

I found the movie definitely enjoyable and touching - because I was in the right mood and went to see it exactly because it suited me at that point. I did not expect much of a plot, I just wanted a cozy and old-glam cinema evening and enjoy good music. For that, it is really sweet.

Everything else, I have to agree with the other negative reviewers: the plot seriously is one-dimensional and predictable and not particularly fascinating - especially, because the story does not seem convincing and things often to not make sense. E.g. the mom being against the playing, yet he had years and years of practice at home. and if he can play at home despite the moms opposition, why did he have to take the risk of being caught and play in a public station? Just to mention one of the things that bothered me.

In total I had the feeling, I am watching a draft script: the scenes sequential and explicit in their intention - Scene x1 "Mathieu is confronted by his friends" Scene X2 "Mathieu has to explain to his mother" and so forth. There is seriously no depth to be found. If he'd have carved out that style a bit more he could have turned it into another great artsy film of "gluing" together fragments of backstory with the leading, overarching theme of the great music. But, well he didn't. So the whole thing just seems a bit simplistic, novice and unaware.

Characters are accordingly flat and unbelievable and stereotypical. I liked the musician-style romance scene. Except for the eye-rolling parts of course.

anyway, go and enjoy it with a glass of wine and something to cuddle - just don't expect spiritual inspiration.

Okay, so I am NOT a movie reviewer and this is my first one at all but I thought some TV movies do deserve some attention, too.

This movie is pretty good compared to what I expected from a ARD timepass movie. Turned out I was wrong: It's not just a timepass. Instead, it teaches you in a very understandable way about the live of a strong woman that stepped out of a shadow despite the hardships thrown at her. If you are feeling down and weak, this can be truly inspirational. And, to be honest, I think it would be a good watch for every young girl - and the boys are invited to watch it, too, of course - to gain an empathetic insight into the conditions under which women had to live in the times before it was utterly normal to have access to the same jobs and positions as men do, before it was normal that we are allowed to even reach a noteworthy position in society. We complain about the ~25% less gender paygap in Germany nowadays (which is still a shame) but never appreciate the things that have been opened up for the broad mass of us by the fights of women and supporters throughout history. Considering that, this movie is an eye-opener.

Of course, it is visible at every corner that it is not truly shot right after the second world war. It feels a little more like a Theater play in a setting that is more of a symbolic representation of the true circumstances and I feel they could have done a better job at giving you the historic feel.

However, it focuses and illuminates in simple and piercing clarity what was wrong with the times and how this woman has been treated on her way to success. Her moves were portrayed as unconventional, bold and determined despite having to loose a lot. The movie also gave me the feel of a real life story/documentary as her reactions and behaviour are more sophisticated and well-tempered within her relationship and in regards to family and friends than one would expect in classical heroine movies.

That being said, I can only add, that the plot is captured in solid work of the writers, easy to follow and clear. The main actress does a great job in filling her role. Music wasn't quite noteworthy so whatever was going on aside from the pretty captivating story was all playing along pretty well.

As I said. Solid work. Go ahead and watch the second part that follows this week. I recommend. In case anyone ever reads this here. ^^"