Love Scenes from Planet Earth (1998) User Reviews

An entertaining comedy of the new german film

[Maverick-80 · 8/10 · 8 June 1999]

A film about what could be called the most important issue for conversations in the late 90s. As you see in the film, everyone talks, thinks and argues about it. Sex. When I say everyone, I mean it. Whether two teenagers, who pretend to have sex on a public toilet or an aging cleptoman, doesn't matter. Even the pope, according to the story-teller, has nothing else in mind.

The whole thing is a really funny and entertaining german comedy with impressive actors and a fresh, new story.

Charming comedy about urban mating adventures. 7 of 10.

[Nahret · 7/10 · 8 July 2002]

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** The 90'ies brought about a revival of the German comedy, especially the variation that deals with the misfortunes of the love- and mostly sex-lives of the inhabitants of the urban jungle. In a Short Cuts like manner, it introduces us to a girl who babysits her neighbour?s daughter, whose father is a penniless writer on the verge of either fame or breakdown, and who, later on, will come across a would-be femme fatale and her timid friend, whose teenage son is undertaking first sexual steps with his girlfriend. The aforementioned babysitter gets an invitation to a gym, where a gay man decides to make her his date for a salsa party, organised by a handsome guy who had come by the gym earlier, and so she (the babysitter) gives the girl to a friend of hers, who will then happen across the mother of that child. Meanwhile, the mother's flat-mate decides to kill herself because her cheating b**tard of a boyfriend forgot about her birthday and meets an Italian on the roof who wants to kill himself because of his cheating b*tch of a girlfriend. Of course, they fall in love right as they are hanging from her balcony, several meters off the ground. No summary can do justice to the many plot convolutions of this film, which are very entertaining. Did I mention that all of this happens on the day the Pope visits the city?

The title may be the most interesting thing here

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 17 February 2017]

"Das merkwürdige Verhalten geschlechtsreifer Großstädter zur Paarungszeit" or "Love Scenes from Planet Earth" (an entirely different translation) is a German movie in the German language by director Marc Rothemund. It was actually his very first full feature film, so i am not really too surprised that he is still far far away from his best here, namely from his Oscar-nominated work. Anyway, the script is by Peter Gersina and looking at the latter's other works, this certainly is not helping Rothemund at all. Neither does it help the actors. The lead actor is played by Austrian Christoph Waltz quite a while before his Oscar glories. And it shows that not even everything he touches turns to gold. The cast list includes many many names that in my opinion do not have the talent that justifies the careers they are having. This applies to Hagen, Kramer, Korittke, Dobra, Landgrebe, Landuris, Schenke, Hörbiger and probably more. Some of them scored through charisma during their careers, but hardly anybody has put on display that he has actually convincing range and talent.

Now with this weak cast and script, the film was bound to become a disappointment and so it did. It is a mix of romance and comedy and the drama aspects (with central characters dying apparently) are never to be taken seriously. So this is one of the very few pros that the film does not try to be really relevant. At times, it works as a bit of a guilty pleasure perhaps, but at other times, it all just feels so extremely absurd and over the top in the most desperate attempt you could imagine to actually make a difference and entertain the audience. So yeah, this film's semi-popularity can probably explained by the title and that it was enough to get several people to theaters and also with the successes of Rothemund and Waltz that many people still watch it today. Including myself. But does it deserve the attention? I personally would not say so. I never thought that it was a genuinely entertaining work and give it a thumbs-down. Not even Waltz's opening monologue was good enough to get anyone interested about what happened and why it happened. Luckily this thing stays comfortably under the 90-minute mark. Watch something else.