A Mere Formality (2006) User Reviews

A German movie that's convincing and entertaining!

[imdb-12630 · 9/10 · 28 March 2006]

The Movie tells the Story of Felix and Pola Sommerfeld, their divorce, their friends and their love.

In the beginning you might think, "oh no, a German movie" but as you see the credits in the beginning, you learn fast that the cast will proof you wrong.

For example Bastian Pastevka, known as a comedian from TV, always good for a laugh, is playing brilliantly the role of a frustrated husband. And he is able to convince you trough his facial expression, his ability to make you laugh and (what we hardly know from TV) his ability to make his character appear serious, sad and tragic. And it is played very convincing.

On the other hand there is Oliver Korittke, he shows us by playing the choleric boyfriend of a girl (whom he has to share with other man more then he likes) that he is a very skilled actor too.

All in all it's a very entertaining comedy with it's sad and tragic moments. A must to watch in my eyes.

Perfect For A Lonely Evening

[musicsnowandrazzles · 10/10 · 20 September 2009]

When I read the television program, looking for a good evening entertainment, I was firstly quite doubtful towards the theme this movie is supposed to be about: "A married couple wants to divorce, but in the end everything comes different" told me the short summary. Well, it really came different. Different from my expectations.

The movie starts with a melancholic scene, showing the present and the past of Felix and Paola with a great, I underline, great, background music. This slow French tune accompanies the whole movie and it keeps the viewer in an excited and at the same time deeply moved attitude combined with an awful amount of goosebumps. During the whole two hours, the movie isn't just one second boring, it keeps flowing, tracing new lines that let you suspect a different ending than it has.

Let's get to the story: Felix and Paola's marriage didn't work well (Felix cheated like five times on her) so they want to divorce. To complete their divorce, they have a meeting in Berlin. But because of different problems, this meeting has to be canceled again and again. One day, Felix notices, that he still loves Paola, so he starts to fight for her, which isn't that easy, because his affairs chase him through the whole movie and they always destroy the moments between him and Paola which seem to lead them back together...

The movie contains also some very funny scenes, including Felix "stealing" a condom machine because he doesn't manage to tear his arm out of it, and, in my opinion the best scene, the "tequila scene": Felix sits in a pub and drinks one tequila after the other, suddenly Paola comes in and...I won't tell you what happens, but it's definitely unpredictable.

To sum up, "Reine Formsache" is a very good and funny movie: it makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you think...all in all a good evening entertainment.