"Plötzlich Opa", which means "Suddenly Grandpa", is a German television film from 2006, so this one will have its 15th anniversary next year. It is of course also in the German language, although there are some relatively thick accents in here because of where the film is set, namely in South Germany. This also includes lead actor Günther Maria Halmer, a Bavarian "Urgestein", who has appeared in two really big films a long time ago and also other projects that received a pretty fine reception, so I find it a bit sad to see him in movies like this that were clearly doomed from the start. This has to do with director Kronthaler and writer Kaufmann. The former had worked on a few projects already before this was made, not too many though, but Kaufmann was a complete rookie (according to imdb), so I am a bit surprised she got picked for this one. Both of them have continued filmmaking since then and become pretty prolific. However, there is not too much quality in either of their two bodies of work. Kronthaler also wrote screenplays here and there, but for this movie we have here, he did not. Then again, I have a feeling things would not have gotten any better if he actually had penned the script. As for the cast, I already mentioned Halmer. He is the one shining light here I guess. Judging his performance alone at the center of the film, it is on the tolerable side. But he cannot make people forget about the mostly weak, sometimes really bad, script and also not about other highly embarrassing performances. Probably not even the most talented actor on the planet could and it is up to you to decide who fits this description (DDL?). Now back to those who are at the opposite end of the talent scale: This includes Katharina Schubert for sure and I have seen her in other projects as well and she is always bad, always plays the same character. The script again not working in her favor can make up for only so much. The horrible script here includes her love story with the lawyer played by Hardy Krüger Jr. No comment on those. Really ridiculous how he causes a crash because there is a horse on the road and he is all worked up and then starts dating the owner of the horse. Truly embarrassing stuff. Are we supposed to find this sweet? Of course, Hardy Krüger Jr. also gets involved in some legal dispute that is also a huge coincidence and highly unrealistic no matter how much the character emphasizes that bureaucracy shall not be ignored. Especially towards the end.
This bureaucracy is mostly linked to the story of the grandfather trying to get the boy back to live with him and not with his uncle and the latter's evil wife. All she wants is a swimming pool. Basically everything involving the boy is a mess story-wise. No denying there. It already starts with how he comes to school and the way how he makes friends with a girl in his class, but apparently with nobody else, and not much later she is also his girlfriend of course. That one is the daughter of Schubert's character by the way. When the boy has to leave Halmer's character again, after the two have made a connection of course, he is treated badly by Maria Bachmann's character. That actress is one you will always recognize for sure, but maybe never remember the name. There is not too much to say about her. I mean they sure tried their best with making her as unlikable as possible (when she insults the boy's girlfriend for example) to justify all kinds of insults directed against her. Oh, how evil she must be that she gives soy food or something like that to the boy. And how much of a topic this is as well because the girl tells her mother that she knows it, actually says she lets him starve. But this was not the most ridiculous quote there. The most ridiculous idea in this context was that she apparently took 5 wrong trains or something and that is why she came arrived home this late with her mother being very worried already. There are also (several) stories again about characters running away from home and these are also displayed in the most embarrassing manner possible. Like they want all the emotions from the audience, but they don't have ten percent of the talent needed to make them work. Also really ridiculous how Halmer's character knows exactly at the very end where the boy is hiding. That's how well he knows him now. But hey, he really cares for him now. If we did not see it ourselves, then luckily we have Schubert's character pushing this thought into out brains. She gets her love by the way, the boy does and with Halmer's character it is at least implied that he is getting closer to the woman who keeps helping him, also comes with him to the youth welfare office when they talk to the stiff lady there. At least we are supposed to find Halmer's character's love interest likable with how she is a normal woman and the stiff lady I just mentioned sure deserves the insults because she won't support our caring heroes here. Nobody shall stay single. A truly manipulative movie. This is also shown every time the soundtrack gets louder. They cannot create touching displays of emotion, simply because they do not have the talent, so maybe the over-the-top soundtrack then tells us during which situations we have to feel something. It's all a mess really starting already with the fake story about the parents being scientists or biologists or something and that one is quickly exposed as a lie, but hey the girl likes the tortured boy anyway because he is so much in pain for he lost his parents in a car accident. So he is a pathological liar, somebody who fakes signatures of those in charge of him and let's not even talk about what happens with the leady at the health spa or wherever that is with what he adds to the facial cream. A criminal in the making this kid is, but hey he only does it to be reunited with his grandpa. That justifies everything, doesn't it? Well, not for me. I felt no sympathy for the rascal at all. Had he ended up at an orphanage, I would have liked this film more. He sure was in utter need of a spanking for all he did here. I guess I have said enough about this movie now. It is just as much garbage as all the other hundreds (or thousands) of films shown in the afternoon here on German television. Had they left out the stories about Schubert's character and her romance or the greedy evil woman, who in the end is put in her place be the uncle in the most cringeworthy manner imaginable when he finally talks, then maybe I could have said this film as just weak, but not horrible and given it two stars more. Halmer could have made it work partially at least I am sure. However, with the really abysmal road they were taking instead here, story-wise that is, there is no way this movie deserves more than one star out of five. There are many more failure moments in addition to those I mentioned already and I am glad I forgot about most of them already. Fat thumbs-down for this film. Highly not recommended. The title is also really low by the way. He has always been a grandpa since the boy as born and now he is suddenly needed to fill the gap of the boy's father you could say, to the title is also pretty inaccurate. No matter where you look when it comes to this film: Attention to detail is 100% absent. Skip at any cost. Only truly simple people will appreciate this film / a film like this.
This bureaucracy is mostly linked to the story of the grandfather trying to get the boy back to live with him and not with his uncle and the latter's evil wife. All she wants is a swimming pool. Basically everything involving the boy is a mess story-wise. No denying there. It already starts with how he comes to school and the way how he makes friends with a girl in his class, but apparently with nobody else, and not much later she is also his girlfriend of course. That one is the daughter of Schubert's character by the way. When the boy has to leave Halmer's character again, after the two have made a connection of course, he is treated badly by Maria Bachmann's character. That actress is one you will always recognize for sure, but maybe never remember the name. There is not too much to say about her. I mean they sure tried their best with making her as unlikable as possible (when she insults the boy's girlfriend for example) to justify all kinds of insults directed against her. Oh, how evil she must be that she gives soy food or something like that to the boy. And how much of a topic this is as well because the girl tells her mother that she knows it, actually says she lets him starve. But this was not the most ridiculous quote there. The most ridiculous idea in this context was that she apparently took 5 wrong trains or something and that is why she came arrived home this late with her mother being very worried already. There are also (several) stories again about characters running away from home and these are also displayed in the most embarrassing manner possible. Like they want all the emotions from the audience, but they don't have ten percent of the talent needed to make them work. Also really ridiculous how Halmer's character knows exactly at the very end where the boy is hiding. That's how well he knows him now. But hey, he really cares for him now. If we did not see it ourselves, then luckily we have Schubert's character pushing this thought into out brains. She gets her love by the way, the boy does and with Halmer's character it is at least implied that he is getting closer to the woman who keeps helping him, also comes with him to the youth welfare office when they talk to the stiff lady there. At least we are supposed to find Halmer's character's love interest likable with how she is a normal woman and the stiff lady I just mentioned sure deserves the insults because she won't support our caring heroes here. Nobody shall stay single. A truly manipulative movie. This is also shown every time the soundtrack gets louder. They cannot create touching displays of emotion, simply because they do not have the talent, so maybe the over-the-top soundtrack then tells us during which situations we have to feel something. It's all a mess really starting already with the fake story about the parents being scientists or biologists or something and that one is quickly exposed as a lie, but hey the girl likes the tortured boy anyway because he is so much in pain for he lost his parents in a car accident. So he is a pathological liar, somebody who fakes signatures of those in charge of him and let's not even talk about what happens with the leady at the health spa or wherever that is with what he adds to the facial cream. A criminal in the making this kid is, but hey he only does it to be reunited with his grandpa. That justifies everything, doesn't it? Well, not for me. I felt no sympathy for the rascal at all. Had he ended up at an orphanage, I would have liked this film more. He sure was in utter need of a spanking for all he did here. I guess I have said enough about this movie now. It is just as much garbage as all the other hundreds (or thousands) of films shown in the afternoon here on German television. Had they left out the stories about Schubert's character and her romance or the greedy evil woman, who in the end is put in her place be the uncle in the most cringeworthy manner imaginable when he finally talks, then maybe I could have said this film as just weak, but not horrible and given it two stars more. Halmer could have made it work partially at least I am sure. However, with the really abysmal road they were taking instead here, story-wise that is, there is no way this movie deserves more than one star out of five. There are many more failure moments in addition to those I mentioned already and I am glad I forgot about most of them already. Fat thumbs-down for this film. Highly not recommended. The title is also really low by the way. He has always been a grandpa since the boy as born and now he is suddenly needed to fill the gap of the boy's father you could say, to the title is also pretty inaccurate. No matter where you look when it comes to this film: Attention to detail is 100% absent. Skip at any cost. Only truly simple people will appreciate this film / a film like this.
