Die Abstauber (2011 TV Movie) User Reviews

Simply horrible, how to waste a quality cast with a disastrous script

[Horst_In_Translation · 2/10 · 21 March 2019]

"Die Abstauber" is a German/Austrian co-production from 2011, so not too long anymore until this one has its 10th anniversary. The director is experienced Austrian filmmaker Wolfgang Murnberger, while the script comes from equally experienced German writer Uli Brée. The alternate title here is "Die Putzfrau und der Banker", which menas something along the lines of "The Cleaning Lady and the Banker", which would have been an even more horrible title than the already not too good one they went for. I think "Abstauber" refers to one character being a cleaning lady and the other being involved in money affairs when he is not busy cleaning her apartment. The two main characters are played by Maticevic and Strauss and both are talented actors and it is impressive at times how much they elevate the screenplay with their craft. The rest of the cast includes 2 or 3 other actors known to German film buffs like von Thun, Hörbiger and Aulitzky, so the cast really isn't the problem here. But they cannot make this story work either. Probably nobody can. It is such an unrealistically bad movie from the beginning to end that it felt painful to watch at times. The drama feels fake most of the time and the comedy all for the sake of it. I will mention certain scenes for the rest of my review I think although if you decide (against all odds) to check out this 1.5 hour television release, then you will see the flaws yourself. First of all, the key plot: The way the central male character gets scammed by his bosses feels highly unrealistic with this not being found out in terms of what really happened. No words on the jealous secretary either. Maticevic's character seemed very shallow from the beginning looking down at the cleaning lady. He never would have ended up in her apartment, but instead with some friend or just gone to the police. The argument he couldn't trust anybody is not really working as an explanation. The suicide attempt? Seriously. And how quickly he recovers from it out of nowhere. Yeah yesterday you tried to kill yourself, today you clean the apartment. Speaking about the clean apartment, why did the kids say nothing when entering the living room. The gay suspicion scene. I felt really bad for Strauss there she had to deliver these lines with a serious face. And right when you think the scene could not get any worse, the kiss makes it hit rock-bottom. The boss' involvement with the scam. Why would they risk something like that with their gigantic salaries. Mr. Glück... no words there. Him dressing up as Santa to talk to his boss. Great idea from the female protagonist. Not. The duo revealing themselves as the fraudsters and of course the other one (not the boss) enters the apartment that moment. How she gets him free eventually. The conflict between the two, usual stuff to include tension near the end before the 100% happy ending and it's been done so many times and 99% of the times better. It did not feel realistic at all here that all of a sudden while loving him she thinks she has to leave him because he gives her and the kids expensive presents. Needless to say all the love is right back afterwards and there is the inevitable marriage proposal before the credits roll in... Oh yeah, needless to say that of course immediately after the big scandal, he gets promoted. No not just to top of his department, but top of the bank. And of course, in the name of love he declines the offer. Oh my. These are only the horrible moments I can think of. Also the film was painfully predictable from start to finish and all the characters are 100% white or black in terms of good or evil. No shades and the transformations, like the central male character's, feel forced and uninspired. A terrible movie. Usually Austria comes up with much better stuff like that and it has been a while since I watched a film this bad from my neighboring country. But yeah, the writer is German like I sad earlier, so this may explain it. In any case, the film gets a big thumbs-down from me. Not recommended. And a final footnote: The song featured here on several occasions and they say it runs for 5 minutes, so she knows when to move on to the next room, actually only runs for 3 minutes, slightly over, so it is also a factually wrong film. Truly disappointing. Attention to detail non-existent.