The Break Up Man (2013) User Reviews

A German Attempt At American Comedy

[baharuka · 6/10 · 9 August 2013]

Matthias Schweighöfer is a popular German actor whose first movie I watched was "What A Man". As you can get from the non-German title, "What A Man" is rather international audience friendly, containing music with English lyrics etc. and its style is just like a light American romantic comedy. So is Schlussmacher's.

The movie is about Paul who works for a separation agency, which is a fictional agency that helps people get rid of their partners without the drama of a face-to-face conflict. He goes to the "dumped" person's house and gives the bad news. Paul also has a lover, an attractive woman with dark hair and eyes (like his partner in What A Man- the Turkish Sibel Kekilli) but their relationship has a problem- you should watch to learn more.

Paul's adventures as a "separator" are fun to watch and Toto, the dumped boyfriend of a customer who accompanies him, is interesting. Is the movie amazingly good? No, it rather follows the footsteps to make an average comedy but I'm learning German and I watch this guy's movies to practice my German and have some fun. It's hard to come by a German comedy which is in the style I'm familiar with. This movie is just that. So if you want to watch something light from Germany to have some fun, you might give this one a chance.

Finish him/her/it

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 25 February 2021]

Some things are tough to end - especially nowadays, when relationships break up, many go the "ghosting route". Just pretending the other person does not exist. That is quite hurtful. Not sure if hiring someone to break up with you is that much better to be honest ... it is quite the intriguing concept for a movie.

And while I'm not the biggest fan of the main actor here, overall he does a neat job (he's directing as well). Many cliches and an ending that is cringe worthy, with a lot of suspending your disbelief and something that will not bode well with the LGBTQ community for story purposes ... well let's just say there are quite a few things here, but if you are able to overlook them, you may be entertained overall.

How to accomplish a perfect divorce

[zutterjp48 · 7/10 · 19 March 2019]

"Schlussmacher" is a good German comedy about divorces , marriages and love., with his dramatic moments but also some funny moments. The idea of a separation agency is quite original. The cast is good: Matthias has become a very popular actor,the other actors and actresses are also well known in Germany.

Schweighöfer gives it his all and fails again

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 13 April 2015]

"Schlussmacher" is a 105-minute (without credits) German comedy movie from over 2 years ago about a young man who works with a company that finishes love relationships if one of the two partners does not want to do it himself. Sounds a bit like a relationship version of "Up in the Air" (and the main character has a similar transformation), but sadly, it does not have the charm of that one. You could even draw parallels between Milan Peschel and Anna Kendrick. Anyway, a US remake is already in planning, so we will see if it happens. Here in Germany, it was one of the most successful films of 2013 in terms of money. Schweighöfer is (maybe after Schweiger) the most known face in Germany right now in terms of movies and he also directed this film besides starring in it. He got help from frequent Schweiger collaborator Torsten Künstler. The script is by Doron Wisotzky, who has worked with Schweighöfer in the past already.

Apart from Schweighöfer (who still is not a particularly talented actor in my opinion), this film has Milan Peschel (always collaborates with Schweighöfer), Nadja Uhl, Heiner Lauterbach, Torsten Künstler, Detlev Buck, Tom Beck, Badesalz and Schweighöfer's parents in the cast, maybe a couple more familiar faces I forgot to mention. How are we supposed to like the main character, even with his transformation if he accepts a job where he tries to get a woman to cheat on her husband, so the husband will not have to split his massive fortune in the event of a divorce? Such an unlikeable character (and that always goes for Schweighöfer's roles, even if they are supposed to be likable). Peschel is almost as lead as Schweighöfer and he is the complete opposite. He gets people together and not apart. He loves his girlfriend a lot and is not scared of serious relationships, he actually prefers these. There were several scenes that were pretty bad. like a telephone joke on transsexuals or several scenes of attempted suicide (where this film aspires to be more relevant than it is) or Peschel's character's bonding with that obese lady. I doubt he would ever agree to do that with how much Uhl's character is still on his mind. And the morally important ending with Schweighöfer's character's quote on how he ends the (professional) relationship was downright cringeworthy. Peschel is clearly the superior actor of the two and without him it would have been much worse. Still not a good movie and it suffers from abysmal writing at times. Not recommended. A failed attempt at comedy.

Not worth viewing

[miloustein · 2/10 · 25 March 2023]

I give that crap wannabe comedy a 3 because I am clement. The plot as described was interesting and I thought would be watchable... alas, as a German native speaker, the longer into the film I felt let down. No one of the characters were likeable, to care about. Mostly predictable, and not executed well enough. And after the chase in the Chateau with the mean father, the stupid English Soundtrack proved to be exactly what I felt, it was a German movie done for stupid young (mostly) US viewers. Seemed exactly the vein of all the American Pie and Van Wilder crap. Just a real downer. I spare you the rest. Just don't watch that crap I saw tonight 2 UK comedies of the 70ties and I was delighted at many aspects of these movies. US and German wannabe are really dissapointing p.s. And if you ARE a young US moviegoer, maybe try to educate yourself on movies from the 50ties to the 70ties Culture and history awareness helps.

Charming ... and uplifting

[olliemankz · 8/10 · 16 April 2014]

I read baharuka's review of Schlussmacher with interest, trying to ascertain how it was like an American comedy. I guess the idea was that it was light. Maybe the Germans are known for being rather overbearing; I don't know, I'm not sure I have ever seen a German comedy before. Well, maybe. At any rate, though, I think I felt heartened as I watched the movie because, as an American used to some of the typical comedic fare, I felt it was different from anything I had ever seen coming out of this country.

I won't mention the places where I felt the movie departed from the American so as not to spoil it for those who may wish to watch it afresh, which I think would be a good idea; me, I don't even like to know what a movie is about before I go into it. Let's just say that there was some refreshing humor and I loved the morale of the story. I felt the story was actually a lot more uplifting than much I have seen lately, being positive about romantic love ... as the Desiderata says, Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Everything about the movie was well-done as far as I could see, including the fabulous spaces in which these 20-somethings lived. Many a man may like a car driven here, too. Berlin was a beautiful backdrop. At one point as the hero and his antihero sidekick ... whom you will probably come to love ... were walking single-file, some amazing monumental buildings, relics no doubt from the era of Kaisers and the like, reared up behind them like monsters' heads. It was only at the end when the movie resorted to a couple of cheap ploys and schtick that one could perhaps say that the movie began to seem rather American, or maybe pedestrian could be the word. Also, the question could be asked, how was our hero going to keep his loft? But who ever worries about and works those things out in a movie? I guess, as in life, you have to field the curveballs. I thought it was very cute ... and, again, positive. Worth the watch, imho.