Myron Clemons
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Nayan Gough
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
kosmasp
Although never really leaving any Spanish behind. There are parts where they talk German, but overall you'd be excused if you thought they were still in Spain, what with them talking it so much. But there is nothing wrong with that - unless you think there is, just pointing out the facts and what is going on in the movie.The movie itself feels a bit by the numbers. I don't mean that to be an insult, because it does have quite some merits, going by a formula that is and has been working for other movies. But it's also very predictable and you won't really be surprised by anything that will happen. There is at least one thing with a character who desperately wants to get pregnant, that adds a bit of spice to it all. But even that is played "straight". Still there is comedy, it's light and it was fine (while touching slightly on some social issues)
ma-cortes
A funny romantic comedy dealing with two young Spanish men , Hugo (Yon González) and Braulio (Julián López) with an university education , they are tired of a country where never goes nothing and full of corruption , funds cuts as well as their unemployment . Until one day appears in a TV program , an individual (Arturo Valls) , an immigrant telling wonders on Germany and its people and both of them excited about the stories that he explains , decide then to move to Berlin to find a new life and to finish their out of work situation . Hugo and Braulio decide try his luck traveling to Germany , it all in order to help their families , as Hugo's father (Javier Cámara married to Carmen Machi) is unemployed person . However , the "German Dream" results a be a ¨bluf¨ and soon they will find out that finding a better living is not as easy as they expected . It begins at five o'clock in the morning , cleaning and serving at a ¨Palma Kebab Berlin¨, whose owner results to be the sympathetic Hakan (Younes Bachir) and wife Marisol (Malena Alterio) and concludes by midnight . Meanwhile , Hugo falls in love for gorgeous Carla (Blanca Suárez) .This film is interesting to see , because of the bewildering as well as unfortunate situations that protagonists suffer are similarly happened to the new Spanish emigrants , as it is what we had to make thousands of Spaniards in order to earn the money out of the motherland . This is a bemusing film that contains hilarious sketches , tongue-in-check , grotesque incidents , but above all , it especially packs humor and irony ; concerning interesting issues as emigration and unemployment of a lost generation . Sitting in a strange middle ground and the stylishly enjoyable . What we want teaching is the status of some characters who share home in an apartment and working in Germany , and that they want everything to gain profits , it serves them in order to deliver their families . This ¨Perdiendo El Norte¨ also known as ¨Ab Nach Deutschland¨ bears remarkable resemblance to ¨Vente a Alemania Pepe¨ (1971) by Pedro Lazaga with Alfredo Landa ; in fact , it seems to be a remake adapted to contemporary times ; even the incombustible José Sacristán appears both films , here playing a retired old man with Alzheimer illness . It narrates the conflict between the traditional Spanish society and modernity that pushes each time with more force . Fun interpretations from Yon Gónzalez and Júlian López who attempt his luck traveling Berlin to find expectations and to bring to life the ¨German dream¨ . Support cast is frankly good , giving agreeable and catching acting as Malena Alterio , Úrsula Corberó , Miki Esparbé , Younes Bachir . And special mention for the always excellent : Javier Cámara , Carmen Machi and José Sacristán . Atmospheric musical score by Juanjo Javierre , including the classic song and film leitmotif : ¨Mi Querida España , Esta España Nuestra¨ by Cecilia . Colorful and evocative Cinematography by Isaac Vila . The motion picture was professionally directed by Nacho G. Velilla who was born in Zaragoza, Aragón, where he often shoots his films . He is an expert on comedies and ¨Sitcom¨ , a notorious producer , director and writer , known for his TV series as ¨7 Vidas¨ (1999), ¨Aída¨ (2005) , ¨Gominólas¨, and some films as ¨Fuera De Carta¨ (2008) , ¨To Hell with the ugly¨ , ¨Villaviciosa De Al Lado¨ , ¨No Manches Frida¨, and this Box office successful ¨Perdiendo el Norte¨. Being most of them starred by his fetish actor : Javier Cámara .
Leftbanker
(I am WAY too generous with my rating but I really want to encourage Spanish cinema as much as possible. With that said, my review is honest and constructive.)This film should have been a big hit along the scale of Ocho Apellidos Vascos which wasn't very good either but at least it was a bit fresher while this newer movie mostly just imitated that monster hit. This movie began with a much better premise but wasted that by devolving immediately into slapstick. Here are a few of my thoughts.A note to writers of Spanish romantic comedies: if you have an idea for two people meeting by literally running into each other have a nap and then think of something different. That sort of thing went out with I Love Lucy in the 1950s.A note to writers of Spanish comedy: if you have an idea for a gag that involves someone falling down go take a nap and then come up with another idea. That sort of thing went out with silent movies. That also goes for pushing someone's face in a bowl of cereal, or mocking someone incapable of learning the host language, or pointing out only the most obvious and tired clichés of the differences between Spanish and German cultures (Germany is cold with bad food…hilarious), lying about your job situation (also very I Love Lucy—a show that I hated as a kid), and fart jokes…those are always funny…I'm being serious. Fart jokes are OK by me.Half-way through the film I was beginning to wonder if they would portray a single German person in a mildly favorable light. And Hitler jokes? Are you kidding me? Is that all the writers know about this country? They barely mentioned Germany and every German was a stereotype, at best. Perhaps the film makers could have spent a minute or two of screen time to explain why Germany has mostly avoided the horrors of this recent economic crisis and has prospered while Spain still languishes in a funk of unemployment and lack of growth.And does every Spanish woman have to be portrayed just like the girl in this movie? Stubborn and abrasive are always shown to be a given. I've seen this archetype at least 50 times in Spanish films. It's like the ideal for a Spanish woman was hatched in a movie years ago and no one has bothered to look for another version anywhere else. The girl in this movie is a carbon copy of the gal from Ocho Apellidos…and the plot is basically the same with a few adjustments. The main device is deception: in Ocho Apellidos it was about fooling her father about her wedding and in this film it's about tricking his parents and girlfriend into thinking that he's made it big in Berlin because…that crap is always hilarious. This gag is so old and tired that it was already tired when Mozart plugged it into The Marriage of Figaro. Ugh, once again I advise you to take a nap and when you wake up come up with something a bit more original. Try writing some jokes.
