Review of Mit fünfzig küssen Männer anders

This TV-movie is like a meringue with a lot of whipped air. I chose it originally because of Senta Berger and became more interested when I saw hat it was directed by Margarete von Trotta. But this is not serious stuff at all. People on the edge of a mid-life crisis try to choose different strategies to overcome the limits of options that will come invariably when they get older. This tries to be a comedy, but the characters never get really likable. The desperate housewife seeking refuge in alternative medicine, alcohol or painting and her friend, the retired vamp who still tries to take what she can get are caricatures. The men have some superficial interests and try compete on the pecking order. But also they are caricatures. We have seen the greed for money and power in more powerful presentation. If the men were more grotesque, they could become part of a satire, but here they do not even develop into three dimensions. They remain flat buffoons. Altogether this film works mostly like a dime novel filmed with distorting mirrors. A bit like Bridget Jones on the way to early retirement