Toni? Toni? Toni??????

Toni Erdmann
Daddy Knows Jest
Official Site| Trailer & Mo
R | 162(!!!) min

As marriage, and life in general, has shortened my free time, I have to be more choosy with the movies that I commit my time to.  I’ve read and heard nothing but good stuff about the German-Austrian flick Toni Erdmann, but I’ve scoffed and scoffed and scoffed at its 2 hour and 42 minute runtime(!!!!!!!!!!!).  I mean, if it’s that long, the movie’s gotta be EPIC!  Or at least nothing short of amazing, right?  Toni appears to be the odds on favorite to win the Best Foreign Film Oscar (which you can always tell by whatever foreign flick Film Forum plays at the end of the year), and so, for the sake of not wanting to miss anything, I gave in and saw Maren Ade‘s movie

And?

Maren Ade needs a new editor.  Apparently editor Heike Parplies wasn’t up to the task to trim this movie down to the 1 hour, 45 minute length it really really really needed to be

Was I bored? No

Did I survive it?  Yes

Was it worth the time?  Not really

Did you like the movie?  I did, but…

BUT

BUTTS STINK!!

I don’t know what they could have cut down, as that’s not my job, but there’s a great movie existing in this good, but way too long movie

Peter Simonischek plays the title character, but that isn’t even his character’s real name, cause he loves being silly and pretending to be other personas!  He loves jokes and pranks and droll humor, but most people don’t happen to share that sediment, or at least the gags he’s doling out (but I love Love LOVE his novelty teeth – maybe the best novelty teef since Fletch!)

One person in particular not really fond OR in on his jokes is his overly wound-up, work-enveloped daughter, played by Sandra Hüller.  She’s out on her own in Bucharest, Romania, going about her bidness, and being all serious.  Dad comes to her rescue, without asking, and throws her world and life into chaos

SLOWLY (and by slowly, I mean the movie isn’t slow, I juss mean it takes forever to get there), she bends, and eventually breaks, and then eventually this happens…

I won’t tell you what’s going on there, or how they even got there.  It’s really up to you if you want to give in, and give up 162 minutes of your time

Or, you could watch a German flick that should have been the Best Foreign Film Oscar winner of 2000 - Run Lola Run TWICE!!!  It’s only 84 minutes!!!!

Verdictgo: low end Jeepers Worth A Peepers

Bisous Bisu: Ingrid Bisu has Bucharested my heart!!

Toni is in it for the LONG haul, in NY & LA on Xmas day, and elsewhere elsewhen

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

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