Review of Good Bye, Lenin! (2003) by Jim C — 07 Aug 2010

One thing I learned while living in Germany was that Germans have a habit of being very German. That's not a bad thing per se, it's just that they can be very very different. I'm of the opinion that Germans were collectively dropped on their heads where humor is concerned. Not that they don't find things funny, but when we try to see the humor that they're laughing so loudly about we end up scratching our heads and walking away muttering things about Aryans and racial purity gone awry. This film made me think that if I had been born in Germany, I would want to travel somewhere and have my funny bone seen about.

Having said all that, this movie has moments that make up for the tedious parts. I gave the film 4 stars, but I'm probably being overly generous due to the fact that I owe happenstance one for making me American. At the end, you see something that you didn't expect to see; a very tender moment as Alex's mother sees what Alex has done but chooses to go to her grave before letting on to him that she's seen through his ruse. And in Alex, so well portrayed by Daniel Bruhl, you see the love that compelled him to create such a labyrinthine program of deception to keep his mother from having another heart attack while preserving her dignity.

This isn't the shortest film nor is it the easiest one for someone accustomed to the rapid fire scene changes that predominate today. But if you take the time to watch it, and have it in mind that you might just be entertained by it, you'll find a great little film with heart.