Review of Toni Erdmann (2016) by Timothy A — 17 Feb 2017
A well worn tale (conservative, repressed adult child is embarrassed then liberated by re-emergence of madcap free-spirited parent) told with an infuriating disregard for consistency of verisimilitude.
On the one hand it creates a realistic corporate world and real struggles, in the very last shot the protagonist reveals an uncertainty and lack of commitment that you'd never see in any Hollywood telling of the tale, but which adds an incredibly powerful grace note.
On the other, it's impossible, infuriatingly impossible, to believe that these corporate types aren't calling out the slapstick and cheap jokes for the BS they are. In the end it's not bad, but it's sure as hell no better than a dozen similar films that it thinks it has trumped.
This review of Toni Erdmann (2016) was written by Timothy A on 17 Feb 2017.
Toni Erdmann has generally received very positive reviews.
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