Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"What a Man" is the first movie that famous German actor Matthias Schweighöfer wrote and directed himself. Of course he also plays the central character, a man stuck between two women and constantly trying to master the fine line between masculinity and his not very masculine authentic self. He gets commanded around by everybody somehow and is just not an alpha male. This is also the reason why his girlfriend leaves him and starts seeing the stallion guy who lives in the same house. Schweighöfer's character she refers to as a chaotic, clumsy pony instead. The film's title song is from German Eurovision Song Contest winner Lena Mayer-Landrut giving us her version of the famous "What a Man".The ex-girlfriend is played by Mavie Hörbiger, the best friend, who turns into a love interest, is played by Sibel Kekilli, who you may have seen on "Game of Thrones" these days. Elyas M'Barek is also in the film, but is fairly forgettable and plays the same character he always does. Milan Peschel, probably the most talented cast member alongside Kekilli, is also in this movie, but that is pretty much a given as he and Schweighöfer have been in so many films together. Initially, it seemed Kekilli's character will maybe not be a love interest when she has that hunky French guy at her place, but when we find out they split and he has another, it is really obvious. And of course, Hörbiger's character also wants Schweighöfer's back as great masculinity is apparently not the best feature for a relationship.I really like Kekilli, but even i have to say the dramatic scenes between her and Schweighöfer just did not really wow me. She has done better in "Die Fremde", a truly brilliant performance. The comedy in "What a Man", occasionally succeeds, but not all the time. This film has definitely some weaknesses. First of all, Schweighöfer never really impressed me that much as an actor and the whole love confession scene with the pandas (small cameo Nora Tschirner, later Frederike Kempter and Katharina Schüttler with cameos too) was pretty cringeworthy I have to say. The script certainly gets worse as the film keeps going. The childhood flashback added nothing for me, where people wondered if he was a girl or boy, just like the story with the kid who reminded him of his childhood. The final approach to overcoming one's fear of flying in order to prove he is a real man felt fairly insignificant to me. It all seemed so important suddenly and there was only one small reference right at the beginning of the film to that, so I would have preferred a different ending.However, if you are in for a light comedy to watch with your girlfriend/boyfriend, this can actually be a decent choice. There's several parts where you will laugh for sure. So, also taking into account that Schweighöfer has not worked as a writer/director before that, I'd say: Recommended.
