Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Wenn die tollen Tanten kommen" is a German 90-minute movie from 1970 and this can easily be identified as one of these "klamauk comedies" who were quite a thing here in Germany several decades ago. Maybe you have seen some of the Gottschalk/Krüger films, then you already know vaguely what to expect here, only that it is all even a tad more extreme and over-the-top. Plus there is also quite a bit of singing in here, certainly some musical aspects. The director is Franz Josef Gottlieb and he worked on many many trash films back in the day and this one here does not make a change for the better in terms of his career. Quite the contrary. Carrell, Richter and Roberts may have a decent talent as entertainers, but as actors they do not shine at all and you still have to say in their favor they are not half as bad as the script and the jokes they are given to work with here. If you take a deeper look at the cast, you will find more familiar names if you are interested in German film, such as Jochen Busse, Hubert von Meyerinck or Rainer Basedow.About the story, what can there be said. The entire film and (lack of) plot basically only exist to include one slapstick joke after the other featuring Richter and Carrell, interrupted by the occasional music performance. The story is almost non-existent and when it is there for a second, it is ridiculously unrealistic that you just hope it will go away as quickly as possible. But it doesn't. On the contrary. Not only do all the words of the characters make hardly no sense at all, but this film was just the start of a trilogy of "Tanten" films. Admittedly the second is slightly better, but the third is, just like the trilogy as a whole, utter garbage again. Never ever should they have decided to make more films after this one here. Certainly a contender for one of the 10 worst films in German movie history.
