gavin6942 A man's wife leaves him to take up with an artist, so the man responds by becoming the artist's roommate.First of all, the plot here is brilliant. Maybe it is not original, maybe it's been done before. I don't know. But the concept is clever enough to get some great situations. And the humor, which is evident in the script, is somewhat amplified in the American release by the weird dubbing. This is far from the worst dubbing I have ever heard, but it does have them saying things I find hard to believe were in the original.Unfortunately, at the time of this writing (January 2017), it seems that the best way to see the film is on a DVD that is very obviously a VHS transfer. The picture is bad. Really, really bad. In the age of 2K and 4K scans, hopefully someone comes along and gets a better release out there.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Männer..." is a West German movie from over 30 years ago. It runs for 95 minutes and was the breakthrough for writer and director Doris Dörrie and lead actor Heiner Lauterbach. His co-lead Uwe Ochsenknecht was already a bit more famous at this point thanks to "Das Boot". The film is basically about two men and their interaction with each other and with the women in their lives. Occasionally, their professional life (business, creativity) also becomes part of the story. But it is really all about masculinity or lack thereof and what women really prefer. Unfortunately, I cannot say I found this film as good as awards bodies everywhere around the world did. One problem is that Lauterbach and Ochsenknecht may have good charisma and recognition value, but they do not have great range or talent in terms of acting and this is as true today as it was back then as both actors are still pretty famous here in Germany.Sadly, this movie is evidence that the 1980s really weren't the greatest decade in terms of film for Germany. It's a sad state of affairs when a film like this gets picked up to represent Germany at the Academy Awards. needless to say, it did not manage to get nominated. As for Dörrie, I have seen some of her other works and it shows that she wasn't even 30 when she made this. It is nowhere near her best in terms of story-telling or character evaluation. It is extremely showy and many fell for it, but it lacks (besides great acting) convincing subtlety and relatable characters. It is still better than Dörrie's most recent work "Grüße aus Fukushima", but this does not make "Men..." a satisfying watch. Not at all. I give it a thumbs down as this is a mix of bad and mediocre and nowhere near the filmmaker's best work, even if it is still, despite the age, among her most known. Not recommended.

Oluseyi A wealthy art director's bored wife no longer finds him as vital and exciting as when they first met and married. She informs him that she doesn't love him anymore, and has found someone new who fulfills her. Rather than screams and tantrums, or even a big fight, the husband (Julian) asks about the new lover (Stefan) and in which ways he differs from himself.He then sets out to win his wife back by, intentionally or subconsciously, turning Stefan into himself and, hopefully, in the process showing his wife that the dullness she ascribes to his engagements with work over life are, in fact, the consequences of striving to support and keep her in the manner to which she is accustomed.The majority of comment on this brilliant little film focuses on the nature of men, which is only natural given the title and the fact that it's directed by a woman. However, I believe that the film also advances a radical argument with respect to women: they inspire carefree romance in men, but also inspire the soul-eating corporate indenture that leaves men mere husks of themselves.That women are regarded as possessions and prizes is made explicit in the final sequence of the film (which is both so absurd and such genius that it would be a crime for me to ruin it) in the way Stefan and Julius resolve the conflict between them. That women are the root of this competitiveness as well as the reason why men gradually lose their luster is also argued in the readiness with which Stefan takes to Julian's suggestions and in Paula's ultimate decision.Not really groundbreaking stuff of itself, but a position almost never taken by comedies of the sexes, just another reason why this film is a true cinematic gem.

medena_20 I had to see this movie for my German Film/Media class. I enjoyed watching it. I certainly laughed a lot. When it comes down to it, this movie is about what men think about women. As Julius and Stefan become friends, they constantly talk and complain about women. But neither of them can stay away from them. This only means one thing. No matter what men say about women, they just can't stay away from them.My favorite character in this movie is Julius, the husband that comes up with a really fantastic plan to get his wife back from the unemployed artist, Stefan, a man his wife is having an affair with. He is determined to find out what his wife sees in this man. As he develops a close friendship with Stefan, Julius manages to turn him into an image of Julius himself. An image his wife does not find very attractive. I think this plan is very unusual, but very good and very funny. It's what makes this movie very interesting.Definitely worth watching. Very funny. Very interesting. I highly recommend it!!