"Feuer, Eis & Dosenbier" is a German film from almost 15 years ago starring Rick Kavanian, Axel Stein, Christoph M. Ohrt and Eva Habermann. If you are German, you are probably still somewhat familiar with these names as they have starred in many known projects or are still doing so today. Hopefully though you are not familiar with Andreas Elsholz and Torsten Feller anymore as these two are pretty bad actors and their parts in this film say it all pretty much. The movie was written and directed by Mathias Dinter and runs for 75 minutes only without credits. And this runtime is certainly among the most positive aspects I can mention here. Had the movie made it to the 90-minute mark, it probably would have dragged even more, included more unfunny jokes and weak performances, so luckily this one was over pretty quickly.
This film can really only be enjoyed as a guilty pleasure, if at all. The best moments here are when the movie does not take itself seriously at all and goes for pointless goofball comedy. The worst moments are when it tries to be somewhat relevant with the friendship between the two protagonists allegedly in danger. Eva Habermann was pretty unbearable as well. The dog was maybe the best watch in the entire movie. It spoofs quite a few other films, mostly James Bond with many references thrown in between Orth's character and Blofeld. For Axel Stein, films like these are the major reason why it is still difficult today, over a decade later, to take him seriously as an established and talented actor. He is no such thing in my opinion. He obviously tried his best to get away from the image he got from these films, but people won't forget so quickly. Even his weight loss (Jonah Hill, anyone?) does not cut the cake. So yeah, this film is sometimes close to a */*****, but I will be generous with my **/***** and consider the moments (even if it weren't that many) during which this film made me smile. Still, I absolutely cannot recommend it. Do not judge German comedy from this film and its protagonists. It can be a lot better than what you see in here. Thumbs down.
This film can really only be enjoyed as a guilty pleasure, if at all. The best moments here are when the movie does not take itself seriously at all and goes for pointless goofball comedy. The worst moments are when it tries to be somewhat relevant with the friendship between the two protagonists allegedly in danger. Eva Habermann was pretty unbearable as well. The dog was maybe the best watch in the entire movie. It spoofs quite a few other films, mostly James Bond with many references thrown in between Orth's character and Blofeld. For Axel Stein, films like these are the major reason why it is still difficult today, over a decade later, to take him seriously as an established and talented actor. He is no such thing in my opinion. He obviously tried his best to get away from the image he got from these films, but people won't forget so quickly. Even his weight loss (Jonah Hill, anyone?) does not cut the cake. So yeah, this film is sometimes close to a */*****, but I will be generous with my **/***** and consider the moments (even if it weren't that many) during which this film made me smile. Still, I absolutely cannot recommend it. Do not judge German comedy from this film and its protagonists. It can be a lot better than what you see in here. Thumbs down.