Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
TV-based comedy has violence, nudity, and drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Berlin, Berlin: Lolle on the Run
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Lolle (Felicitas Woll) has a knack for getting into trouble. BERLIN, BERLIN: LOLLE ON THE RUN is a sequel to a popular 2002 German TV show, Berlin, Berlin. Young Lolle's adventures included taking up with two lovers, Sven (Jan Sosniok) and Hart (Mathias Klimsa), and longing for a career as a cartoonist. Set in present day, the movie begins as Lolle is about to wed the co-owner of their cartoon studio, Hart. She's decided to settle down, have kids, and even sell her studio for millions to a Hollywood animation firm. When Sven, a beach bum who disdains plans, shows up at the wedding to beg Lolle to run off with him, she drives off, causing chaotic car crashes. In her wedding dress, she's sentenced to 40 hours of community service just when she needs to complete the Hollywood presentation on her tablet. An irritating woman named Dana (Janina Uhse) steals the tablet, and sells it for cash, then unhelpfully spikes Lolle's drink with a hallucinogen. At each other's throats, Dana and Lolle run through a forest from armed meth makers with self-described "impulse control problems," then from angry nudists, a jilted fiancé, and a former boyfriend. Throughout, Lolle's cartoon characters occasionally come to life and join the action.
Is It Any Good?
This failed attempt at madcap comedy has a lot of energy but strains unsuccessfully to be funny. Acting and directing styles both suggest desperation inBerlin, Berlin: Lolle on the Run. The material is just a collection of dusty old routines we've all seen before and flashbacks from the original TV series suggest the show was probably no better. Gosh, the women stumble on a hidden meth lab and run from comic bad guys. The women's drying clothes get stolen, by nudists, no less! In one innovation, a bear swallows a cell phone, the bear rings, then his stomach somehow answers the call. None of this is funny. Yet the filmmakers contrive to throw every stupid trick they can think of into this. None of them work.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether Berlin, Berlin: Lolle on the Run stands alone given the characters' origins in a German TV comedy from the 2000s. Do you think you need to have seen the TV show to enjoy the movie? Why or why not?
How does the use of animation segments help or hinder the plot and humor? Do they add to the film?
What makes broad comedy work? Do unrealistic situations make this funny?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : August 7, 2020
- Cast : Felicitas Woll , Janina Uhse , Jan Sosniok , Matthias Klimsa
- Director : Franziska Meyer Price
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 80 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : July 10, 2022
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