Talk of the Town
(STADTGESPRECH) ((GERMAN))
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One of the season's most appealing young German comedies, made-for-TV "Talk of the Town" earned theatrical release after making a big splash at the Munich Filmfest, where it also split the best German film prize. Witty and fast-moving , this tongue-in-cheek manhunt features new thesp Katja Riemann as an attractive woman who has turned 30 without a husband. Onshore prospects are bright, given Riemann's popularity, but viewers farther afield may find the story too familiar to warrant watching in translation.
Monika (Riemann) is a hard-edged lonely-hearts counselor on a popular radio station. She deals flippantly with today's absured sex problems, but off the air, she has no luck with men. Mom (Karin Rasenack) rubs in her singleness, while gay brother Rene (Kai Wiesinger) helps her place a personal ad in the local paper.
This is how she meets charming dentist Erik (August Zirner), who croons "That's Amore" off-key and claims to be single. When she finds out he's married to her gym friend Sabine (Martina Gedeck), pic becomes a farce of changing partners.
Frank, funny and contemporary, "Talk" talks explicitly about sex in all its variations. It is matter-of-fact about the relationship between Rene and his sweet muscleman boyfriend, Karl (Moritz J. Bleibtreu), working them into the general emotional chaos when Rene falls for Erik, too.
Revolving around the gutsy Riemann is a strong cast of actors, with Gedeck shining as the betrayed wife and friend.
Camera (color), Klaus Eichhammer; editor, Ursula Mai; music, Stefan Traub; art direction, Myriande Heller, costume design, Brigitte Heick; sound (Dolby), Ulrich Fengler, Detlef Fiebig. Reviewed at Munich Filmfest, July 1, 1995. Running time: 89 MIN.
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