Toni Erdmann

Name: Toni Erdmann
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: December 25, 2016
Duration: 162 min
Rating: 93
Cast: Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller

2016

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 36 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 188 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 188 Ratings

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Toni Erdmann (US)

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: December 25, 2016 | R

Starring: Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller

Summary: Winfried (Peter Simonischek) doesn’t see much of his working daughter Ines (Sandra Hüller). The suddenly student-less music teacher decides to surprise her with a visit after the death of his old dog. It’s an awkward move because serious career woman Ines is working on an important project as a corporate strategist in Bucharest. TheWinfried (Peter Simonischek) doesn’t see much of his working daughter Ines (Sandra Hüller). The suddenly student-less music teacher decides to surprise her with a visit after the death of his old dog. It’s an awkward move because serious career woman Ines is working on an important project as a corporate strategist in Bucharest. The geographical change doesn’t help the two to see more eye to eye. Practical joker Winfried loves to annoy his daughter with corny pranks. What’s worse are his little jabs at her routine lifestyle of long meetings, hotel bars and performance reports. Father and daughter reach an impasse, and Winfried agrees to return home to Germany. Enter flashy Toni Erdmann: Winfried’s smooth-talking alter ego. Disguised in a tacky suit, weird wig and even weirder fake teeth, Toni barges into Ines’ professional life, claiming to be her CEO’s life coach. As Toni, Winfried is bolder and doesn’t hold back, but Ines meets the challenge. The harder they push, the closer they become. In all the madness, Ines begins to understand that her eccentric father might deserve some place in her life after all. [Sony Pictures Classics]… Expand

Director: Maren Ade

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 162 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Melissa Anderson

Dec 21, 2016

Delving into microeconomics and macroaggressions, Toni Erdmann, the dynamite, superbly acted third feature from writer-director Maren Ade, is social studies at its finest. Read full review

100

Joe Morgenstern

Dec 29, 2016

Brilliantly funny and moving comedy. Read full review

100

Jamie Graham

Feb 6, 2017

Strikingly original, brilliantly acted, this serio-comic masterpiece constantly swerves expectations. Read full review

Dave White

Dec 23, 2016

Toni Erdmann is a thoroughly confident and impeccably executed comedy of oddball family functionality. Read full review

David Edelstein

Dec 21, 2016

The German comedy Toni Erdmann makes the best case imaginable for the importance of tone. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Jan 26, 2017

Toni Erdmann, it turns out, is Hüller’s movie all the way, with her character not just matching wits with the bumptious, often irritating father, but ultimately coming into her own with the genuine feeling he seems determined to deflect. Read full review

John Bleasdale

May 19, 2016

There are numerous delights for the patient and the two leads give prize-worthy performances but at just under three hours this is one drawn-out gag that almost outstays its welcome. Read full review

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User Reviews

krimokrimo

Dec 27, 2016

I have seen this film 10 times now and have no interest stopping to see it regularly. This is in my opinion one of the best contemporary dramas. Yes, its a drama, not a comedy, there is humor spread throughout and the deconstruction of humor is one of the major themes, but the story itselfI have seen this film 10 times now and have no interest stopping to see it regularly. This is in my opinion one of the best contemporary dramas. Yes, its a drama, not a comedy, there is humor spread throughout and the deconstruction of humor is one of the major themes, but the story itself is incredible tragic and so well grounded in reality by the amazing dialogue and performances, that it will get to you in one way or another. I'm saying all of this now that I have seen the film many times, and I remember that I thought the film was good and not more the first time. But with each time I rewatch it, I realize more and more what an thematically ambitious and masterfully written work of art this is. I recommend you to watch it atleast twice so you can pick up on all the details in the writing and the performances. And don't even go in this with the expectation this being a laugh riot, because its not.… Expand

7 of 8 users found this helpful71

hristo-hr

Mar 13, 2017

You really need to relate to this movie to understand it! Also, you need to be patient. And in the right mood. But if you are, if you are a busy person with constant dilemmas between the personal and the professional, you will love the movie. The acting is superb, the story is deep and,You really need to relate to this movie to understand it! Also, you need to be patient. And in the right mood. But if you are, if you are a busy person with constant dilemmas between the personal and the professional, you will love the movie. The acting is superb, the story is deep and, because of the length of the film, the characters were developed with incredible depth.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GinaK

Feb 27, 2017

I think this is a fascinating film, and one of the best things about it is how the audience gradually caught on to what Inez’s estranged (and strange) father was trying to do here – give his daughter a sense of balance and perspective about life. And at the end, she is still not quiteI think this is a fascinating film, and one of the best things about it is how the audience gradually caught on to what Inez’s estranged (and strange) father was trying to do here – give his daughter a sense of balance and perspective about life. And at the end, she is still not quite convinced, I think, but I don’t want to include any plot spoilers. However, I think he has helped her (and us) make considerable progress toward understanding her/our own worth and desires. I guess its length is a problem for an American audience, but it is a movie like “Magnolia,” where you just have to surrender and “go with it” to enjoy it. And I have to confess that I’ve sat through a lot of Wagnerian operas, so listening to incomprehensible German and reading subtitles is not such a shock to me. If you try to relax and enjoy it and not be judgmental (like Inez), the action and craziness will carry you along, and I think you will find it rewarding. It’s a movie I will not soon forget, both for its craziness and for its message. I actually might want to see it again!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Reginthorn

Mar 16, 2017

I am unsure of how I feel about Toni Erdmann. On the one hand, Toni Erdmann is a film with a huge heart. The premise is simple enough to follow. Essentially, a father (Winfried Conradi), in an existential crisis of sorts, uses an alter ego in order to reconnect with his corporate-drivenI am unsure of how I feel about Toni Erdmann. On the one hand, Toni Erdmann is a film with a huge heart. The premise is simple enough to follow. Essentially, a father (Winfried Conradi), in an existential crisis of sorts, uses an alter ego in order to reconnect with his corporate-driven daughter. The corporation Conradi’s daughter works for is as stereotypically capitalistic as it gets. The film utilizes the process of globalization and corporate culture as a means to amplify the disconnect in the father/daughter relationship. The viewer gets the sense Winfriend was a hippie back in the day. Toni Erdmann often works because the characters are extremely complex. I enjoy films in which the characters exist without an explicit concern for audience expectations. Primary or secondary characters often ramble about subjects which are not necessarily tied to the main narrative. In these moments, the camera will focus on setting up characters in the background or illustrate the state of the speaker’s mind. The fictional events on screen are shown to be natural slices of life. Conradi is only predictable in that he is desperate to reconnect with his daughter, Ines. Often, Conradi as Toni Erdmann resorts to pranks in an attempt to goad out some repressed nature in Ines. Humor organically flows in the awkward situations Erdmann flings into. In short, Toni Erdmann has many moments which are pure comedy gold. The core nature of Toni Erdmann’s (the film) humor is laid bare near the film’s climax. The faults of Toni Erdmann, unfortunately, stem from some of the films’ strengths. As primarily a drama, the humor is inconsistent in where and how long it occurs. The film also allows characters a little too much breathing time. After a key moment, the camera decides it wants to follow the characters around. The argument could be said the choice aides in giving the characters an added depth towards physicality. By physicality, I mean the subtle body languages in a character. However, Toni Erdmann is an almost three-hour affair. A lot of people walked out around the film’s halfway point. Personally, I walked out of the theatre wishing the director had opted to cut about thirty minutes. Character development is at times made explicit in narrative exposition. As a result, the extra attention to body language feels a bit redundant. I might be being a little harsh due to my unfamiliarity with German cinema. Ultimately, I think the film was worth my time.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TVJerry

Jan 20, 2022

A German music teacher (Peter Simonischek) has a strained relationship with his adult daughter (Sandra Hüller), so he decides to surprise her at work in Bucharest. Unfortunately, his appearance interferes with her all-consuming job. After being rejected, he creates an alter ego andA German music teacher (Peter Simonischek) has a strained relationship with his adult daughter (Sandra Hüller), so he decides to surprise her at work in Bucharest. Unfortunately, his appearance interferes with her all-consuming job. After being rejected, he creates an alter ego and insinuates himself into her career. His slightly absurd presence seems implausible and her reaction is surprisingly muted, however it's pretty obvious where this is headed. Simonischek's performance is eccentric, while Hüller eventually lets us see the cracks in her resolve. Even though the premise could be considered amusing, the execution was more European in its subdued approach. The historical literary definition of a comedy is a story that ends happily, but the modern audience likes to laugh. I didn't find one funny moment in the whole film and 2:45 is a long time to keep hoping for fun. (In German with subtitles)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Spangle

May 5, 2017

Toni Erdmann is not a funny movie at all. It is cringe comedy for two hours and forty two minutes. This film is a major misfire that really flew right past me and made me wonder if everybody else was watching the same film I was. Immediately, I knew that this was a film that would likely notToni Erdmann is not a funny movie at all. It is cringe comedy for two hours and forty two minutes. This film is a major misfire that really flew right past me and made me wonder if everybody else was watching the same film I was. Immediately, I knew that this was a film that would likely not be my style once the character of Winfried Conradi / Toni Erdmann (Peter Simonischek) was introduced. With childish jokes left and right that are incomprehensible as jokes in the human realm, the film continuously shows his prank-influenced style of jokes in a nearly three hour long compilation of YouTube pranks. Going to Romania to try and make sure his daughter Ines (Sandra Huller) is enjoying life in the country, the film shows him try to get her cheer up and become less serious. While their relationship is nice, the film itself is really anything but for most of the runtime.

The jokes vary from being completely undetectable to being cringe-inducing when he ruins her business dealings in Romania to being just flat-out childish. Examples of each are when he tells the guy there is a bomb in a package, him creating the alter ego of Toni Erdmann who holds various titles and is all an inside joke where he pretends to be somebody else to creep on his daughter, or when he sits on a whoopy cushion. In essence, whoever conceived of the comedy in the film likely just finished watching an Adam Sandler movie and Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot. Considering I did not like the latter and Sandler movies are universally trash, there is no way Toni Erdmann was going to be a film I was going to enjoy with this style of comedy and awkward humor at its core. There was honestly not really a moment where I chuckled or came near smiling, except in sarcasm when I got progressively more-and-more aggravated that I was wasting nearly three hours of my life watching this schlock.

However, fortunately, its drama is very good at times. I still hate the father character who is one-note and has no idea how to relate to his daughter beyond making childish daughters. Meanwhile, his daughter is a serious businesswoman. Sure, I do not understand having that much passion for your career, but she does. Why is she the bad guy who just will not let her grating father into her life? He sucks. I would cut him off too. What is worse is when his influence begins to rub off on her with the cringe-inducing naked party to build team chemistry. A last second decision to cover up her own error, the party is a failure and an intensely awkward at that. However, Toni Erdmann really saves itself in the final act with a raw and emotion-filled scene between Winfried and Ines where they discuss happiness and life. The two have finally come together again and no longer have that great distance between them, which is a nice thing to see. I just wish that Winfried was not eye gougingly annoying, which is he is not in his best moments such as at the egg painting party. Raw and open about who he is and how he wishes his daughter could lighten up, the audience can really root for the guy in this moment. Unfortunately, it is immediately followed up with him showing up to the naked party in a huge mascot outfit, which is a major turn off and plays too heavily on absurdist and awkward humor, considering his daughter is naked right in front of him.

However, the strong dramatic leanings of the film are undone with a gratuitous runtime that never really justifies itself. The film floats by for nearly three hours and I could never really figure out why it had done so. This is a film where I wish some American studio got their hands on it and cut it down from 162 minutes to 90 minutes. It never needed to be that long and needed to go under the knife for some serious liposuction. As it stands, it is a tall task to watch with practically no enjoyment in store whatsoever. It is not funny. Its drama borders on annoying until the final act. Its characters are all one-dimensional with Winfried being nothing but a goof ball who loved his dog and daughter, while Ines is just a stuck up **** of a businesswoman (a character trait that is becoming far too common nowadays, as if there is no middle ground between a woman who is passionate about her career and one who is just a callous **** who cuts jobs without blinking). Thus, even its character study inclinations fall flat and really reveal very little about the nature of the characters as individuals, only in the context of how they behave with one another.

Fortunately, it is this father-daughter relationship and both of their attempts to try and mend that broken link. However, the film is so unrelentingly unfunny, crude, and poorly written, its emotional core is nearly entirely blotted out. Had this film been a tight 90 minutes or a little more, it would have been far more enjoyable, as a lot of the fluff and annoying bits would have been cut out. Unfortunately, it is 162 minutes long and never seems likely to end.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

FirstTenMinutes

Dec 27, 2016

I´m from Germany and I saw that stuff. I don´t know what you saw, but it looks like we saw a different film according to this rating. This is one of the most unrealistic and dumbest movies I tried to see ! I don´t even know how someone can call this a comedy ? Its a pain to watch this and toI´m from Germany and I saw that stuff. I don´t know what you saw, but it looks like we saw a different film according to this rating. This is one of the most unrealistic and dumbest movies I tried to see ! I don´t even know how someone can call this a comedy ? Its a pain to watch this and to think that the real art of film has become so irrelevant for many. It makes me deeply regret that I lost this time, but I had to post at least my sorrows for those who left the cinema with a belly hurt.… Expand

6 of 19 users found this helpful613

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