Otto Waalkes Movies

One of the world's most beloved fairy tales gets a slightly twisted update in the off-the-wall comedy from Germany. An enchanted forest is home to seven dwarves who, contrary to popular belief, are not noticeably shorter than the average guy and whose special skills are not all that special. The dwarves are, however, all guys who have been burned in their relationships with women, so when they happen upon beautiful Schneewittchen (Cosma Shiva Hagen) in the woods, they're interested but hardly optimistic. However, it turns out she's looking for refuge, and they're more than happy to help. Schneewittchen is on the run from the Evil Queen (Nina Hagen), who with the help of her henchman Spliss (Hans-Werner Olm) is trying to eliminate her more virtuous rival once and for all. When the Evil Queen manages to poison Schneewittchen and seal her inside a large plastic container suitable for leftovers, its up to the dwarves to rescue her and find the man who can bring her back to life. Nina Hagen, the noted German punk rocker who plays the Evil Queen, is the mother of Cosma Shiva Hagen, who appears as Schneewittchen; Nina's mother Eva Maria Hagen also makes a cameo appearance. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Otto Waalkes is a goofy looking and very popular German standup comedian, who has also directed, written and starred in a number of very silly films in which he plays a bumbling, wacked-out Frisian. Frisians are to "regular" Germans what Newfoundlanders are to other Canadians, the Irish are to the English, etc. In other words, they are the regular butt of jokes about how clueless they are. In this particular film, Otto travels the globe to save Frisia from being paved over by the German military-industrial complex. This involves his visiting the set of Miami Vice, interfering with Steffi Graff at a tennis match, etc. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Starring the popular comic personality of Otto Waalkes (co-director with Xavier Schwarzenberger), this farce is essentially a vehicle to demonstrate Waalkes multiple talents. The plot is nothing more than a series of vignettes -- Otto hamming it up on an airplane flight or Otto as a barber in a black wig. A cross between Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, and Jerry Lewis, Otto is constantly chased after by creditors while he himself chases after the woman of his dreams, a wealthy damsel who secretly loves him anyway. This film did well enough to inspire a 1988 sequel, Otto - Der Neue Film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi