Willi Thomczyk Movies
A battle for gay rights is fought on a small-time football field in this comedy drama from Germany. Ecki (Maximilian Brückner) is a talented soccer goalie who plays with a semi-pro team in a small German town, but he finds himself on the outs with his teammates when he fails to block a kick that costs the team the league championship. Ecki's relationship with the team goes from bad to worse when they discover he's gay, and they give him his walking papers. Furious, Ecki challenges his former team to a special match in which they'll face off against an all-gay team he'll assemble for the occasion. The homophobic team agrees to the match, but Ecki soon discovers finding ten capable gay footballers is no easy task, and making them into a competitive team is even harder. Making matters a bit easier for Ecki is his sister Susanne (Lisa Maria Potthoff), who introduces him to one of her co-workers, Sven (David Rott), a good-looking male nurse who can play soccer...and happens to find Ecki attractive. Männer Wie Wir (aka Guys and Balls) was written for the screen by Benedikt Gollhardt; it was his first theatrical film after establishing himself in television. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maximilian Brückner, Lisa Maria Potthoff, (more)
- 2003
A crew of construction workers simultaneously initiate a young architect into their midst while literally trying to diffuse an explosive situation in German director Peter Thorwarth's 2003 work comedy, Was Nicht Passt, Wird Passend Gemacht (If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer). Crew leader Horst (Willi Thomczyk), with his two underlings Kalle (Ralf Richter) and Kummel (Hilmi Sözer), is ordered by their boss, Werner Wiesenkamp (Dietmar Baer), to work with the young architect Philipp (Thorwarth). Horst takes this personally, especially when the architect starts hitting on Horst's daughter Astrid (Alexandra Maria Lara). Playing a number of humbling pranks on Philipp whilst on the scene of their newest work site, the builders discover an unexpected complication: an undetonated bomb from World War II lying where the foundation of the building is to be laid. Based on the student Oscar-nominated short film of the same name -- and by the same director -- If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer was selected as an entry for the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- 1997
Two terminal patients leave their hospital beds for the open highway in this German road movie, a popular success in Germany. When cancer victim Rudi (Jan Josef Liefers) meets Martin (Til Schweiger), who has a brain tumor, they knock back tequila one night and decide to head north to experience life at the seashore, something Rudi has hoped to do his entire life. However, the car they've stolen belongs to two thieves and contains a million marks. Soon they're being pursued by both thugs and cops. The film's soundtrack includes Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". Shown at the 1997 London and AFI/Los Angeles film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Til Schweiger, Jan Josef Liefers, (more)
