Lommbock

Stefan and Kai used to sell cannabis together; the business, run out of a pizza place, ended long ago. More than fifteen years have passed. Stefan is now a lawyer in Dubai; married, with a child and an orderly life. Kai stayed in Germany, is still in the same town, and not much has changed. Stefan comes back for a holiday with his wife and child. Kai is very pleased to see him and wants to set the old arrangement going again. Stefan objects, and the objection does not last long. Christian Zübert writes and directs. Moritz Bleibtreu, Lucas Gregorowicz, Wotan Wilke Möhring and Antoine Monot Jr. are in the cast. It is a German production. The film is the sequel to Lammbock, made in 2001; the same director and cast came back together sixteen years later. The first film became a cult title in Germany and the sequel leans on that following. The matter it treats is middle age; neither character is content with the life he chose and the film makes that comic material. There are references to legislation; the narrative touches directly on the German argument about cannabis. The sequel tries to keep the rhythm of the first film but the characters are now somewhere else. Its limit is independence; many of the references are lost on anyone who does not know the first film. Another limit is the script; the plot is weak and the jokes repeat. Who it is for: viewers who like German comedy and know the first film. Who it is not for: it is not an entry point, the humour repeats, and the narrative is loose.