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| Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics |
The story revolves around Winfried (Peter Simonischek), an elderly practical joker who doesn’t know what to do with his life after his beloved dog dies. With plenty of free time on his hands, he decides to pay his daughter, Ines (Sandra Huller), a surprise visit. However, workaholic Ines doesn’t respond well to her dad dropping in unannounced, especially when she’s in the middle of a stressful project.
Their relationship grows even more strained when Winfried starts playing pranks on Ines and embarrassing her in front of her colleagues. Ultimately, he agrees to leave, but he reappears almost immediately as his alter ego, Toni Erdmann. Sporting a cheap suit, terrible wig and hilariously awful fake teeth, Toni cares even less about other people’s judgmental stares than Winfried does, which prompts a surprising reaction from Ines. She decides to roll with it; Toni accompanies her on work trips and the two of them pass him off as her CEO’s eccentric life coach.
What begins as a weird social experiment ends up bringing them closer together while simultaneously allowing them to push through decades of unresolved family issues. All of this culminates in one of the most bonkers dinner parties ever put on film, which must’ve required a tremendous amount of physical and emotional bravery from Huller and her co-stars.
I’m generally not a fan of “cringe comedy,” especially the deadpan variety, although I make exceptions when it’s remarkably well done. Toni Erdmann might be the best entry in the divisive genre since Ricky Gervais’ original version of The Office. The film isn’t often funny in the laugh-out-loud sense, but scene after scene of awkward, ridiculous interactions between characters – all while they keep straight faces – eventually broke me.
Credit goes to writer-director Maren Ade for being unafraid to craft such realistic characters. Her protagonists are downright unlikable for large portions of the story, which goes a long way toward making their strained relationship feel more authentic. In addition to the obvious commentary on family dynamics, Ade also uses Winfried and Ines to intelligently speak on sexism in the workplace and society’s tendency to alienate strong women and the elderly.
Fortunately, none of this is presented in a didactic or preachy manner; it all stems from organic character development. It helps that Ade cast two incredible actors in the main roles. I’m not nearly as knowledgeable on foreign films as I should be (cue the angry cries of “…and you call yourself a film critic!”), so Simonischek and Huller were absolute revelations to me. Thanks to their naturalistic performances and Ade’s low-key direction, there are times when Toni Erdmann feels like a documentary. The two genuinely seem like father and daughter, which makes their characters’ arguments feel that much more painful and awkward.
It’s no wonder that Jack Nicholson (coming out of retirement after seven years) and Kristen Wiig quickly signed on to star in an American remake. Winfried and Ines (or whatever their names end up being in the new version) are the kind of rich, complex roles that actors spend their entire careers dreaming about. I’m intrigued to see how it turns out. Normally I don’t see the point in remakes, but Toni Erdmann is so distinctly European in its sensibilities that I’m curious how the story would translate to an entirely different, far more ostentatious culture.
Toni Erdmann isn’t perfect, especially its episodic nature and daunting 162-minute running time. Those aspects, along with the frequently frustrating main characters, will turn off a lot viewers. But those willing to brave a movie that asks viewers to meet it on its own terms will be richly rewarded with a singularly unique viewing experience. For better or worse, I’ve never seen a film quite like it.
Toni Erdmann is rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug use. Now playing exclusively at Atlanta’s Tara Cinemas.
Grade: B+
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