IMDb > Kebab Connection (2004) > IMDb user comments

IMDb user comments for
Kebab Connection (2004) More at IMDbPro »

Filter: Hide Spoilers:
Index 8 comments in total 

33 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Impressive Achievement, 8 December 2005
Author: FcPoliFan from Timisoara, Romania

When fate is friendly, it makes the impossible possible. Like, what was the probability of some random Romanian movie fan of ever seeing a German film about the Turkish "speciality", Döners? And what is even more amazing, what were the chances of this film actually being a great watch?

The "Kebab Connection" deals with a couple - Turkish boy, German girl - who are about to have a baby and are trying to get back together. But in the whole mix, you've got tradition, family values, a Kebab shop and a Greek "taverna", kung fu and William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In a way, the film is a modern R&J...but it would, paradoxically, be unfair to label it only as such, as it is much more. More than an amusing get-together of events and characters and more than a social satire. It's a film with soul and, most importantly, it's original an authentic in both storyline and plot as well as "presentation". In addition to this, the characters are extremely likable, although they aren't always played at what I felt could have been their maximum potential. But ultimately that doesn't even matter.

Because with all these elements cleverly and humorously brought together, the "Kebab Connection" may well be a small milestone in German comedy. It's worthy all the way. If it hadn't been, what would that say about faith?

Was the above comment useful to you?

16 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Great hilarious movie with cultural and serious elements, 25 February 2006
8/10
Author: a-spoelstra from Den Bosch, Netherlands

This movie just rocks! It's a great combination of Action, Romantic, Serious, Cultural and last but not least Hilarious scenes. It shows a Turkish family with combined Turkish and German habits. The scenes in which the 'father to be' tries to impress and persuade his girlfriend that he will be a good father are just hilarious. Also the scenes between the grandpa to be and his son are serious and filled with humor at the same time. Among the sweetest scenes are the ones in which the much younger sister of the 'father to be' tries to mend the broken relationship between her brother and her future sister in law. If you're interested in Multicultural society, want to have a good time, laugh like hell, and enjoy serious moments as well, you can't afford not having seen this movie ! Enjoy!

Was the above comment useful to you?

11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Movie, really bad subtitles, 5 August 2006
8/10
Author: Visual_junkie from Switzerland

Watched the movie last night with my girlfriend and I must say, this is the funniest German movie I have ever seen. Being able to speak German like myself is a big plus since the subtitles are horrible. The movies main message is for the German public, especially the Berlinese public to lighten up about multicultural relationships, in other words, Turkish people with German people. It's a great mix of action, romance, comedy and some more action. Great use of the camera, really one of the best German comedy movies I've ever seen. If your on the look out for movies that make you laugh but still touch upon serious issues then this movie is for you.

Was the above comment useful to you?

14 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
great culture-clash comedy, 28 October 2005
7/10
Author: mtoumba from Berlin, Germany

For all that didn't know: "Döner Kebab" is a fast-food invention made by Turkish immigrants in Berlin. It revolutionized German gastronomy and is being re-ex-imported nowadays all over Europe.

This is a great culture-clash comedy, personally I liked it way better then "Jallah Jallah", "Real women have curves", or "Kick it like Beckham". It has so much more style! Sensitive and refreshing. All this makes sense in contemporary Turkish popculture in Germany. Movies of that kind tend to be cheesy, this is brilliant. I was laughing my ass off.

Somebody who likes this should also try movies by Faith Akin (wrote the book to Kebab Connection)

Was the above comment useful to you?

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
"Ever see a Turkish guy with a baby carriage?" Or a sliced-off head praising a doner kebab sandwich?, 11 September 2008
7/10
Author: Terrell-4 from San Antonio, Texas

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Ibo Secmez (Denis Moschitto), a young German whose parents came from Turkey, has one ambition, to make the first German kung fu movie. His girlfriend, Titzi (Nora Tschirner), has a German mother and a great desire to be an actress. In this movie, two things happen that are going to change a lot of plans. Ibo's uncle, who owns King of Kebab, a kebab joint in Hamburg, pays Ibo to make a television commercial for his place. It's not long before Ibo's commercial is shown...with a kung fu showdown at the counter, with feet flying, with swords spinning and with the camera focusing in on a great looking, juicy doner kebab. Customers rush to the place (or at least they do until they actually taste some of the food, like tripe soup with testicles). The second thing to happen is that Ibo and Titzi find out they've unexpectedly collaborated on a creation of their own. Titzi is pregnant and decides she wants to keep the baby.

What follows is an undemanding and amusing comedy that involves Ibo being tossed out of home by his taxi-driver father (You can have a German girlfriend but you never, never, never get her pregnant. You'll marry a nice Turkish girl!), with Titzi's mother not pleased, either, and the with the pangs and stumbles of Ibo as he tries to decide whether he wants to take on the responsibilities of fatherhood. Titzi loves Ibo but she's determined to be an actress as well as a mother. Any husband of hers has to be ready and willing to pitch in, and she'll test his sincerity. She's a bit of a skeptic. "Ever see a Turkish guy with a baby carriage?" she asks a friend.

Ibo's effort to prove to Titzi that he's ready for fatherhood -- the old diaper changing routine, the sure-fire birthing class with a male friend -- comes awfully close to sitcom land. To compensate, there are fine performances by Moschitto and Tschirner. They both are actors with engaging personalities and good comedy skills (especially Moschitto, whose role calls for a lot of kung fu enthusiasm). And the two commercials Ibo makes for his uncle are just as funny as the movie...imagine Bruce Lee taking on the bad guys with a blade in one hand and a doner kebab sandwich in the other, with a sliced off head on the floor praising the product.

Was the above comment useful to you?

20 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :-
Nice movie, 10 September 2005
10/10
Author: ilker kostur (ilkerkim@hotmail.com) from Kocaeli, Turkey

Meeting of cultures with comedy and love. I like this movie. You might not laugh a lot but you will find something to learn about Turk traditions. Director is great like in all his movies. Ibo's family is traditional Turkish family and they are trying to adapt with a German wife of their small sons. They are afraid in the beginning but they use to live with this in time, after they learn the they will be Grandparents. In a scene you can see Turk children don't smoke near their parents in Turk traditions. This movie is not only about Turk traditions. Director added Greek traditions too. And there you can see some similarities of Greek and Turk traditions.

Was the above comment useful to you?

2 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Loved it and hated it, 31 March 2007
7/10
Author: (caroline69-1) from Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

All the foolishness and energy of a naive, ambitious young German film-maker with Turkish parents is beautifully observed by German writer(s?) and directors with Turkish parents. The original observation mixes with homages to all kinds of directors. As a non expert, I got the Matrix and the Battleship Potemkin references. Lord knows how many martial arts films were parodied, and was there a homage to the Three Stooges in there? There's a shambolic, happy feeling to the film with its silly plot twists and fight scenes that captures the essence of young male film-maker energy and gives you lots of laughs.

Things only go wrong when the film has to deal with women. Enter the US-style clichés:

precocious pre-teen sister;

eminently sensible mother;

neurotic, self-obsessed mother in law;

unpretty (and therefore socially awkward and untalented, of course) flatmate of love interest;

very pretty (which means lots of close-ups), very confident and apparently very rich love interest, whose means of support is not mentioned, but who looks about 20, studies drama, drives a car, lives in a nice flat and plans to have a baby, without any mention of a job. She solves her problems the Hollywood way; by means of a spontaneous monologue about her youth and passion that wows the judges and the undecided boyfriend in one fell swoop.

Oh, I almost forgot the last and ugliest cliché; the femme fatale who sucks her fingers and wears a leopard-skin corset and looks out from under her lashes at the hero because of his film-making talent.

My boyfriend and I started out laughing every two minutes at this wonderful film. I ended up cringing every two minutes and thinking that the Turkish machismo mentioned in the film must be very strong indeed for the writer(s?) and directors to have observed themselves so well and women so badly. It's not just Turkish machismo, though. They're not the first to have cut and pasted all of their female characters from the big book of Hollywood stereotypes.

Was the above comment useful to you?

2 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Very good first half, pretty bad second half, 9 October 2006
5/10
Author: martinnull6-1 from Germany

In the beginning I really liked the movie very much. The whole kung-fu advertising stuff is really funny and special. I like Ibo played by Denis Moschitto, he's a real good actor, in Kebap not as good as in Süperseks, but still authentic and with a brilliant way of playing comedy. His father is played very good by Güven Kirac, also very believable and authentic and no cliché type like Hasan Ali Mete's performance of Ibo's uncle. Nora Tschirner is without a doubt extremely beautiful, but her acting is more than boring, and so is her character in the movie. When the first half is over it's getting pretty bad. The whole baby-stuff is pathetic and exaggerated. Only total stupidos will see this as funny. Than you're asking yourself the whole time, why the hell everything is that complicated, why Ibo cannot meet Titzi anymore. It's meant to be romantic and tragic at this part, but it just doesn't work! A good director would have sensed that, but Anno Saul obviously lost the overview on the story. It's just scene after scene after scene without dramaturgy or any empathy. You feel that he just desperately wanted to reach the end of the film by any means, and he just failed. Nevertheless you can watch the movie and have fun, but you better don't expect too much...

Was the above comment useful to you?

Add another comment

Related Links

Plot summary Ratings Awards
External reviews Official site Plot keywords
Main details Your user comments Your vote history