"Endstation Glück" or "Destination Happiness" is a German television film from 2016, so relatively recent still and this one was directed by Karola Meeder and written by Nicole Walter-Lingen. The former's filmography is packed with "Das Traumschiff" and the "Ein Sommer in..." series, while NWL has worked on films based on books by Rosamunde Pilcher and Utta Danella. I think if you know a bit about German films, especially television films, then you can already make a definite conclusion how good their 90-minute movie here is going to be. The answer is: plain horrible. Admittedly there are many many German small screen releases from the 21st century that are just plain bad, but at least frequently they still have somewhat known cast members. This one here not at all. The only one who is somewhat known is Gudrun Landgrebe, on the left on the photo here at imdb, and it is also no surprise she is listed first on the cast list because back in the 80s or so she was among Germany's most successful actresses. But actually, it is a bit of a surprise because she really does not play the central character. That would be Gundi Ellert. WWell, I cannot say anything positive about her. She is just as bad as the rest of the cast and sometimes they manage to make the already horrible screenplay even worse. That sure requires a special (lack of) talent to achieve something like that. As for the story, it is so absurd and weak that I do not want to waste too many lines on it. It is about a woman whose husband died and who inherits a farm. Bad luck that the late husband also allowed a friend to live on that farm for as long as he wants and this becomes an obstacle when the widow wants to move in there with two of her friends. And of course the widow and the other guy fall in love at the end and travel together. But as bad as the plot may be, it is still not as bad as the dialogues. You will know what I mean when you hear it. If you really want to see this film, that is and I highly recommend not to. Only one example, near the end we have one character say something totally out of nowhere that she will go on a road trip now with her new boyfriend. It honestly did not sound as if she even talked about it with him. And it did not sound as if she even thought about it. Utter cringe really. It felt so written and the line delivery from the actress could not have been any more lackluster honestly. But with this screenplay, I also cannot really blame her.
Her new boyfriend by the way was the one that one of the three central character also had a romantic interest in for most of the film. Only problem is she is like over 25 years older than him. This is one of the oh so touching romantic plots the film has to offer. Sigh. Also the woman (his age) he eventually ends up with has absolutely zero chemistry with him. So unreal. Rarely seen something like that before. It's really an insult in the audience's face that they want us to believe that those were a couple and also stayed one. There is a lot in here really content-wise. Parent-child struggles. Romantic struggles for almost every character that is a part of this movie. Lessons on friendship and sticking together. Of course, the three girlfriends also have arguments with each other and it was all pseudo and fake drama because obviously we knew they would make up eventually again. I must say even if she also did not give a good performance I feel kinda bad for Landgrebe that with her popularity back in the day she now has to appear in films like this and at least a decade ago she was still playing lead characters, but now she plays supporting characters that really have nothing to offer. And still they are written horribly. The best example is the moment she enters the picture when she sees her friend totally out of nowhere after a long time apparently and of course there is also a police officer at the same time in the room who informs Ellert's character that she broke the law. And seeing him stand there look like a fish also this film clearly offended police. But only if you watch it that is. If you don't see it, you cannot be offended. So be wise and don't make the same mistake I did and instead skip the watch here. This is a very bad film that never feels realistic, but staged and scripted all the time in the least authentic way one can imagine. This was not even good enough for German afternoon television. Best would be if this film is never seen again and I honestly feel bad for people who like movies like this. Actually, if e don't watch them, they simply won't be shown anymore, so take this route and show the makers this way what you think about their work. Call it Herzkino (cinema for the heart), call it Schmonzette (slightly derogatory for a German cheesy romance film), call it whatever you like, but don't watch it. The most ridiculous thing is perhaps how it takes itself really seriously from beginning to end and acts as if it has life lessons to teach to the audience. The only thing it does is insult the audience's intelligence. Highly not recommended.
Her new boyfriend by the way was the one that one of the three central character also had a romantic interest in for most of the film. Only problem is she is like over 25 years older than him. This is one of the oh so touching romantic plots the film has to offer. Sigh. Also the woman (his age) he eventually ends up with has absolutely zero chemistry with him. So unreal. Rarely seen something like that before. It's really an insult in the audience's face that they want us to believe that those were a couple and also stayed one. There is a lot in here really content-wise. Parent-child struggles. Romantic struggles for almost every character that is a part of this movie. Lessons on friendship and sticking together. Of course, the three girlfriends also have arguments with each other and it was all pseudo and fake drama because obviously we knew they would make up eventually again. I must say even if she also did not give a good performance I feel kinda bad for Landgrebe that with her popularity back in the day she now has to appear in films like this and at least a decade ago she was still playing lead characters, but now she plays supporting characters that really have nothing to offer. And still they are written horribly. The best example is the moment she enters the picture when she sees her friend totally out of nowhere after a long time apparently and of course there is also a police officer at the same time in the room who informs Ellert's character that she broke the law. And seeing him stand there look like a fish also this film clearly offended police. But only if you watch it that is. If you don't see it, you cannot be offended. So be wise and don't make the same mistake I did and instead skip the watch here. This is a very bad film that never feels realistic, but staged and scripted all the time in the least authentic way one can imagine. This was not even good enough for German afternoon television. Best would be if this film is never seen again and I honestly feel bad for people who like movies like this. Actually, if e don't watch them, they simply won't be shown anymore, so take this route and show the makers this way what you think about their work. Call it Herzkino (cinema for the heart), call it Schmonzette (slightly derogatory for a German cheesy romance film), call it whatever you like, but don't watch it. The most ridiculous thing is perhaps how it takes itself really seriously from beginning to end and acts as if it has life lessons to teach to the audience. The only thing it does is insult the audience's intelligence. Highly not recommended.
