"Die Aufschneider" is a well written slap-stick comedy suffering from the shortcomings which a lot of first-time feature films do. Die Aufschneider is an ambitious attempt by Carsten Strauch to co-write, direct, and co-star in his first full length feature film. Even though he has won acclaim with previous comedy shorts - his experience as director/ actor was not enough to make "Die Aufschneider", cinematically, all it could have been. There was not enough time given to character, or plot development, resulting in a story-line which moves too quickly from one situation to another, making the characters somewhat two dimensional. The scenes seem to be generally shot with one or two camera angles, (which may have been intended to imitate the genre which the film is making fun of) resulting in a flat cinematic style that is more reminiscent of student films than of a feature film.
The script is a witty, off-the-wall sitcom/screwball comedy, that satirizes the hospital TV series genre. It harps on classical medical stereotypes and makes fun of them by exaggerating them to the point of making them, almost, and sometimes, painful. The script has enough misunderstandings and plot twists to keep the audience guessing how it will all work out in the end, up until the very end.
"Die Aufschneider" is a wacky feel-good comedy produced in a country that needs to catch up with other countries in its production of quality humor. It has many shortcomings when viewed from a strictly film hand-craft stand point, but it has spirit and most importantly humor. For those who are interested in being amused without demanding "big cinema", It is definitely worth watching. Hopefully this will not be the last film from the Aufschneider team, the potential for higher quality cinema and even funnier plots is great.
