richardgeuter
There isn't even a year between this and the release of Til Schweiger's previous film, "Keinohrhasen" ("Rabbit without Ears"). Thankfully, he didn't write the script this time around, so in the ever-growing Schweiger canon this film stands out: Instead of making a romantic comedy about an irresponsible manchild who learns to commit to a meaningful relationship by the end, this one is a broad medieval comedy. It has therefore more in common with similar German period spoof films, like the "7 Zwerge" ("7 dwarfs") movies or the earlier films by Michael Herbig, although none of these are set in medieval times. A big advantage of Schweiger giving screenwriting duties to other people is the fact that he plays a different character than in all his other movies. His stale performance in "Keinohrhasen" didn't convince me of his acting talent, but I found him rather enjoyable here. He is still sloppily mumbling through his lines and his face muscles rarely move, but put a silly wig on him and write him as somewhat socially awkward, and you can make his role kind of funny and refreshing. All the other players in this movie, most of them television personalities rather than actors, don't venture out of their comfort zone, and are therefore not as refreshing. The casting of Thomas Gottschalk as King Gunther is technically spot-on, but unfortunately Gottschalk takes his role far too seriously. Same for Udo Kier. The only genuinely good performance comes from Rick Kavanian, but that doesn't mean he made me laugh. That's because the script is painfully unfunny. Some of the comedy bits are lifted from better films, and stupid pseudo-gags are extended way beyond what is appropriate. Which might be the reason behind the long running time. There is no justification for this movie being almost two hours long, it just makes its glaring writing and pacing issues even more apparent. Many movies like this feature some anachronistic jokes, which often makes it hard for me to develop some interest or belief in their fictional worlds, but those jokes are often reserved for quick one liners, and since these films are typically quite fast-paced, they don't take me out of the story. In "1 1/2 Ritter," however, the pacing is painfully slow, so there is nothing to compensate for all the jokes that don't land or take you out of the movie. The performances, as described above, are very low-energy, so even they don't compensate for the lack of genuine comedy writing. Compare this to the movies I listed as comparisons above (which, mind, are no masterpieces either). As a director, Schweiger is clearly out of his depth directing action scenes. A movie like this doesn't need good action because, unlike most historical dramas, the story doesn't require extended fight scenes, but that didn't stop Schweiger from including them anyway. And because he apparently couldn't afford a stunt double to perform some good choreography, all of them consist of rapidly edited close-ups of Schweiger going "hrrrng!" and violently punching his enemies. As for improvements: At least the pictures in the film have a little more colour in them than in "Keinohrhasen," the camera work in general is pretty good, and the soundtrack is well-placed and might even be listenable if you listen to it independent from the movie.
cmeisinger
Til Schweiger's performance was an absolute tragedy. Whereas Thomas Gottschalk was surprisingly good (for those who remember him in the "Supernasen"-moviews), Rick Kavanian as Erdal was very funny and Udo Kier creepy as always. On the pro side are the sets, costumes and the score. Those have international standard. The story is incredibly boring and many (no, almost all) jokes drain. What I personally found absolutely disgusting, was the fact that father and (15 year old) son were cast as homosexual lovers...just ugh! Overall, the movie was very disappointing. Especially after Til Schweiger's hilarious "Keinohrhasen".
liperta
In Vienna I watched this film in December 2008 in a 300 seated cinema with 10 people - one fast asleep.And I must admit my neighbor and me had troubles to stay awake. 1st comment after the end: langweiligggggg --> boring. He admitted I must have slept through the only joke in this film. And he was right. No one was laughing. Bohnensuppe must have been in a different film but not in 1 1/2 Ritter. Ritter Til Schweiger shows his saure Gurken face all the time while Herzelinde has to smile all the time. Best actor according to my neighbor : Rick Kavanian whose DANEBEN is the best joke of the film . That's why they showed him in the trailer. Looking at IMDb voting for 1 1/2 Ritter : the 1s have it. Go and see another Til Schweiger film because this one is certainly his most boring.
Bohnensuppe
I saw this film yesterday and could not stop laughing, as most of the crowd in the almost sold-out theatre. This is very well made and full of surprises. The cast ist first-rate, especially Tobias Moretti delivers his best performance. You can feel that they had a lot of fun in the making of it. After his mega-success with "Keinohrhasen". Til Schweiger has done it again. Production values are top notch and as good as Hollywood standarts. Cinematography and sound effects are first class. There is even a new song by New Kids on the Block. This Til Schweiger guy really knows how to please his audience. This is also a film for the whole family and for repeated viewings!
