Not My Day (2014)
Bank teller Till Reiners' life is torn out of a rut by a series of offbeat coincidences, which ultimately lead him to find himself and realize: His life isn't so bad after all...
Director:
Peter ThorwarthWriters:
Stefan Holtz, Ralf Husmann (novel),Stars:
Moritz Bleibtreu, Axel Stein, Jasmin Gerat |Story line
Till Reiners, mid-30s, has been a teller at Osthofen Mutual Bank for almost 15 years, leading a settled, regular life. His marriage to ambitious purse designer MIRIAM is happy, but in danger of getting into a rut after all those years of harmony. The die hard hard rock lover's life is not exactly exciting, except for when his 4-year-old son has a crying fit because he lost his favorite snuggle bunny. All of a sudden, Till is torn from his daily routine when a bank robber storms his branch and takes Till hostage after his getaway car breaks down. When the kidnapper takes his mask off, Till recognizes NAPPO, a former con who just got out of jail and wanted a loan from Till to buy a new car the other day, but Till turned him down for professional reasons. As the police set up roadblocks and Miriam awaits her husband's call, Nappo decides to abandon Till in the trunk of the car the next morning and disappear with his loot. But it doesn't work out that way. Till and Nappo have to flee ...
I liked the opening flash forward because it gives you an idea of where the film is heading and means you pay attention to the character development. I liked that the main character (Axel Stein) had flaws and behaved like ordinary men his age. I also liked the co-lead Moritz Bleibtreu as I've seen him in a number of films and he's always great.
The gist of the plot is that Till (Axel) is not happy with how his life has ended up and he feels frustrated. His marriage isn't going so well and after an unforgettable encounter with Nappo (Moritz) he starts to let loose. Crazy events ensue and things unfold pretty much how you might expect.
I did enjoy the film and it has a lot of good points such as the interesting camera techniques employed to give us a unique perspective during the crazy night in Amsterdam, a fair few laughs and great acting. However, Till became extraordinarily annoying part way through the film, to the point where I became physically angry! I felt that he and Nappo needed more opportunities to bond because it didn't fit that Nappo's character would warm to him so easily. A few guitar jams didn't seem believable to change Nappo into the kind of person who did what he did during the film. I also felt that the film would have benefited from more interaction between Till and his wife or flashbacks showing how they met and why they fell in love in the first place.
It's a good time filler and perfect for German-language learners but it could have been a lot better.