Berlin, I Love You

This film is depressing to watch. After 5 years living in Berlin I don't recognize much of the city in this film. Apart from the depressing vibe, which it has. But there is the other, free-spirited side which wasn't captured at all. Absolutely didn't enjoy this.

I only write this review because of a special propaganda scene. The one where a 16 year old boy kissed an adult, wearing a dress. He just turned 16 that day. Before that they talk about that it's legal for him to drink beer. This is some kind of signal, emitted by the producers of this propaganda movie. He can drink, so he can kiss? Of course people in reality kiss all the time, no matter what age, but this scene here is clearly another attempt of normalizing pedophilia. Get used to it. Like in "Call me by your name". A movie I would give a 10, but because it's a perversion on display, I don't care about that. Berlin is so cool, there is no nature in it, only crowded parks. What else would you do, in this hell, so why not kiss adults, the world is going down anyway.

This just seems like a high budget tourist ad for Berlin but at least it has pretty ladies.

I travel to Berlin often it's a beautiful city. As for the film please.... please don't waste your time.

Who would think that a film with so many stars in it would be so boring? Not me. In fact it was because of the cast list, as well as the previous "I Love You, City" movies that I even decided to watch it. I found myself throughout the film wondering if the producers of it weren't somehow enticed to do this film by government workers responsible for increasing tourism. Berlin is very low on my list of places to see, and it still is after seeing this. The producers were not subtle about their goal of creating an image of Berlin today as a city that's hip, young, open-minded, creative, and fun. A city where anything goes. Rather than focus on all these little stories of love, I think they should have focused more on whatever physical and/or architectural beauty the city has because I'm left thinking there must not be much since they didn't showcase it. Also, Berlin's and Germany's past were like the elephant in the room: it's filling the room but no one's talking about it. OK, there were maybe two mentions of the past, including a few commemorative plaques in the sidewalk but little else. I think the film would have been much better if the past had had a role worked into the storyline, perhaps being comparative with the present. The present could have been highlighted in comparison to the past. Instead, the past was barely mentioned, while the producers worked hard to connect the individual stories with Berlin, implying they couldn't have happened elsewhere. Not only did I not buy this but I was left with a sense of, yeah, OK, now what? I actually looked forward to the film ending. I gave it a three because it has a lot of energy, plus there were great intentions (I think!) behind the making of it. Also, some of the scenes were quite atmospheric.

This film is a collage of segments of people whose lives intersect in Berlin. With this many big names, it is a surprise that the film is allowed to be a horrid mess. Just the first segment alone is enough to make me lose interest in the whole film. It is a bizarre short about a man and a GPS system, and it is just way too strange to be likable. The subsequent segments get no better, not even the one with Helen Mirren and Keira Knightley. The Berlin protrayed in the film is an unattractive dump, and it does not inspire any romantic feelings. Fortunately, there is one segment that is good, which is the puppet show one. It gives warmth and radiates attraction, which is the only segment that sticks to romantic love in Berlin.

Considering how many stars were listed it was surprisingly rubbish. The cringiest part had to be Mickey Rourke hitting on a girl he met in the bar.

You are probably like me wondering, is this as good as Paris Je T'Aime? The short answer, no. Not even remotely. Paris Je T'Aime had some amazing atmosphere and fantastic acting. This, although some big name actors involved, is just utter garbage. Honestly how is this movie so terrible ? One of the reasons may be that Paris Je T'Aime was honestly just about LOVE and therefore had a HEART and a SOUL. This movie in contrast, was just filled with tiresome political messages, which Hollywood keeps pushing as usual, the story was clearly just secondary, more like a 'filler' for the politics. Honestly, if you decide to watch the movie, which I don't advice, you'll see that my review is absolutely on point. Although the first 20~30 minutes were borderline acceptable, in my opinion it's much more worth it to just watch Paris Je T'Aime for a second time instead.

Want one cliched PC lecture after another? Or one cliche after another? If you like films with no story, no intelligent writing, no craft, but absent that some mindless propaganda, you will love this. if not, skip this awful excuse for a film.

I really enjoyed this film. I thought it was a cinematic glimpse into Berlin visually, as well as culturally. I don't feel it deserves the low ratings it's received on this site. I also heard people comparing it to Paris, I Love You and finding it lacking. I haven't seen the Paris version so I can't comment on that. What I DID like was the vignettes of life and love in Berlin, and that the love in these vignettes took different forms: the film isn't entirely dedicated to romantic love but to love in all its forms, including sacrifice, love for strangers and love as acceptance. The sound track and music were excellent, and the visuals very strong. I also enjoyed the acting, which felt very natural. It definitely has a European vibe: there's no Hollywood hype here or over-dramatic acting; at times, it shows a bleak side to life but I like this kind of realism. While this film might not be everyone's cup of tea, I think it's a breath of fresh air in the movie scene. Two thumbs up :).