toni erdmann
peter simonischek and sandra hüller in toni erdmann. photograph: komplizen film / ap
“toni erdmann” also won best actress for sandra hüller and best actor for peter simonischek .
sandra huller, toni erdmann: a risky, accomplished, even nakedly hilarious performance .
toni erdmann’s sandra hüller: ‘everybody knows the german clichés. maybe they' re true'
oscar nominations include german comedy ′toni erdmann′ | film | dw | 24. 01. 2017
german comedy' toni erdmann' was the night' s other big winner, earning three awards .
this is a remake of the german film of the same name, toni erdmann (2016) .
both films head into the january 22 ceremony with seven nominations, while' toni erdmann' scores six .
looking for movie tickets? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing toni erdmann near you .
it is with rare confidence that i can say you have not seen a movie quite like “toni erdmann. ”
the critical hit
toni erdmann
stars sandra hüller and peter simonischek. (carolyn cole / los angeles times )
sandra hüller and peter simonischek in toni erdmann, which swept the board at the european film awards 2016. photograph: handout
sony pictures classics’ acquisition of “toni erdmann” for north and latin america was one of the centerpiece deals of this year’s cannes festival .
since world premiering at cannes in competition, “toni erdmann” won a best film nomination at the the british independent film awards, among a flurry of nominations and prizes. sony pictures classics has rights to “toni erdmann, ” along with “elle” and “julieta. ”
needless to say, the writing on the wall couldn’t be clearer: there will be a hollywood remake of “toni erdmann. ”
peter simonischek in “toni erdmann, ” a german film, directed by maren ade, that is being widely praised for its quirkiness .
toni erdmann is a german comedy drama in which a man tries to reconnect with his daughter by accompanying her on a business trip .
german comedy toni erdmann has won the film of the year honor voted on by the international federation of film critics (fipresci) .
toni erdmann director ade’s acceptance into the upper echelons of the filmmaking universe will see her be a member of the jury at cannes .
summary toni erdmann is a german comedy drama in which a man tries to reconnect with his daughter by accompanying her on a business trip .
toni erdmann stars sandra huller as an ambitious businesswoman whose career path is thrown off course when her father, a tireless practical joker (played by german theater star peter simonischek) pays her an unannounced visit as his alter ego toni erdmann, a wacky “consultant and life coach. ”
but it was not to be. toni erdmann was all - conquering, with sandra hüller winning best actress and peter simonischek winning best actor .
practical joker winfried disguises himself as flashy “toni erdmann” to get busy ines’ attention and change her corporate lifestyle. the father - daughte ...
enter “toni erdmann, ” an alter - ego winfried hatches thanks to a set of absurdly white false teeth. as winfried looks to relieve some of the family tension via toni, he creates more of his own .
toni erdmann
has plenty to say about parenting, ambition, feminism and modern happiness, but not enough to justify its absurdly longwinded running time .
directed by maren ade, toni erdmann premiered at the cannes film festival and is germany' s official candidate for next year' s foreign film oscar .
maren ade’s “toni erdmann’ swept five awards, including film, director and screenwriter at the 29th european film awards during a ceremony held in wroclaw, poland .
1. barry jenkins, moonlight 2. damien chazelle, la la land 3. maren ade, toni erdmann 4. kenneth lonergan, manchester by the sea
jack nicholson, who hasn’t appeared in a feature film since 2010, will star opposite kristen wiig in the english - language remake of “ toni erdmann. ”
ot only does german humour exist, it might just save your life. that’s one of many horizon - altering takeaways from the exquisite toni erdmann, the new
it' s rare that oscar gives comedies their due, and while “toni erdmann” isn' t a typical one, it' s worth the time investment .
she didn’t feel a similar experience with toni erdmann after it’s sensational cannes debut. “well i’m 12 years older now and i feel more safe with myself. ”
sandra hüller in “toni erdmann. ” ms. ade, the film’s director, said, “we were very happy that the comic aspect came out while editing. ”
toni erdmann, which will be released in the uk on 3 february, is one of three films with female directors to make this year' s top five .
but the upstart german filmmaker maren ade employed an especially unconventional technique in greeting the stars of her new picture
toni erdmann
for the romanian portion of production .
toni erdmann, which premiered in cannes to near - universal critical acclaim, stars sandra huller as an ambitious business woman whose career path is thrown off course when her father, a tireless practical joker (peter simonischek), pays her an unannounced visit as his alter ego toni erdmann, a wacky
consultant and life coach .
at nearly three hours ,
toni erdmann
is expansive but rarely self - indulgent, and the emotional payoff, when it comes, feels truly and bizarrely earned .
sold by the match factory, “toni erdmann” is a komplizen film production in co - production with coop99, knm, missing link films and swr / wdr / arte .
cannes favourite toni erdmann has struck a sweet note for distributor nfp in germany, attracting more than 80, 000 admissions over its first weekend and close to $ 1m .
a remake of german film toni erdmann (2016) about a dad who creates an alter ego for himself in an effort to connect with his polar - opposite daughter .
1. isabelle huppert, elle 2. natalie portman, jackie 3. sandra hüller, toni erdmann 4. emma stone, la la land 5. sonia braga, aquarius
maren ade’s “toni erdmann’ swept five awards, including film, director and screenwriter at the 29th european film awards during a ceremony held in wroclaw, poland. “toni erdmann” also won best actress for sandra hüller and best actor for peter simonischek. ade, who dedicated her screenwriting prize to her father, won best director over ken loach, [ … ]
“toni erdmann” doesn' t just defy the expectation that a comedy has to be short and punchy. it also shows that it can have rich, well - acted characters .
even jack nicholson wants in on the sudden craze for german films. it’s been reported that he was so enamoured by toni erdmann that he wants to star in a remake .
correction: an earlier version of this story reported that “toni erdmann” won the golden globe for foreign film in 2017. it was nominated for the award, “elle” was the winner .
toni erdmann was produced by komplizen film (janine jackowski and jonas dornbach) in co - production with coop99, knm, missing link films, and swr / wdr / arte .
slowly, through the poignancy of its writing and brilliance of its two leads, toni erdmann wins you over, worming its way into your mind and heart both, in equal measure .
maren ade' s german dramedy toni erdmann on wednesday added another award to its trophy case, winning the lux film prize, the annual film honor handed out by the european parliament .
toni erdmann did not pick up prizes in cannes but is a possible contender for best foreign film at next year’s oscars, with the shortlist due to be released in the coming days .
1. casey affleck, manchester by the sea 2. adam driver, paterson 3. colin farell, the lobster 4. peter simonischek, toni erdmann 5. denzel washington, fences
rumor is george miller hated toni erdmann and pressured the rest of the jury away from it... and towards many, many movies no one seemed to like. what a shitshow
i think toni erdmann is an acceptable movie, but by no means one of the best of the year or other exaggerations that have been said out there. [ full review in spanish ]
moonlight was named this year' s best picture by the toronto film critics association. the german comedy toni erdmann and manchester by the sea were runners - up in the best film category .
is this a bad idea, or a really bad idea? … kristen wiig and jack nicholson are set to star in an english - language remake of toni erdmann. composite: getty images
peter simonischek and sandra hüller star in the german film
toni erdmann ,
set for a christmas day u. s. release. (liz o. baylen / los angeles times )
updated: variety also is reporting kristen wiig attached to play jack nicholson ’s daughter in paramount’s english - language remake of toni erdmann. the studio has not returned requests for comment on these .
the best foreign language film category is a race between elle, the handmaiden and toni erdmann, while cameraperson, o. j. made in america and 13 th occupy the best documentary slots .
maren ade' s cannes competition entry toni erdmann, one of the best - reviewed films in the running for this year' s palme d' or, is being snatched up by international distributors .
ade, 39, spoke to thr ahead of toni erdmann’s cannes debut about family dynamics, having a second baby while finishing the film and why she’s in favor of a subsidy quota for female directors .
toni erdmann is produced by ade, jonas dornbach, janine jackowski, michel merkt, co - produced by bruno wagner, antonin svoboda, david keitsch, sebastian schipper, and executive produced by ada solomon .
montréal festival nouveau cinéma awards german - austrian co - production toni erdmann with a louve d’or and the best performance prize to peter simonischek. the special mention went to tizza covi & rainer frimmel’s mister universo .
toni erdmann tells the story of practical joker winfried (peter simonischek), who disguises himself as the absurd, offensive character toni erdmann to get his daughter ines (sandra huller) to pay attention to him and to try and get her to change her all - work - no - fun lifestyle. the review for the hollywood reporter called it “the best 162 - minute german comedy you' ll ever see. ”
toni erdmann is a peculiar, engaging hybrid of a film. part of its acclaim may stem from the juxtaposition of two adjectives that don' t typically go together :
funny
and
german .
toni erdmann, which bowed in limited release last december before receiving an oscar nomination for best foreign language film, competed for the palme d’or at cannes and won five european film awards, including best european film .
but while centering on the relationship between a shaggy elderly jokester and his uptight adult daughter ,
toni erdmann
also manages a thematic juggling act. a film about oppositional family dynamics ends up as an inquiry into much more, with feminism, globalism and corporate culture all falling under its gaze. ‎american movies ‎tend to be about either very big stakes or very intimate relationships .
toni erdmann
pulls off both at once .
there' s another simple reason we should be talking toni erdmann; it' s a german comedy - a sparsely populated genre. a carefully crafted and honest film about artistic father winfried connecting with business orientated daughter ines, toni erdmann isn' t an endless series of laugh - out - loud gags so much as a terrifically funny opening scene and climax, with the in - between littered with gags and observations about family .
said director ade, “sony pictures classics’ list of films and directors is so impressive. it’s a great honour that toni erdmann is the newest addition to their slate, and i am looking forward to this experience. ”
in the remaining acting categories, adam driver was chosen as best actor for playing a poetic bus driver in paterson, with runner - ups in the category being casey affleck for manchester and peter simonischek for toni erdmann .
a total of 85 countries are in the competition for the 2017 academy award for best foreign language film. germany is also on the list with the comedy
toni erdmann .
( 12. 10. 2016 )
“i feel extremely honored to be chosen by the people who have seen the most films over the years, ” said ade in a statement, thanking the critics “for giving toni erdmann such a great start in cannes. ”
the association voted the handmaiden as the best foreign - language film of the year. runners - up included toni erdmann (2), elle (3), neruda (4) and the salesman (5) .
the international success of toni erdmann made hüller the face of german cinema. her performance as a management consultant, whose father tries to get her to work less and play more, has had audiences and critics in raptures .
cannes — confirming its status as a palme d’or frontrunner, 2016 cannes sensation “toni erdmann” won the international critics’ prize saturday for best picture in cannes competition. plaudit was awarded by the international federation of film critics (fipresci) .
practical joker winfried disguises himself as flashy “toni erdmann” to get busy ines’ attention and change her corporate lifestyle. the father - daughter challenge reaches absurd proportions until ines begins to see that her eccentric father deserves a place in her life…
a year after taking cannes, and then the world, by storm with ade' s toni erdmann, komplizen returns in style, with a film in un certain regard — valeska grisebach’s western — and ade on the competition jury. ahead of cannes, the trio sat down with the hollywood reporter to talk about a whirlwind year that launched them from obscurity to the oscars, the challenges facing avant - garde cinema and the news of a toni erdmann remake .
best non - english - language film elle – paul verhoeven, france fire at sea – gianfranco rosi, italy the handmaiden – chan - wook park, south korea julieta – pedro almodovar. spain toni erdmann – maren ede, germany
1. moonlight 2. manchester by the sea 3. la la land 4. toni erdmann 5. oj: made in america 6. paterson 7. the handmaiden 8. arrival 9. hell or high water 10. jackie
toni erdmann, an uproarious german comedy about a tricky father - daughter relationship, has swept the board at the european film awards, becoming the first movie made by a woman to win the top prize in its 29 - year history .
title toni erdmann year 2016 distributor (s) soda pictures ltd. classified date (s) 01 / 12 / 2016 main language english, german submitted run time 162m 14s approved footage 14601 + 0 bbfc reference aff347008 registration number cfj41000 remarks subtitled
winfried conradi misses his daughter, a successful businesswoman, so he pays an impromptu visit to her in bucharest. in toni erdmann german filmmaker maren ade creates a splendidly subversive romp; peter simonischek and sandra hüller provide memorable performances in the leading roles
maren ade’s toni erdmann on a roll: after sweeping the five major distinctions at the european film awards, the german - austrian co - production was announced to be on the oscar shortlist for the foreign language award together with eight more candidates .
toni erdmann is notable for its unpredictability, its mashing of genres and, somewhat surprisingly, for its subtlety and sentimentality. plus, the performances of peter simonischek as winfried / toni and sandra hüller as ines are sharp and completely believable. simonischek walks a fine line in his portrayal of toni erdmann, giving us a character believable enough to seem plausibly real to ines’s colleagues, while allowing us to see winfried all the while. hüller is amazing as inez, gradually showing us the cracks in the armor of her tightly wound, emotionally suppressed character, and to engage our sympathies with a remarkably brave performance .
enter flashy toni erdmann: winfried’s smooth - talking alter ego. disguised in a tacky suit, weird wig and even weirder fake teeth, toni barges into ines’ professional life, claiming to be her ceo’s life coach. as toni, winfried is bolder and doesn’t hold back, but ines meets the challenge. the harder they push, the closer they become. in all the madness, ines begins to understand that her eccentric father might deserve some place in her life after all. .
european actor: rolf lassgård (“a man called ove”) hugh grant (“florence foster jenkins”) dave johns (“i, daniel blake”) burghart klaußner (“the people vs. fritz bauer”) peter simonischek (“toni erdmann”) javier cámara (“truman” )
they say germans don’t have a sense of humor. how then to explain the fact that the year’s most innovative comedy, “ toni erdmann, ” hails from german writer - director maren ade (whose name rhymes with “bar and spa day”) ?
german - austrian co - production toni erdmann (co - produced by coop99 filmproduktion) tops its outstanding festival run with five major distinctions: european film 2016, european director and european screenwriter maren ade, european actress sandra hüller and european actor peter simonischek .
small - budget, challenging european dramas' i, daniel blake,'' elle' and' toni erdmann,' are being celebrated at the european film awards this year, but are also the type of films finding it harder to get seen .
ade’s third feature, and by far her most ambitious, toni erdmann centres on winfried, an elderly music teacher who goes to bucharest to visit his daughter, ines, who has rejected his liberal values for a corporate career as a consultant advising on policy for an oil company. ines isn’t exactly delighted by his presence but winfried, a compulsive practical joker, can’t resist turning up inopportunely, disguised in a shaggy wig and ill - fitting false teeth as his spontaneously invented alter ego, life coach “toni erdmann” .
the heroines of toni erdmann and elle, meanwhile, bridle hard against their daddy issues, and choosing between sandra huller’s serious comic genius and isabelle huppert’s hilariously hard - edged brilliance is impossible (although the cannes jury solved the problem by somehow citing neither) .
sony pictures classics picked up toni erdmann for north america and latin america shortly after its cannes debut. the film will have its north american premiere at the toronto international film festival next month and is set for a dec. 25 release in the u. s .
during a recent interview with cnbc, murray, recognized by the academy for his work in sofia coppola’s 2003 drama lost in translation, explained how hollywood icon jack nicholson nabbed the lead role in the upcoming american remake of maren ade’s cannes comedy toni erdmann over him .
the 2016 new york film festival has filled its 25 - title main slate with buzzmagnet favorites from other stops on the festival circuit, with organizers announcing a lineup that includes “ i, daniel blake, ” “ toni erdmann ” and “ manchester by the sea. ”
the german - austrian - romanian co - production “toni erdmann” has won the 2016 european parliament lux prize, president martin schulz announced at a ceremony in the chamber in strasbourg on wednesday. the film explores a complex relationship between a father and daughter in contemporary corporate culture .
“toni erdmann” marks nicholson’s first film since playing a role in the james l. brooks dramedy “how do you know, ” which many in hollywood thought could have been the actor’s last major film. he also starred in the 2007 film “the bucket list” opposite morgan freeman .
in toni erdmann, the relationship in question is between a hippie father and his estranged daughter. worried her life as a corporate executive isn’t making her happy, the father takes extreme measures, dressing up as a rude practical joker and disrupting her life to provoke a confrontation .
german cinema is experiencing a renaissance. at the cannes film festival, fatih akin’s in the fade will be competing for the palme d’or. last year, two of the biggest foreign - language hits at the uk box office were sebastian schipper’s victoria and maren ade’s toni erdmann .
until the ramifications of the ban for film - makers such as farhadi became clear, germany’s toni erdmann had been the strong favourite to take the prize. the other nominees were land of mine (denmark), tanna (australia) and a man called ove (sweden) .
european film: “elle” (paul verhoeven, france, germany) “i, daniel blake” (ken loach, u. k. , france) “julieta” (pedro almodóvar, spain) “room” (lenny abrahamson, ireland, canada) “toni erdmann” (maren ade, germany, austria )
toni erdmann was agony for me, maybe more so because i’d actually been looking forward to it. but it was a chore, one that felt interminable for a time, a long time, a period of time that felt even longer than the nearly - three hour runtime .
madrid — “ toni erdmann, ” german maren ade’s breakout cannes competition hit, has snagged the 2016 intl. federation of film critics (fipresci) grand prix for best film of the past year, the first time the prestigious honor has gone to a film made by a woman .
a “stunningly singular” third feature, according to variety ’s guy lodge, “toni erdmann” was one of the best - reviewed cannes competition movies in the last decade. lodge called it a “unique study of an estranged but mutually depressive father and daughter” which is “a humane, hilarious triumph. ”
we’ve heard precious little about paramount’s planned english - language remake of maren ade’s beloved oscar nominee and indie spirit winner “ toni erdmann ” since the project cast jack nicholson and kristen wiig in its lead roles, but a new report from the tracking board packs a doozy of an update .
it does eventually do that, but as with every story turn in this film, the manner in which it happens is hilariously disorienting. as already mentioned, winfried has another personality he occasionally inhabits, a man named toni erdmann who serves as some parody of an eccentric tycoon, and toni begins to spend an uncomfortable amount of time in bucharest. if ines and her company represent the grinding gears of westernization in a country still defined by the collectivization of its soviet past, toni erdmann is some funhouse - mirror vision of the future ines is helping to build. he’s an uncouth, shambling character, but he’s one that always commands the attention of every room he’s in, simply because of his bizarre, assured confidence .
chosen by 475 fipresci members from three finalists — the other two were charlie kaufman’s “anomalisa” and jim jarmusch’s “paterson” — “ toni erdmann ’s” triumph reflects critical reaction at cannes where, though the movie failed to score an official prize, it did win the fipresci nod for best film in competition .
the showrunner of hbo’s girls, jenni konner, and its creator, lena dunham, may write the toni erdmann remake. the remake of the german drama is coming from adam mckay and will ferrell ‘s gary sanchez production company and paramount and is set to star jack nicholson and kristen wiig .
spc said in a statement that toni erdmann is “one of the freshest films in years; profound, funny, powerful, ” and director ade “a force to be reckoned with, one of the world’s truly great directors. it’s great to be back in business with the match factory again. ”
sony pictures classics bought toni erdmann for north america earlier this week. on thursday, sales group the match factory unveiled a raft of deals for other territories, including the u. k. (soda), italy (cinema), australia (madman) and japan (bitters end) .
adam mckay, who recently directed “the big short” for the studio, will produce along with wiig, will ferrell and jessica elbaum of gloria sanchez productions. maren ade, writer and director of the original “ toni erdmann, ” will exec produce the remake along with producers jonas dornbach and janine jackowski .
on seeing the cannes premiere of maren ade’s oscar - nominated german tragicomedy toni erdmann – starring peter simonischek as the ageing, jape - addicted dad who suffers a late - life crisis and sets out to embarrass his daughter at work – i wondered aloud who would play the lead in a hollywood remake .
the fipresci grand prix will stoke speculation that “toni erdmann” will be a foreign - language oscar contender. fipresci cannes competition winner “son of saul” went on to oscar glory, snagging an academy award in the foreign - language category. fipresci’s 2015 grand prix winner “mad max: fury road” took six academy awards. “erdmann” is one of eight german films on a long - list to become germany’s 2017 oscar entry. the country’s candidate will be announced later this week .
while the pic was snubbed by the cannes jury, toni erdmann has been picking up awards ever since, winning the fipresci international critics award for film of the year, earning best film honors at the brussels international film festival and taking home the audience award at the seville european film festival, among many other laurels .
european director: paul verhoeven (“elle, ” france, germany) cristian mungiu (“graduation, ” romania, france, belgium) ken loach (“i, daniel blake, ” u. k. , france) pedro almodóvar (“julieta, ” spain) maren ade (“toni erdmann, ” germany, austria )
toni erdmann is being rolled out in limited release. as this is written it is being shown in just three theaters in the sf bay area – in sf, berkeley and san rafael. for a list of where the movie is currently playing and / or when it will open in your area, click here .
fire at sea could have been replaced by i, daniel blake, the unknown girl, toni erdmann, hissein habré: a chadian tragedy or various other films dealing powerfully with the politics of our troubled world. things to come could have been replaced by elle (huppert is surely the greatest actress of our age) .
toni erdmann is another film that takes genre and drags it, kicking and screaming, somewhere else. its ‘flaws’, or rather, foibles, are what gives it some kick. seeing that in a packed 1, 600 - seat house at the vancouver international film festival was a highlight of the year, no question .
now, writer / director maren ade ’s melancholy toni erdmann, a 162 - minute black comedy about father - daughter estrangement, looks set to take the academy award for foreign language film. having cleaned up at the european film awards and topped sight & sound ’s prestigious best of 2016 poll of more than 150 critics and curators, toni erdmann is provoking grins and grimaces wherever it plays, balancing laugh - out - loud absurdity with excruciatingly understated tragedy. “this will not be a comedy, ” ade reportedly told her co - producer. “this will be a very long and sad film. ” in fact, it is both and more .
ines, an ambitious young woman, is trying to make a name for herself in the cutthroat world of business consulting. but when her prankster father, winfried, shows up at her work to rekindle their relationship, things fall apart quickly. stressed out from her attempts to secure the business of mr. henneberg, a ceo of a german oil company, ines shuns her father. enter winfried' s alter ego, toni erdmann, who quickly wins the favor of mr. henneberg with his funky wig and false teeth. as mr. henneberg' s new life coach, toni erdmann tries to fix his relationship with his estranged daughter .
while “welcome to the hartmanns” directly tackles a tough contemporary issue, “toni erdmann” is also slyly political, about the differences between those in winfried’s generation, who came of age in the ’60s and rebelled against parents from the nazi era, and those of ines’s generation, who grew up in a post - cold war capitalistic society .
friendship was a welcome tickle of the costume movie’s well - corseted ribs. rachel lang’s baden baden and maren ade’s toni erdmann – which finds an unlikely funny - bone amid the central european business world – should really be in my list too. i predict / hope that the latter at least will be championed by other contributors .
sony pictures classics acquired u. s. and latin american rights deal to the german - language toni erdmann when it played in competition last year in cannes. the bittersweet comedy stars peter simonischek and sandra huller and revolves around an older man who begins to play pranks on his adult daughter after finding her too self - serious .
paris — the german director maren ade’s breakout film, “toni erdmann, ” has won over audiences and racked up awards across europe. an uncharacterizable father - daughter story that’s also about neoliberal economic reforms in romania and the clash between the generation of 1968 and its capitalist children, the film is exceptional for another reason: it’s hilarious .
actors, directors and producers of toni erdmann with their prizes at the 2016 european film awards: (from left) actor hadewych minis, producer michel merkt, producer jonas dornbach, actor sandra hüller, director maren ade, actor peter simonischek, producer janine jackowski and actor trystan puetter. photograph: janek skarżyński / afp / getty images
nicholson needed no excuse there to crank up the performance. what he will do with toni erdmann is anyone’s guess; he may play opposite wiig with all the subtlety he had opposite adam sandler in anger management. but alexander payne was strict with nicholson on about schmidt, and got one of his very best performances out of him .
now on her third film, ade has developed a precise method of refining and rehearsal by which she arrives at piercingly truthful and often unnerving intimate portraits — a process so long, in fact, that ade delivered two children during the course of making “ toni erdmann, ” one during the writing phase, and another during post .
previously: jack nicholson, the three - time oscar winner whose last movie role was in 2010, is attached to star in the english - language remake of toni erdmann, the german pic that is nominated for the oscar best foreign language film. paramount has acquired remake rights to the film, according to our sister publication variety .
the nominations for best international independent film are all high - profile choices: maren ade’s comedy - drama toni erdmann was a palme d’or favourite; moonlight and manchester by the sea are likely oscar contenders; mustang was nominated for best foreign film at last year’s oscars; and hunt for the wilderpeople has become new zealand’s highest - grossing film .
the original toni erdmann, written and directed by maren ade, was first released in europe in 2016, and only saw a uk release last friday. it starred peter simonischek as a fake teeth - wearing prankster father, and sandra hüller as his highly - strung daughter who finds herself on the receiving end of her father’s practical jokes .
british audiences have already woken up to the new confidence of german cinema. the success of victoria and toni erdmann came despite the marketing barriers the films seem to present: an almost three - hour german comedy and a two - hour thriller shot in one - take. but they won audiences over because they are audacious, brilliant films .
the visual language of
toni erdmann
revolves to a large extent around the contrast between the buttoned - up ines' power suits and the fearlessly awkward winfried' s ridiculous get - ups. beyond those teeth, a wig of long, unkempt hair is another key component of the toni persona. they tried a hundred wigs, simonischek says, and pulls out his phone to offer photographic evidence. he swipes from the image of him as a rock' n' roll toni (shag haircut and shades) to one with childish bangs to a silver - coiffed version that reminds a delighted hüller of filmmaker michael haneke .
with other teeth ,
she quickly adds .
cannes — confirming its status as a palme d’or frontrunner, 2016 cannes sensation “toni erdmann” won the international critics’ prize saturday for best picture in cannes competition. plaudit was awarded by the international federation of film critics (fipresci). a “stunningly singular” third feature from germany’s maren ade, per variety’s guy lodge, “maren ade” has been [ … ]
it’s because toni erdmann is legitimately unlike any comedy i had ever seen before, as hyperbolic as that may sound. describe it in passing, and it might sound like many a fuzzy hollywood affair, a tale of a prankster father and straight - laced daughter learning to reconnect (in fact, its rumored american remake may well end up in that lane). but toni erdmann draws so much of its humor from refusing to cut away from a scene that might seem irrelevant or boring, or to land on an easy punchline. it’s some new, evolved form of awkward comedy that doesn’t strive to make the audience wince, but rather lives in every joyously strange, unsettling moment .
a flair for both the human and the absurd animates
toni erdmann ,
a german - language tragicomedy that is one of the most surprising and lauded films of the year. the movie joins
boyhood
and a rare handful of modern pieces in capturing the well - meaning fumble that can occur when parents and children try to connect .
but then, this year with toni erdmann, the more successful the film became, the more lonely i was. at the oscars, mine was the only fiction film nominated, in all the categories, that was directed by a woman. we won so many prizes where it was the first time ever a woman won. it’s 2017 !
madrid — “toni erdmann, ” german maren ade’s breakout cannes competition hit, has snagged the 2016 intl. federation of film critics (fipresci) grand prix for best film of the past year, the first time the prestigious honor has gone to a film made by a woman. the fipresci grand prix will be presented to ade at [ … ]
for hüller, working on this film provided her with the opportunity to be at home. after the whirlwind few months that followed the debut of toni erdmann in cannes, a journey that saw her win several best actress awards, including european award for best actress, she is enjoying sleeping in her own bed at the end of the day’s shoot .
a “stunningly singular” third feature from germany’s maren ade, per variety ’s guy lodge, “maren ade” has been one of the best reviewed cannes competition movies in the last decade. lodge, for example, called it a “unique study of an estranged but mutually depressive father and daughter” which is “a humane, hilarious triumph. ” last year’s fipresci competition winner, “son of saul, ” went on to oscar glory, snagging an academy award in the foreign language category. sold by the match factory, “toni erdmann” is a komplizen film production in co - production with coop99, knm, missing link films and swr / wdr / arte. sony pictures classics has acquired “toni erdmann” for north and latin america .
although there are only three female directors in competition — arnold, nicole garcia (“from the land of the moon” and maren ade (“toni erdmann”) — roughly one - fifth of the directors in the overall official selection are women. the un certain regard section features the work of five additional female helmers — and showcases a younger crop of talent overall .
“toni” also represents a change from the german films that normally appear on the international festival circuit: works by directors from the 1968 generation, including werner herzog and wim wenders .
previous festival favorites, including sundance hits manchester by the sea and nate parker’s rousing slave drama the birth of a nation, were also announced as part of the special presentations section. cannes standouts set for tiff include maren ade’s toni erdmann, paul verhoeven’s elle, asghar farhadi’s the salesman, andrea arnold’s american honey, and jim jarmusch’s adam driver - starring paterson .
jack nicholson, who hasn’t appeared in a feature film since 2010, will star opposite kristen wiig in the english - language remake of “toni erdmann. ” sources tell variety paramount pictures has acquired remake rights to the oscar - nominated film with nicholson and wiig attached to star. paramount had no comment. adam mckay, who recently directed “the big short” [ … ]
a richly - layered dramedy centering on a fragile father - daughter relationship, “toni erdmann” is ade’s third film. her directorial debut “the forest for the trees” won the special jury prize at sundance, while her sophomore outing “everyone else” won berlin’s jury grand prize and earned birgit minichmayr the best actress award. the film represents germany in the foreign - language oscar competition .
written and directed by maren ade and starring peter simonischek and sandra hüller as a father - daughter duo whose distant relationship is clumsily shoved to more snug territory by the former, toni erdmann – which has charmed critics worldwide and swept up a generous array of awards following its debut at the cannes film festival last year – is certainly a film that takes comedy seriously .
they say germans don’t have a sense of humor. how then to explain the fact that the year’s most innovative comedy, “toni erdmann, ” hails from german writer - director maren ade (whose name rhymes with “bar and spa day”)? “i was interested in making a film about family, ” ade says, “about the different roles that we play [ … ]
leaving the oscar front - runner la la land by damien chazelle and starring ryan gosling and emma stone without any prizes in this year' s competition, the tfca on sunday tapped toni erdmann' s maren ade as best director and the pic' s lead sandra huller as best actress, while also naming the german comedy the best foreign - language film of the year .
graduation is yet another extraordinary parable from romania, toni erdmann, though over - praised and overlong, is still one of germany’s most original films of recent years, nocturnal animals is a stylistically excellent moral tale from tom ford and paterson shows that jim jarmusch, in lighter mood, has a refreshing charm and a dog to die for among the leading members of the cast .
not for maren ade, the abundantly talented writer and director of “toni erdmann, ” germany’s official submission for a foreign language film oscar. she fully embraces the inherent awkwardness of a testy emotional bond and tackles it to the ground, all the while mining it for heartfelt humor without the all - too - common safety net of predictability found in big - budget hollywood fare .
' toni erdmann' could almost be one long
dad joke ,
with winfred taking any opportunity to amuse friends and students by dressing up in a wig, false teeth, and accent while sitting on a whoopee cushion. huller is excellent as ines, and while she remains stony - faced throughout her father' s ongoing shenanigans, you sense the emotions flooding her body .
the 2016 new york film festival has filled its 25 - title main slate with buzzmagnet favorites from other stops on the festival circuit, with organizers announcing a lineup that includes “i, daniel blake, ” “toni erdmann” and “manchester by the sea. ” ken loach’s “i, daniel blake, ” about a man struggling to apply for government benefits after a heart attack, won [ … ]
almodóvar too inspired me with his haunting julieta – a contemplation of mortality and guilt as harrowing as any greek tragedy. actor raúl arévalo made of the year’s best debuts with his 70s style urban western the fury of a patient man and toni erdmann was strange and beguiling – a gloriously meandering tale of father - daughter miscommunication, embarrassment and exasperation realised across the broader canvas of corporate culture .
the original “toni erdmann, ” starring sandra huller and peter simonischek, followed a practical joking father who tries to reconnect with his hard working daughter by creating an outrageous alter ego and posing as her ceo’s life coach. the german pic is nominated for best foreign feature at the academy awards on feb. 26 and was also nominated for best foreign film at the golden globes in january .
hüller is amusingly discombobulated as the uptight ines. but the film is perhaps best appreciated as a showcase for the gifted simonischek, whose portrayal of winfried / toni is one for the ages .
the film category was particularly strong this year with four cannes competition alumni, “toni erdmann, ” ken loach’s palme d’or winning “i, daniel blake, ” paul verhoeven’s thriller “elle” and pedro almodovar’s “julieta, ” as well as lenny abrahamson’s heart - wrenching drama “room” which world premiered last year at toronto and won a golden globe, an oscar and a bafta for its lead actress brie larson .
on one level, toni erdmann can be read as scathing satire on europe, and a warning about the depersonalising results of globalisation. yet while such socioeconomic subtexts are hardly hidden, it’s in the intimate interplay between infuriating father and insular daughter that the real fireworks occur. ade’s genius is in refusing to allow either character to become a caricature, instead painting both in sympathetic shades of grey .
ade also would occasionally behave as though she were living inside the movie‎, as with the airport - pickup moment, in which her bold limo appearance mimics a move toni tries in the film .
two festival circuit favourites, germany’s toni erdmann (directed by maren ade), and the salesman, from iranian oscar winner asghar farhadi, have made the shortlist, along with it’s only the end of the world from canadian director xavier dolan – which has drawn a decidedly mixed response compared to his previous film, mommy – and paradise, from veteran russian director andrei konchalovsky, which has received middling reviews .
ken loach' s british social welfare drama i, daniel blake; room from ireland' s lenny abrahamson; maren ade' s german dramedy toni erdmann; paul verhoeven' s french - language thriller elle; and spanish melodrama julieta from pedro almodovar have been buoyed by critical praise and accolades — even before they were nominated in the category of best european drama at this year' s european film awards .
equally authentic is the almost ostentatiously gritty, handheld camerawork, which throws down the gauntlet in the messily framed opening shot of a front door with recycling bins outside. the film builds a case for its unpretty aesthetic, but this, together with the challenging running time, will pose a dilemma for distributors. despite this, toni erdmann will travel extensively: its audience genes are strong enough to overcome both obstacles .
this week, it was announced german language oscar nominee “ toni erdmann, ” the third directing effort from writer - director maren ade, would be remade in english with jack nicholson and kristen wiig. since indiewire recently curated a gallery suggesting the cast for this developing project, several members of the editorial team shared the following thoughts on the latest news and whether or not it bodes well for the upcoming film .
as for the proposed remake of toni erdmann that is rumoured will feature bridesmaids star kristen wiig, hüller is excited by the prospect, “i’m really curious, i’m going to watch it, definitely, ” she says. “i’m a big fan of both actors whose names are currently attached to the project, and who knows if it will happen, but it’s a different thing and i’d like to see it. ”
but dad has other ideas. unconvinced his daughter has her life as together as she claims, ‎winfried surreptitiously stays behind. he then makes his presence felt by assuming the comic persona of
toni erdmann
— a supposed
life coach
intent on helping anyone he encounters. wearing a wig and gag false teeth, he crashes ines' social obligations, creating numerous script opportunities for pathos, slapstick and surrealism .
ines conradi is a successful businesswoman currently stationed in bucharest but poised for promotion and transfer to singapore when this next deal goes well. winfried conradi is her father, a lonely man, socially handicapped and prone to the dumbest, most trying “pranks” on the planet. there is no such person as toni erdmann. toni erdmann is just what winfriend calls himself when he’s wearing ludicrous false teeth and an even worse wig, which is his go - to costume for “pranking. ” his pranks, by the way, consist mainly of just showing up and being this weird alternate personality. he more or less stalks his daughter and endangers her career by showing up at her office and various work functions. if he was your father, you’d either die of embarrassment, or you’d kill him. no two people should survive a relationship like this .
simonischek, for his part, would go out into the streets of bucharest dressed as toni erdmann, in part to get into character and in part to gauge how people might react to someone so cluelessly oafish (and ok, maybe in small part to see how much he could pull their legs) .
many people didn' t react ,
he said .
but you could see they wanted to react .
writing toni erdmann came out of ade’s research into corporate behaviour. she became fascinated by the role of consultant, discovering that firms often hire them to advise on difficult choices, so bosses have someone to blame for unpopular decisions. at heart, toni erdmann is a powerful political film, not least as a study of how the cold intricacies of managerial language systemically alienate individuals from their instincts. ade says it is “about globalisation and capitalism and what they do with us, with our relationships”. but, she adds: “it doesn’t give one strong political statement. two days ago i was at a symposium and [ iranian director ] asghar farhadi said, ‘the time of cinema that gives answers is over – now’s the time for cinema that asks questions. ’ i was like, ‘oh shit, where’s my notebook? i have to write that down! ’”
growing tired of their distant relationship following yet another whirlwind visit from his go - getting daughter, winifred decides to pay a surprise visit to ines in bucharest. when his plan for enforced bonding fails, winifred changes tack – and persona – by adopting a wig and fake teeth and introducing himself as ‘toni erdmann’ to ines’ friends and colleagues… while a horrified ines looks on as her father threatens to compromise her professional and social standing.
toni erdmann is a 2016 german-austrian comedy-drama film directed , written and co-produced by maren ade . it stars peter simonischek and sandra hüller . the film , which premiered in competition at the cannes film festival , was named the best film of 2016 by sight & sound and other respected cinema magazines . it won five awards at the 29th european film awards : best film ( a first for a film directed by a woman ) , best director , best screenwriter , best actor , and best actress . it also won the european parliament lux prize . it was nominated for the best foreign language film at the 89th academy awards and was considered the strong favourite for the award ; it lost to the salesman . 
toni erdmann is a 2016 german-austrian comedy-drama film directed, written and co-produced by maren ade. it stars peter simonischek and sandra hüller. the film, which premiered in competition at the cannes film festival, was named the best film of 2016 by sight & sound and other respected cinema magazines. it won five awards at the 29th european film awards: best film (a first for a film directed by a woman), best director, best screenwriter, best actor, and best actress. it also won the european parliament lux prize. it was nominated for the best foreign language film at the 89th academy awards and was considered the strong favourite for the award; it lost to the salesman.
toni erdmann is a 2016 german-austrian comedy-drama film directed, written and co-produced by maren ade. it stars peter simonischek and sandra hüller. the film, which premiered in competition at the cannes film festival, was named the best film of 2016 by sight & sound and other respected cinema magazines. it won five awards at the 29th european film awards: best film (a first for a film directed by a woman), best director, best screenwriter, best actor, and best actress. it also won the european parliament lux prize. it was nominated for the best foreign language film at the 89th academy awards and was considered the strong favourite for the award; it lost to the salesman.