Männer wie wir (2004)

Director:

Sherry Horman

Writer:

Benedikt Gollhardt (writer)

Release Date:

7 October 2004 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Jeder gibt sein bestes Stück. (Everyone gives his best part.)

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | Homosexuality | Dancer | Dog | Piercing

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Maximilian Brückner	...	Ecki
David Rott	...	Sven
Lisa Potthoff	...	Susanne (as Lisa Maria Potthoff)
Dietmar Bär	...	Vater Gerd
Saskia Vester	...	Mutter Renate
Judith Hoersch	...	Cordula (as Judith Delphine Hoersch)
Mirko Lang	...	Tobias
Carlo Ljubek	...	Udo
Tobias van Dieken	...	Bernhard
Hans Löw	...	Klaus
Rolf Zacher	...	Trainer Karl
Mariele Millowitsch	...	Wirtin Elke
Christian Berkel	...	Rudolf
Markus John	...	Tom
Charly Hübner	...	Horst 'Hotte'

Also Known As:

Guys and Balls (International: English title) (USA)
Balls (USA) (pre-release title)
Lattenknaller (Germany) (working title)
Lattenknaller - Männer wie wir (Germany) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime:

Germany:106 min | USA:106 min | Australia:102 min (DVD)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Cologne, North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany

Company:

Hager Moss Film

Goofs:

Factual errors: Ecki wears a shirt of the same colour as the rest of the team despite being goalkeeper. Goalkeepers should wear contrasting tops to differentiate themselves from the rest of their teams.

Quotes:

Sven: I have the late shift.
Ecki: No problem.
Sven: Ecki?
Sven: What?
Sven: Why don't you come along? I'll just be hanging around anyway.
Ecki: Love to.

Soundtrack:

Sorry Sorry

This film was necessary !

Let's face the facts - there is one dominant and popular area in Western society where homosexuality is still an absolute no-no, where it simply doesn't exist (officially of course) : And this is....? Yes, it's football. Excitement and fun for billions of people all around the globe. But although roughly 5% of mankind can be considered as gay or at least bisexual no professional player ever had his public coming-out. (But statistically speaking in every team there must be at least one..which would mean a minimum of 18-20 in the German Bundesliga alone)... This is the sociological background any critic should take into account before criticizing "Männer wie wir" too harsh. Yes, I agree, in some parts this film is a bit stereotypical, but the important and optimistic message counts more than its occasional lack of sophisticated and complex characterization. Maybe this is also one of the reasons why many heterosexuals (even the liberal and educated type) feel uneasy about this film. They simply don't want gays to enter one their last retreats of pure and sweaty straight manhood. And the notion that some of these queers might even turn out to be adequate opponents on the pitch (as it happened in "Männer wie wir") is just ...like finally loosing in a penalty shoot-out after a comfortable lead.