Toni Erdmann

162 minutes

German
English
Romanian

Germany
Austria

Winfried doesn’t see much of his working daughter Ines. The suddenly student-less music teacher decides to surprise her with a visit after the death of his old dog. It’s an awkward move because serious career woman Ines is working on an important project as a corporate strategist in Bucharest. The geographical change doesn’t help the two to see more eye to eye. Practical joker Winfried loves to annoy his daughter with corny pranks. What’s worse are his little jabs at her routine lifestyle of long meetings, hotel bars and performance reports. Father and daughter reach an impasse, and Winfried agrees to return home to Germany. 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.

starring...

Peter Simonischek

Winfried Conradi / Toni Erdmann

Sandra Hüller

Ines Conradi

Michael Wittenborn

Henneberg

Thomas Loibl

Gerald

Trystan Pütter

Tim

Hadewych Minis

Tatjana

Lucy Russell

Steph

Director

Maren Ade

Writer

Maren Ade

Cinematography

Patrick Orth

Film Editing

Heike Parplies

Production Design

Silke Fischer

Art Direction

Malina Ionescu

Casting

Nina Haun, Viorica Capdefier

Producer

Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski

67% on the CINEMETER

BOCA

67% - Jan 8, 2017

Poignant, funny and a good lesson on how to live life to the fullest but too long!
Boca Raton Member

Enjoyable movie with great underlying message but could have been edited better.
Boca Raton Member

A real wake-up call! I didn't notice how long the film was because it was engrossing.
Boca Raton Member

A tour-de-force in terms of acting!
Boca Raton Member

Wonderful character development with situations very realistically and emotionally charged. Loved this memorable movie!
Boca Raton Member

Very unusual film with some good laughs!
Boca Raton Member

Favorite scene when Ines sang Whitney Houston song while father played the piano.
Boca Raton Member

71% - Dec 18, 2016

Unbelievably awesome. The best film of the year!
San Francisco Member

It was such a funny yet sad movie about isolation and the painful journey to connection. And about a father trying to reach out to his daughter.
San Francisco Member

Despite the length, my attention never waned. I never knew what was coming next. Time to let our shaggy selves out!
San Francisco Member

A totally original movie, one that I would not have seen based on a review or the blurb we received.
San Francisco Member

The slow buildup was definitely worth the payoff at the naked party - the baring of souls.
San Francisco Member

We all need to add a little whimsy to our lives. Let's go forth with more frivolity. I am planning my next prank on my daughters.
San Francisco Member

STL

66% - Jan 8, 2017

How eloquently done, this movie. I don't think I have ever laughed so much, so easily in a film, and cried too. Loved it. "The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.'" -- Mark Twain
St. Louis Member

Hilarious but tragic. Fun but sad. Frivolous but serious. I loved it.
St. Louis Member

I enjoyed the depth of the examination of inter-generational, cultural and gender miscommunications and conflicts--provoked deep soul searching.
St. Louis Member

Funny, fast-paced, I laughed a lot -- the 2 1/2 hours flew by.
St. Louis Member

Wonderful look at what matters and what doesn't in life. Very funny, very said, very moving, very disturbing. Absurdly real.
St. Louis Member

ATL

76% - Jan 8, 2017

Wow! So unusual. So much real AND surreal. So familiar and unfamiliar. So funny and so moving. Loved it!
Atlanta Member

Endearing. Classic intergenerational conflict. Estranged father tries to teach daughter meaning of life, while search for it himself. We are all a little lost, but with different reference points.
Atlanta Member

This is why we come to Cinema Club.
Atlanta Member

Best movie this session. Great to end the season on . Loved the main characters--both well-cast.
Atlanta Member

Wow. Just wow. As the survivor of a complex daddy-daughter relationship, I understood Ines and why she is the way she is. Someone had to be the practical one, and yet she adores the impossible, challenging, lovely & loving man who is her dad. It made me laugh and weep with remembrance. Wow.
Atlanta Member

MIL

74% - Jan 8, 2017

TONI ERDMANN is a revelation. Uproarious and devastating. The reason i love the movies. SEE IT!!!
Milwaukee Member

TONI ERDMANN is a masterpiece!. So great, a perfect film, really.
Milwaukee Member

Excellent! My first time here. Loved it! Will come again!
Milwaukee Member

BOS

57% - Dec 18, 2016

Very humane. I was very moved by much of it—pulled me in and took me away.
Boston Member

I never expected to be so intrigued. It never seemed to long. A great text to think about.

Boston Member

The script captured the estrangement many adult children and parents experience, and the demands made by consulting firms.
Boston Member

Outstanding actors.
Boston Member

Interesting statement about the theme of father/daughter distance.
Boston Member

You wonder and you wonder and you shake your head… and then it comes together artfully, with great heart, humor and genius.
Boston Member

74% - Dec 18, 2016

Gorgeous film, funny and bitter. A real prize.
Greater New Haven Member

Had heard this was a comedy - found it very disturbing from the perspective of what a career woman needs to give up, no matter the culture or country. It would never have worked with a son. [Note: others made the same observation about a "son."]
Greater New Haven Member

Great anxiety, great ambiguity: both silly and tragic.
Greater New Haven Member

52% - Dec 4, 2016

Unpredictable and occasionally hilarious, it reminds us what is important.
Washington, DC Member

One of the few movies I've seen where I have no idea what was going to happen next, at any point. It's a life-size diorama of the human and the strange.
Washington, DC Member

I love the play on "performance" - all the ways it can ruin or enhance your life. Beautifully directed scenes. I love the awkward pauses, the commitment to the characters, which we got to know over time - worth the effort.
Washington, DC Member

This movie mesmerized me. The characters were fascinating and it wasn't even too long for me!
Washington, DC Member

This movie was a fascinating family commentary. The love that the father had for Ines, despite her having sold out to a souless, corporate career, was nicely developed. His playful technique of intruding on her lifestyle was much more effective than the more typical parental lecture and judgement.
Washington, DC Member

SPC