Guys and Balls (Maenner Wie Wir) (2004)
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38% of critics liked it
(13 reviews) -
69% of users liked it
(1,058 ratings)
A battle for gay rights is fought on a small-time football field in this comedy drama from Germany. Ecki (Maximilian Brückner) is a talented soccer goalie who plays with a semi-pro team in a small German town, but he finds himself on the outs with his teammates when he fails to block a kick that… More A battle for gay rights is fought on a small-time football field in this comedy drama from Germany. Ecki (Maximilian Brückner) is a talented soccer goalie who plays with a semi-pro team in a small German town, but he finds himself on the outs with his teammates when he fails to block a kick that costs the team the league championship. Ecki's relationship with the team goes from bad to worse when they discover he's gay, and they give him his walking papers. Furious, Ecki challenges his former team to a special match in which they'll face off against an all-gay team he'll assemble for the occasion. The homophobic team agrees to the match, but Ecki soon discovers finding ten capable gay footballers is no easy task, and making them into a competitive team is even harder. Making matters a bit easier for Ecki is his sister Susanne (Lisa Maria Potthoff), who introduces him to one of her co-workers, Sven (David Rott), a good-looking male nurse who can play soccer...and happens to find Ecki attractive. Männer Wie Wir (aka Guys and Balls) was written for the screen by Benedikt Gollhardt; it was his first theatrical film after establishing himself in television. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Sherry Horman
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Sports & Fitness, Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Apr 28, 2006 Wide
- Studio
- Regent Releasing
Critic Reviews
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G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
It's surefire entertainment: loopy and predictable, but tremendously likable.
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Dennis Harvey, Variety
A by-the-numbers ensemble dramedy that hits every underdog and gay-fish- out-of-water cliche on the nose.
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Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Hormann provides a light enough touch to make the proceedings palatable, if not quite enjoyable.
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Melissa Levine, Village Voice
It sounds like gay porn, but it's actually a delightful romantic comedy from Germany.
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Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
With commendable literalness, the makers of the German soccer comedy Guys and Balls have settled on a title as cheerfully unsubtle as every one of the film's jokes.
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Cast
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Maximilian Brückner
as Ecki
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Lisa Maria Potthoff
as Susanne
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Dietmar Baer
as Vater
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Saskia Vester
as Mutter
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Rolf Zacher
as karl
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Mariele Millowitsch
as Elke
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David Rott
as Sven
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Christian Berkel
as Rudolf
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Charly Hübner
as Horst
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Markus John
as Tom
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Andreas Schmidt
as Jürgen, Jürgen, J?
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Hans Lowe
as Klaus
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Willi Thomczyk
as Wirt
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Mirko Lang
as Tobias
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Edesson Batista De Jesus
as Ronaldo
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Carlo Ljubek
as Udo
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Marcel Meivelstein
as Jan
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Judith Delphine Hoersch
as Cordula
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Billey Demirtas
as Ercin
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Edilton Pereira Da Cruz
as Ronaldinho
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Joachen Stern
as Rentner Rudi
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Michael Von Burg
as Martin
- Dietmar Bar
- Anna Koesling
- Steven Wellmann
- Eileen Eilender
- Leon Breitenborn
