Advertising Rules! (2001)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Lars Kraume
Written by Lars Kraume & Tom Schlesinger
Starring Alexander Scheer, Götz George, Chulpan Khamatova, Maria Schrader, Vadim Glowna

Features:

• Making-of Featurette
  
• Deleted Scenes
  
• Alternate Opening and Ending B-Roll Footage
  
• Theatrical Trailers
  
• Filmographies
  
• Interview Collage
  

Anamorphic: Yes.

My Advice: Rent It.

Advertising Rules! is the story of Viktor Vogel, a graphic artist who has an interesting way of applying for jobs. He simply walks in to board meetings and acts as though he belongs there. This time it works for him. He winds up landing a $5 million advertising campaign for an car manufacturing company called Opel. Then he meets Rosa, a post-modernist artist (but then again, who isn’t?) who is just a blink away from a great artistic idea. Viktor helps her out with the idea a exhibition called “The Hunt.” Viktor then winds up inadvertently pitching Rosa’s idea to Opel for their new ad campaign.

The story is not really all that new. Boy gets job, boy meets girl, boy screws both up royally, boy winds up finding himself and redeeming everything. The only “difference” this time is the ending, which is a little more open ended. It is a fun movie to watch, but the English translation seems a bit stiff at times. I kind of got the feeling that this movie would be much funnier if you spoke German. Alas, I don’t speak German. Even with all the stuff they cut out of the movie, there was still quite a bit more that could have been cut to tighten the movie up. Most of the scenes kept going well after the point had been established.

Bonus Material for this DVD could be better. Of course, there are the obligatory theatrical trailers, but essentially it boils down to a collection of deleted scenes. However, they are broken up and called "Deleted Scenes," "Alternate Scenes," "B-Roll shots" & an "Interview Collage." The deleted scenes are just that. There are about 8 of them. They are cut with good reason. The story gets told without adding 45 minutes to the movie, thanks to the editor. Of the Alternate Scenes, I liked the beginning that wound up on the floor more than the one in the film. It is a much more solid introduction to Viktor’s character.

As I’ve already stated, I liked the ending that made the cut. The alternate ending almost feels like a segue into a much longer film, which is, if you haven’t figured it out by now, something this film really does not need. I was curious to see the B-roll segments. Here again, I wish they had gone with their first impulse. There is a section of the film where the characters play around on the beach with a camcorder. The B-rolls consist of the actual shots from the camcorder.

When I see something labeled "Interview College," I think of interviews with the actors. Oh no, no, no. These are yet more deleted scenes where the characters step out of the world of the movie and deliver mini-essays on "Art" directly to the camera. Boy, good choice to cut these. They just come across as pretentious & snobby (not to mention just plain weird). These "interviews" just don't work within the context of the film.

So, the movie is enough fun for me to advise not missing it. But between that and the bonus materials, I don't think this DVD has enough to make it worthwhile as a purchase.