Viktor Vogel - Commercial Man (2001) Reviews

• Where's Ben Stiller?

  groggo2007-05-05

  When I rented this mess, I neglected to notice that it was released worldwide by Columbia Pictures-Sony. As soon as I saw this on the screen, I knew what I was in for: yet another formulaic Hollywood-style 'comedy' (excuse the expression) dressed up in the German language. Advertising Rules (AKA Viktor Vogel) is only occasionally funny, and is full of American references and 'comic situations' (we've seen similar scenes in roughly 500 'comedies,' give or take, churned out by Hollywood in the past 20 years alone). Included in the usual suspect list are some of the same weary visual clichés that are varied in Advertising Rules only slightly (attempt at 'freshness' I guess) -- there's the frantic (and obligatory) out-of-control car crash, a chase in a supermarket (complete with dumbkopf cops), a brawl that ends up in garbage heap, a 'hero' (hapless of course, what else?) who gets smacked in the kisser at least four times, a hero who demonstrates the use of a chainsaw and -- what a shock!! -- sees it go out of control and destroy a table. I could go on and on (vacuous insights into the world of advertising; crusty veteran ad man throws young wannabe on his keister in the opening scenes, ends up being a father figure toward the end; sweet-as-candy, talented Hepburnesque gamin falls for dorky 'hero'). You've seen it all before. Here it is again, replete with German voices. The same movie could easily have been made in Hollywood (maybe a remake is already underway -- something with, say, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell or Jack Black as the lead actor and Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow or Katie Holmes as the ever-so-sweet love interest. If you're like me (i.e. long ago fed up with derivative, repetitive, juvenile 12-20 age-group drivel that passes for 'adult' comedy in Hollywood), you'll be more vigilant in selecting films that are released internationally by major American studios. If you don't, what you'll almost inevitably get is yet another Hollywood movie with very 'safe,' by-the-numbers story lines. Exhibit 'A' is this film.

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• funny?!

  mondenkinder2001-04-25

  One of the sentences you learn going to a filmschool is: "A comedy is only a comedy if someone is laughing. If nobody is laughing, then it is not a comedy. It is something else." I think this is what best fits for this film. It is a story about a young guy (Viktor Vogel, whyever this comic-name) seeking a job in a big commercial company. He finally gets there, but only because the company needs him to make a deal with Opel. After the deal has gone, he is kind of thrown out. That's the story. I don't think it's funny. Let alone all those little things like the (german) synchronization, of the mumbling voice of Götz George, of all the stereotyped characters without any depth nor wound. The film was okay if it would have been broadcast on the television. But it simply doesn't fit into a cinema room. For this it is too "small". I'd recommend this film only for: how not to make a funny film.

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• disappointing

  porbeagle_zen2006-10-09

  I tend not to be disappointed by films, since I usually have an intuitive sense on whether it will be good or not. But "Viktor Vogel" ,or as it's known in the States, "Advertising Rules!" (??) really let me down. For the first two thirds, I was really into the movie, even though the melodrama was typical and the main conflict was telegraphed from about 500 miles away. The situations were amusing. The characters were likable. It seemed to bring up some good points about the nature of consumerism and the purpose of one's life, which is more than you can ask from any given American film. But the last third slowed down significantly, and suddenly I became very bored. The ending, however, blew me away, in the worst possible way. I imagine the filmmakers standing around the set with a deadline looming and an incomplete script: "Man, I don't know how to end this damn movie! How are we supposed to solve the conflict? It's so huge!" "Well, let's have really random things come out of nowhere so the audience will go, 'Hey, that makes me think!' And then we'll end it right there, with no explanation as to what happened in the last five minutes." Don't get me wrong, I love weird, funky twists and weird, funky movies, but "Viktor Vogel" was not able to pull it off. It was like a pilot for a network comedy, only for the last ten minutes to be written by David Lynch at 2 AM, who had not read the beginning of the script. Enjoy it for what it is, but don't get your hopes up that it gets tied together at the end. 5/10

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• So nice!

  ladyvalerie_152007-12-16

  I'm studying Mass Communication major in Broacasting. For me, Commercial man" is a very wonderful film. Our professor let us watch this film and told us to make a reaction paper. (as usual). Anyway, it just shows reality. Though there are some dull scenes there, Their advertising escapades really made a blast to all the viewers especially to people inclined to advertising. Ther challenging job really makes advertising world can be called as "adventure".. The end of the story was quite boring, because "Bunny to a dove". OK,i don't take it literally, at least they should have a closure about it. Somehow, they left a question mark hanging to every viewers mind. I guess that's quite nice.

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• Not that bad.

  insomniac_rod2007-11-25

  A movie that is not intended to be funny but tries to talk about how sacrificing fortune and fame for art is worth some problems (big problems). Viktor Vogel manages to experience fortune, recognition, not honest attitudes (cheating others' ideas for publicity/advertising), and even getting kicked out of the place where he lived. Overall this is a fresh dramatic-comedy feature that does not tries to be more than what it is. I thought this was an indie film but the distribution company behind it makes it worldwide available. I caught it on a local Mexican t.v. channel at 4:00 a.m. and I had the kind of entertainment I expected for that hour. Recommended for people who enjoy light tragic comedies.

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