User Reviews

"Free Rainer" is a German movie from almost 10 years ago that runs for over 2 hours and was written and directed by Hans Weingartner, one of Germany's most acclaimed and successful filmmakers these days. And he made something pretty good here. I enjoyed watching this one for the most part and despite its massive runtime, it never dragged only a bit. The lead actor here is Moritz Bleibtreu, one of Germany's most famous for a long time now. Female protagonist is played by Elsa Sophie Gambard, who interestingly never appeared in a film again after this one and works in the field of medicine today. The supporting cast includes a couple actors that you may have come across in other films, but who are not too famous. most known may be Milan Peschel, who plays a man with social phobia, but who is usually better than in this one here. Austrian Gregor Bloéb on the other hand was a positive surprise as the main antagonist, who takes "aaöglatt" to the next level.

The best thing, however, about this film is the excellent and spot-on criticism on the German television landscape. There is so much crap on television right now that makes me wonder why television is on such a high level over there in the United States, but here it sucks so hard. Even almost 10 years after this movie, nothing has changed. Actually, the already bad courtroom television shows got replaced by even worse fake reality television programs. So yeah, all these references alone are reason enough to check out the movie. It has some problems in other areas though. First of all, it is a bit on the predictable site, but that's not the worst problem. The film is hurt more by a lack of shades. People are either 100% likable or 100% unlikeable and there is nothing in-between sadly. This also results in some cringeworthy moments when the dialogs are just a bit on the holier-than-thou side.

However, "Free Rainer" is absolutely worth checking out for its social commentary that, in 2016, applies more than ever. I recommend this movie to everybody who reads this review here and has not yet seen it. It certainly also helps if you like Bleibtreu. I myself am fine with him without being a really big fan, however, so you don't need to adore him to appreciate his and Weingartner's efforts here. Yes it is not a very realistic film (but with a huge fun-ride early on when Bleibtreu's character is still one of the bad guys), but a very authentic one and also pretty entertaining for the most part. Go check it out.

The acting was exceptionally well for a German movie - I don't know if I just notice bad acting more easily when it's in German (it is my mother tongue after all) or if it's really rare in the German film biz to have good actors. Anyway, in this movie it was well done (and if I think about Stipe Erceg in "Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei" that's also not always the case in Weingartner's movies). Unfortunately the actors had to fight with cliché after cliché being thrust upon them. The cocaine-sniffing, not giving a damn about anything media guy, the socio phobic computer nerd who spends his time with conspiracy theories (by the way, Weingartner should probably talk with the psychiatric association - he obviously has buried somewhere in his movie a miraculous cure for a psychosis, seeing as Philipp is socio phobic and then a couple of weeks later he isn't anymore, not really anyway) and the revolutionary who is just a hurt little girl inside. Characterisation gets a little better towards the end, at least for the main characters. Sadly, it's not enough to give them any depth.

The directing style was very conservative - the initial characterisation of Rainer, the news paper clips or the raid - there's nothing we haven't seen before. It's not badly directed but in connection with the "revolutionary" content (not the content itself being revolutionary - we've all seen movies about the bad bad media biz, but the film being about revolution) it could have used some more revolutionary directing. As in "Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei" (I'm sorry for the constant comparison between those two movies but they are so similar, not only in style but also in content that it just forces itself on me :), Weingartner uses lengthy monologues to explain why revolution is good/necessary/the thing to do, which can and does get boring. Fortunately, there are some funny scenes, although he sometimes tries too hard.

The morale of the story is inconsequential at best. Because it obviously is a victory for everybody that people stop watching TV altogether to read books or to go for a walk: So bad TV makes people stupid and good TV makes people stop watching TV? Also, Rainer stresses more than once that you should trust people to be able to handle intelligent TV. But by manipulating the quota, he doesn't even give them a choice. Isn't his approach to force-feed them the good stuff as bad as force-feed them the bad stuff?

I came into the movie with fairly high expectations - I had liked "Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei" and thought Weingarten would move up the scale - the topic was a challenge, but I was optimistic.

Let's start with the good part: The first 20 minutes are amazing. Moritz Bleibtreu is the perfect actor for playing the a****** TV producer: Loud, eccentric, on edge, constantly drinking or sniffing a line, no respect for other people, full of himself. His exit from the studio and his drive in the Jaguar through Berlin to Downset's "Anger" is memorable. Excellent throughout the movie are also Gregor Bloéb as Maiwald, Rainer's (even more polarizing) boss (what a fabulous name for the character) and Milan Peschel for the introvert security-guard-come-conspiracy-theorist Philip.

Unfortunately, the good part of the movie ends after Rainer's accident. This is where the movie tries to be a moralist movie/comedy/serious film/blockbuster. Unfortunately, it fails on all counts. The constant swing back and forth between the genres made me feel unease half of the time. Weingarten was constantly trying to get a message across to the viewer, but I'm afraid he didn't know what it was himself. If he was just trying to provide entertainment, why did he constantly attempt touching on my moralist conscience? I hope you get my dilemma.

Elsa Sophie Gambard, alias Pegah is really pretty, but the only face she could make the whole movie was a cross-over: "Angeline Jolie Tomraider/I am an evil alien/My life is frustrating/I am in love with you". After seeing her on screen with the same face while screaming at Rainer and kissing him a few scenes later, I had to laugh out loud.

Superfluous are the swimming pool scene - what the heck does that have to do with the movie - and the (very superficial) love story between Rainer and Pegah. Making the movie end almost exactly like in "Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei" - didn't help. What? Did Weingarten run out of ideas but was forced by the production company to finish before Christmas? Come-on! I did enjoy some of the characters from the unemployment army to hack into the IMA-System. Irshad Panjatan (Gopal) was a laugh. A few memorable moments also include Maiwald skating out of the CEOs office with a big fat grin on his face and Rainer smashing his Jaguar - but all this is not enough to save the movie. (5/10)

Free Rainer (Reclaim Your Brain) Directed and written by Hans Weingartner and co-written by Katharina Held Starring Moritz Bleibtreu and Elsa Sophie Gambard, Milan Peschel Frustrated, because he is forced to produce bad TV-shows, a manager of a TV-station, enters the station and manipulates the ratings, to initiate a TV-revolution.

Critics and audience opinions on this film are a long way from congruence. While critics widely disparage the film as in-congruent, lacking in character, message and the actor's performances, as well as story-telling, the audience largely welcomes the break with tradition and conventional film making. Free Rainer or Reclaim Your Brain is often compared to one of Hans Weingartner's previous projects 'Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei' IMDb Link

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408777/. While critics are not sure what the message of this story is exactly, the audience knows without the shadow of a doubt that Hans Weingartner, who not only directed, but also co-wrote the screenplay, has made a manifesto out of this film - a manifesto and a cry of frustration over the general state of affairs in society at large.

Free Rainer is not so much about the rebellion against bad television and corrupt program directors, as it is about the emerging intellectual insurgence against today's values, or lack thereof, and the representative announcement of a large number of people, wishing to steer away from a real life enactment of a Brave New World scenario, as it was referenced in the film. Certain scenes, which have been critiqued as superfluous, might express the subconscious urge of the characters and film makers to escape our plastic world, and dive back into the element of whence we came from. Prior to evolution.

This film might be highly inspired, which is why it might have to be analyzed using a different kind of lens, non-linear thinking, to understand the film. It has received enough attention to deserve a more thorough look beyond the surface of conventional practicality.

Aren't we living in a time, where we can finally permit ourselves the luxury to be non-exclusively practical? Why shouldn't we allow ourselves to get lost in the jungle of different genres, mixed in this film, and at first glance, naïve, sometimes lengthy philosophical or "unnecessary" scenes of this movie? Because we are not merely consumers – we are dreamers – and we claim the luxury to dream a more subtle dream, one that doesn't make total sense to the conscious mind, but speaks first hand to our subconscious desire for unsolved mysteries, in-congruence, and contradictions, which mirror real life so much better than those "perfectly timed, sequenced, and portion-sized films" we get served on our twenty-four-hour flights to oblivion.

The lack of character depth and development, some critics complain about, might be an expression of the cathartic epiphany the characters experience upon meeting like-minded souls, and embarking on a journey toward the elimination of the need for such forced upon limitations. Social phobia, as described as one of the symptoms of the main characters, is the theatrical measure of expression of the illness of society, which becomes immediately inactive once the psyche embarks on a pro-active search for liberation.

The German title wears the tagline "Dein Fernseher lügt!" – "Your TV is lying!". What the film tries to convey, is that the movies and TV shows don't depict real life, and rather paint a false, fearful, and overly negative picture of the world, and life itself. In the course of the movie, the characters show the audience real life by disengaging from the television-set, using television and literature when necessary, as a tool, rather than a crutch, as mental stimulation, rather than mental comfort food. Meeting our destiny head on versus escapism.

The fact that every individual will have a unique reaction and widely differing opinion about Free Rainer is proof enough that it accomplished its goal: To make a film that allows for creative, individual, and real life to find expression in a medium that should serve us, not enslave us.

With "Das weiße Rauschen" and "Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei" Hans Weingartner was well on his way to become one of the most promising Austrian directors. Then he goes on to make this movie and his talent seriously has to be questioned.

"Free Rainer" seems like the story an over motivated class representative would think up. The little message that the movie has got - most of what's on television is stupid - is driven home with a mallet. The conclusion - people watch whatever is on, and if you give them "intelligent" television they'll be more than happy to imbibe it - is implausible, to say the least.

The acting and editing are awkward for the most part. The usually mediocre Gregor Bloéb shines as a sleek program director, but the rest of the cast is forgettable at best. From the get go, when Rainer (Moritz Bleibtreu) drives through the streets, drinking Vodka, toting a gun and a baseball bat, listening to "aggressive" music (Downset's "Anger"... Jesus Christ, you seriously live in the past, Weingartner), you can't help but wonder: Is this meant seriously? Is it just a dream sequence or something? Is it going to get better? The answers to those questions are Yes, No and No.

"Free Rainer" is an embarrassment, a career shatterer. Its intentions might have been good, but the result is a boring, unbelievable and annoying movie, that wishes it could maintain the anarchic power of "Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei" (which is awkwardly referenced as a "quality" movie in "Free Rainer"). Weingartner's next project will have to make up for this mess.

Free Rainer is a German movie from 2008 starring well-known German actors Moritz Bleibtreu and Milan Peschel. Rainer (Moritz Bleibtreu) is a TV-producer whose only goal is to have the best quotes he can get, to have the most beautiful girls and as much cocaine as possible. After a hospital stay he realises, that he has stopped at nothing for his quotes. He decides to change his life; the guerrilla-campaign against the entertainment industry begins…

This is one of the most entertaining movies I have ever seen. The story is very innovative and critical of society on a high level. 'Free Rainer' is a wonderful anti-globalisation movie, gripping and very entertaining. The actors did a great job; Hans Weingartner demonstrates again after 'Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei', that he is one of the best German-speaking directors of today's industry. Last but not least also the soundtrack is wonderful, beautiful pop-songs math perfectly to the story.

'Free Rainer' is a must-see movie for all interested, critical of society (German-speaking) people!

10 out of 10 ranking-points for this movie!

(This review was written after I saw the film at the Toronto film Festival in September '07)

For anyone struggling to find an artistic direction, a new voice, or inspiration, this is a must. Blisteringly angry, intelligent, subversive, and furiously cynical about contemporary society, this is film-making as it should be.

Wingartner's target is the dumbing-down of popular culture, primarily via the medium of lowest common denominator television. It tells the story of Reiner, a TV executive specialising in Reality TV - his latest project involves a sperm race between three contestants to win the opportunity to impregnate a woman - who experiences a Damascene conversion following an encounter with a woman whose grandfather committed suicide after being falsely indicted in one of Reiner's news shows. When his attempt to introduce intelligent programming bombs, Reiner decides to artificially manipulate the TV ratings to force the channels to alter their schedules in favour of more informed material. Gathering a motley collection of unemployed workers - the unlikeliest band of anarchists you'll ever see - he audaciously sets off his own cultural revolution.

A relatively simple story is wonderfully elaborated by a marvellously sympathetic cast. Moritz Bleibtrau (now definitely laying claim to being the most interesting actor working today - just look at his resume for the last 9 years) gives a tour de force as Reiner. His character's metamorphosis from coke-snorting, brash yuppie to contemplative, passionate man of reason is never less than convincing and a wonderful exhibition of his range and charisma. He's ably supported by the luminous Elsa Shultz Gambard (unbelievably making her major film debut) as his guiding angel. The direction - though potentially overindulging in montages just a bit - is uniformly superb, allowing the actors free rein to tell the story. Nonetheless, Weingartner's deferential camera is fully capable of stepping to the fore - the opening 6 minutes constitute probably the most exhilarating car sequence I've seen this year. Though dealing with decidedly academic, political and radical themes, "Reclaim your brain"'s 129 minutes absolutely fly by. It's a blast.

Anyone into cinema should see this film. Anyone who's bewailed current popular culture should see this film. Anyone who'd champion education over soma, action over passivity, or quality over quantity should see this film. And I mean SEE. At the post-movie Q&A, Weingarter was disturbingly pessimistic about his ability to continue to make films. Getting the money to make this feature has apparently been a real struggle, and he claims to have sunk most of his money from "The Edukators" into the project. "How can I continue," he asked "if the people who aren't interested in this never see it (he reckons it'll never be on TV), and those who are copy the DVD or download it? Cinema tickets and DVD sales are all I have." I'm not going to preach regarding the crime of copying/downloading, but it'd be a genuine atrocity if this man went out of work. PLease, go see.

This is my first review for any title. I have watched a whole lot of movies, but never before felt so strongly an urge to share my opinion. I was actually looking forward to this one! I liked the underlying theme and always enjoy Moritz Bleibtreu, one of our few great actors. He did deliver an outstanding performance - the movie nonetheless didn't. Here's why: - The change of hearts of the main character is pretty much done in a cut from one scene in which he's still a self-loathing TV producer to the next where he isn't. Not much of a development there. It just sort of happens.

• The characters are all shallow and one-dimensional AND badly acted (except for the lead, which Bleibtreu plays as well as the retarded script allows him to)

• The great problem the movie is based on DOES NOT EVEN EXIST! They say that TV quotas control everything in TV and keep quality stuff from being broadcasted. Now that may be true to privately owned networks - in Germany though (as in other countries, too) it is stipulated by the law that public networks have to uphold a certain standard of "higher culture" and information in the public's interest. These networks are paid for directly by everyone whether they like it or not and do neither rely on advertising nor quotas! How can a TV producer achieve such a standing without understanding the difference between private and public networks? We all sure do! Maybe the writer should have researched just a tad more.

• Even if the fact I stated above wasn't true: A society is not defined by what is shown on TV. Even if there weren't public networks but nothing but trash and stupidity on every channel: There's still cinema, literature, music, any kinds of art one can access without a TV. Believe it or not: If you have read a book or magazine or visited an exposition someday without having had your TV telling you to, you rendered the movie's sentiment false by doing so.

• In the course of events Rainer and his fellow short-thinkers suspect the quotas to be rigged: Instead of a genuine elicitation they are instead forged by a few evil TV masterminds. While that is surprisingly not true, later in the movie the group around Rainer become just precisely what they feared to be the truth: a small group of people deciding on the quotas. How could nobody see that?! I thought "well, maybe that's where the movie shows us how they become corrupted by their newfound power" or something in the likes of that - but no, the moment passes and nobody seems to bat an eye.

• The movie states that there is bad and good TV. Nothing in between. The group never once fight about a broadcast some like whereas others don't. They just agree on everything, saving the movie from an interesting turn of events.

• When they find out that the quotas are in fact not rigged but very much accurate, they wonder how people could actually like and willingly watch trash TV. Rainer postulates that by having the networks shove trash into their audience's eyes for long enough, the viewers regarded the trash to be normal and started to demand it. Solution: Shove quality TV in their faces until the process repeats in favor of that. If this is true: Is such a society worth being saved? Is anyone who just blindly consumes like that really going to appreciate a screening of, say, Eraserhead? This is a horrible dystopia - and again, nobody seems to worry about that.

• After "the world is saved" and quality broadcasts have replaced the trash which was sent before, people can be seen going outside again - so now that it would actually be good to watch, they don't. What? Is all that's left to say.

All in all, this movie is a case in point for "TV is stupid" and, following it's sentiment, should have kept itself from being made. Avoid if you are looking for an intelligent, well crafted and well written movie. Watch, if you also enjoy videos of people falling on their faces. This is basically the same.