Men...

{{about|the 1985 West German comedy film|other uses|Men (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Men...

| image = Manner 1985.jpg

| caption = Film poster

| director = Doris Dörrie

| producer =

| writer = Doris Dörrie

| starring = Heiner Lauterbach

| music = Claus Bantzer

| cinematography =

| editing =

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|1985|12|19|df=y}}

| runtime = 99 minutes

| country = West Germany

| language = German

| budget =

| gross =$20 million{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|date=21 January 1987|page=33|title='Rose' Producer Inks Doris Dörrie}}

}}

Men… ({{Langx|de|Männer…}}) is a 1985 West German comedy film directed by Doris Dörrie. It was chosen as West Germany's official submission to the 59th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not manage to receive a nomination.{{cite web|author=H. G. Pflaum |title=On the history of the German candidates for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film |publisher=German Films |url=http://www.german-films.de/en/germanfilmsquaterly/previousissues/topicalsubjects/focuson/thetindrum-alonevictor/index.html |access-date=2008-08-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070813145148/http://www.german-films.de/en/germanfilmsquaterly/previousissues/topicalsubjects/focuson/thetindrum-alonevictor/index.html |archive-date=13 August 2007 }}Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Plot

Julius is an ambitious packaging designer, a partner in a prestigious firm. He is cheating on Paula, his wife of 12 years, with his secretary. However when, on their wedding anniversary, he discovers a love-bite on Paula's neck, his life falls apart. She admits to having a lover, who is a penniless freelance artist. Julius moves out, but finds Stefan, the artist, and contrives to share his apartment, calling himself "Daniel".

The two men become friends, drinking and discussing life in general and women in particular. When Paula comes to visit, Julius feigns eccentricity, wearing a gorilla mask the whole time and refusing to speak. Julius begins turning Stefan into a commercial artist, persuading him to give up his bohemian lifestyle and to dress and behave more like a businessman. This causes Paula to lose interest and Julius starts to win her back. Meanwhile Stefan interviews for jobs, one of which happens to be at the same design firm where Julius works.

In the final scenes, Julius and Stefan meet at work. Stefan realizes he has been deceived. The two men have a confrontation with Stefan symbolically stripping down to his underwear and Julius doing the same. They then laugh at each other. The film ends with Paula arriving at the agency, not realizing what she is about to witness.

In the office building where Julius works there is an unusual kind of elevator known as a paternoster, consisting of a continuous chain of small elevator cars that move slowly enough for people to step in and out at each floor. This is used to comic effect in the film, with Julius and Stefan having their argument in their underwear in one of the downward-traveling cars, while Paula is coming to see Julius in one of the upward cars. During the credits the crew go past in the cars as their names appear on the screen.

Cast

{{cast listing|

Heiner Lauterbach as Julius Armbrust
Uwe Ochsenknecht as Stefan Lachner
Ulrike Kriener as Paula Armbrust
Janna Marangosoff as Angelika
Dietmar Bär as Lothar
Marie-Charlott Schüler as Marita Strass (as Marie Ch. Schüler)
Edith Volkmann as Frau Lennart
Monika Schwarz as Frau in der Bar
Lois Kelz as Florian

}}

Reception

Men... was nominated for Best Foreign Film of 1986 by the U.S. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1986/ |title=1986 Award Winners |date=2016 |publisher=National Board of Review of Motion Pictures |access-date=31 October 2016 }}

The film was the highest-grossing German film in Germany during 1986, with a gross of $20 million.