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What To Do In Case of Fire?

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What To Do In Case of Fire? (2002)

50%
63%
66%
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N/A
50 %
Reviews Counted: 24 Fresh: 12  Rotten:12 Average Rating: 5.5/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins

Theatrical Release: Jul 19, 2002 Limited

Synopsis: In the 1980s, Tim (Til Schweiger), his girlfriend Flo, and their roommates Terror, Hotte, Nele, and Maik--collectively known as Group 36--live as anarchist punks in an abandoned West Berlin building and film their subversive acts. The group disbands when the authorities evict the city's... In the 1980s, Tim (Til Schweiger), his girlfriend Flo, and their roommates Terror, Hotte, Nele, and Maik--collectively known as Group 36--live as anarchist punks in an abandoned West Berlin building and film their subversive acts. The group disbands when the authorities evict the city's squatters, but not before Tim and company place a homemade bomb behind the door of an empty mansion. Fifteen years later, Tim and wheelchair-bound Hotte are still squatting--the only members of Group 36 who have stuck to their ideals. When the long-forgotten bomb is detonated, nearly killing two innocent people, veteran police detective Manowsky finally has an excuse to prosecute the former pranksters. Tim and Hotte are reunited with their old cohorts--who have become capitalists--as they attempt to prevent Manowsky from getting his hands on evidence that could incriminate them. This German tale of friendship and change, the first from director Gregor Schnitzler, subverts its glossy production values with a distinctly anti-authoritarian tone. Opening with an energizing montage of the young characters clashing with police to a German punk song, WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF FIRE? immediately invigorates its audience with a strong sense of time and place. The likeable cast, headed by Schweiger (a major star in his native country) as a protagonist of dubious moral character, carries this unique and enjoyable coming-of-age tale. [More]

Genre: Foreign Films, German, Black Comedy, Comedy, Politics, Theatrical Release, Artists, 1980s

Starring: Til Schweiger, Doris Schretzmayer, Sebastian Blomberg, Martin Feifel, Nadja Uhl

Director: Gregor Schnitzler
Screenwriter: Stefan Dahnert, Anne Wild
Producer: Andrea Willson, Jakob Claussen, Thomas Wobke
Composer: Stephan Zacharias, Stephan Gade

DVD Info

Release:

Nov 12, 2002

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 2.40

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - German

Interactive Features:

  • Interactive Menus
  • Scene Selection

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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2/5

No review available.

comment Comment
07/24/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image
3/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
04/12/04
Greg Muskewitz
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image
62/100

Has an energy and enthusiasm that certainly works in fits and starts, but taken as a whole, it’s a few explosions (and a lot of yearning) signifying very little.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/24/04
Scott Weinberg
Apollo Guide
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3.5/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
11/06/03
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image
2/5

The formula is executed with such efficiency that you can't help being entertained, right? Right? Jawohl!

Full Review | comment Comment
10/15/03
Jurgen Fauth
About.com
Ratings Image
B-

It's like a "Big Chill" reunion of the Baader-Meinhof Gang, only these guys are more harmless pranksters than political activists.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/03/03
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
11/02/02
Houston Chronicle
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Ratings Image
3/4

You might not buy the ideas. But you'll definitely want the T-shirt.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/27/02
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
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Ratings Image
3.5/5

Starts off with a bang, but then fizzles like a wet stick of dynamite at the very end. It's still worth a look.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/13/02
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
Ratings Image
B-

In his U.S. debut, Mr. Schnitzler proves himself a deft pace master and stylist.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/12/02
Jane Sumner
Dallas Morning News
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Ratings Image
N/A

[Schweiger is] talented and terribly charismatic, qualities essential to both movie stars and social anarchists.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/12/02
Chuck Wilson
L.A. Weekly
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4/5

Thoughtful, even stinging at times, and lots of fun.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/20/02
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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Ratings Image
2/4

For a film that celebrates radical, nonconformist values, What to Do in Case of Fire? lazily and glumly settles into a most traditional, reserved kind of filmmaking.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/19/02
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner
Ratings Image
3/4

An enthralling, entertaining feature.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/16/02
Jonathan Curiel
San Francisco Chronicle
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
08/05/02
Onion AV Club
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2/4

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08/02/02
Reel.com
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2/4

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Full Review | comment Comment
07/28/02
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review
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2.5/4

It's all entertaining enough, but don't look for any hefty anti-establishment message in what is essentially a whip-crack of a buddy movie that ends with a whimper.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/28/02
Megan Turner
New York Post
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N/A

Interesting, but not compelling.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/25/02
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
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Ratings Image
N/A

The movie strains to stay on the light, comic side of the issue, despite the difficulty of doing so when dealing with the destruction of property and, potentially, of life itself.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/22/02
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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Around the Network

• What To Do In Case of Fire? at Rotten Tomatoes
• What To Do In Case of Fire? at AskMen
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