In July (2000)

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

A lot of fun.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I'm somewhat surprised that so many people gave this movie such a great review. One person hated it.There needs to be a happy medium here. On the whole, the film was pretty lame. Yes, it has a nice romantic ending. Fine. Lots of film have charming endings. I don't begrudge this. It also starts off well. It seemed to have potential for a nice romantic movie though even then it wouldn't be as funny as some seem to think it is I think for me the film went off the rails after he is thrown off the boat. I really don't understand what happened here, first off. They are sleeping need the water and he wakes up, tells her he will go for food. Some fisherman think he is trespassing or something and throws him into the water. But, and my companion said this too, isn't he still right near where he started? Why go on a long ride far away -- in a country where he doesn't know the language -- and leave Juli behind? The film then just got more and more dumb. An extended sequence where some somewhat crazy person robs him. He tries to get his money back but then is chased, though right after he accosts her, it is clear to someone else she is a thief. He hangs on top of her van in a high speed chase, she's stopped by a bunch of police but then he is able to drive away with the van somehow. He meets up with Juli again largely by chance and is able to cross a border by claiming to be married to her and giving the guard the stolen van. They then steal a car. These are both supposed to be nice people, mind you, but they just steal a car. Oh, later he is able to easily escape from prison. And so on.I'm willing to suspend some belief, but this got to be too much. The film, again the person who watched it with me agreed, also simply isn't that funny. The fact various absurd things happen doesn't change this. We don't even get much time of the together. The scene where a trucker fakes getting fresh with him so that Daniel will fight with him is sweet though it seems to come a bit too early in the story. But, I don't think there was enough romance in the film either.There are many road movies where two people fall in love, including American films like "The Sure Thing," which is how it should be done. This is somewhat enjoyable as a lark, but overall, it is not really well done at all. The leads are decent, though I like the woman better, but really, there aren't great either. Maybe, this is a culture thing, though again, I saw various European films, and liked them.This simply isn't that good. It's okay, but apparently has a strong following among some people. One more thing -- some don't like the drug use. This is silly. The drug use amounts to one fairly cute (again, nothing overly special) scene where they share a marijuana cigarette, something he apparently never did before. The other scene involves his drink being spiked so that he could be robbed. That's it.

I advice to everybody ... please watch this very funny and romantic German-Turkish road movie. It will be good after watch unnatural Hollywood movies with similar scripts .Moritz Bleibtreu ... Daniel Bannier ( Just great actor. You must see him in Run Lola Run, too ) Christiane Paul ... Juli ( I loved her after I watched movie. Very natural and beautiful actress ) Faith Akýn ... ( Great director from Germany. Also he is a Turk. But he still living and working in Germany. I advice to see other great movies. Head-on, Auf der anderen Seite etc. )Trust me, you will never regret to watch this movie !!!

Controversial German-Turkish filmmaker Faith Akin followed the critical success of his debut feature "Short Sharp Shock" and cemented his popular appeal with this cute rom-com that takes its protagonists from downtown Hamburg to the banks of the Bosporus in Istanbul that proved a successful sophomore feature.Prolific German actor Moritz Bleibtreu makes a likable lead and generates great chemistry with the über-cute Christiane Paul as his sometime love interest whilst excellent support comes from the charming Mehmet Kurtulus at the head of a quirky supporting cast that includes the ephemeral İdil Üner, the insane Branka Katić and a brief appearance from Akin himself.The accomplished filmmaker employs all the standard clichés in this run-of-the-mill road movie that is lifted to a whole new level by a diverse and talented cast and crew who put there passion for film-making onto the screen in a way that has long since deserted the Hollywood factory.Hey, we got a long way to go, man.

It is very nice to see how a director from a country besides the U.S. creates a romantic comedy. This type of film isn't what one would expect from Germany, and perhaps that contributes to its charm. Certainly Christiane Paul who portrays the title's namesake is luminous. Every frame she is in, she lights up the screen. It has been said that they success of a romantic comedy depends on the audience falling in love with the main characters as they are falling in love on screen. If this is true, then both Christiane and Moritz Bleibtreu (who plays Daniel Bannier) do a marvelous job of seducing the audience, both are very likable and by the second reel you are cheering for them to be together.The plot has the basic framework of a road movie/romantic comedy. Daniel is closed off and stuffy, and Juli is the free spirit who is his guide to individual freedom and expression. Daniel meets her at a street fair, and she immediately recognizes him as "the one" who is his destiny. She sells him a ring with the symbol of the sun that is supposed to unite him with his one true love who will also be wearing a solar symbol. Daniel doesn't know it at the time, but Juli has a tattoo of the sun on the small of her back. That night he meets a pretty young woman named Melek who is carrying a backpack bearing a picture of the sun. He takes this as a sign and pursues her. At drinks together she informs him that she is meeting someone under a well-known bridge in Istanbul. He is disappointed that she is meeting someone who she might be in love with, but after they part ways he decides to go to Istanbul and meet her under the bridge on the night of her meeting with this other man.Meanwhile Juli, having seen Daniel and Melek together becomes depressed and decides to leave the city. As she stands at the crossroads of the highway, she says her goodbyes to her friend and states that she will go wherever the next ride takes her, no matter where they are going. Sure enough, Daniel stops for her and they begin their journey together. Along the way, Juli falls even further in love with Daniel even though he is on a quest to meet another woman. As they make their way, the usual kinds of twists and turns that one expects in a comedic road movie crop up: the car breaks down, they lose all their money and are forced to depend on the kindness of a quirky bunch of characters to complete their journey. All the while Daniel is learning to let go of the very tight grip he has on his life. As he loosens his hold his heart also opens to Juli, and when she leaves him to complete his odyssey alone (an act of unselfish love, and an indicator that Juli is learning lessons herself), he finally realizes that the girl he truly wanted was with him all the while.Near the end of his trek he runs into the very girl he is going to Istanbul to meet and finds her very happy to see him. Here he must make a choice to stay with Melek, who obviously wants him to stay, or complete his adventure to the bridge where Juli may or may not be waiting for him. I'll leave you to find out the rest, but rest assured there will be no unhappy ending here.As Hollywood tries to come up with increasingly improbable scenarios to breathe new life into the romantic comedy, German director Faith Akin follows a familiar path and allows the heart of these characters to draw us into the story. The exotic places they travel through becomes a separate character as well, and Akin allows the beauty and mystery of these locals to seduce as much as the main characters do.The charm of this movie is in the reminder that humans the world over feel the same excitement and happiness when falling in love. Akin wisely relies on the desire each of us has to feel that love, and the delight of seeing others experience that joy as well. It will never grow boring watching two likable characters fall in love, especially when they are willing to fight, trek thousands of miles, and endure any hardship to be with the one they love. With In July, Akin spins a wonderful tale of love, growth and discovery. You won't go wrong spending a couple of hours with this film falling in love yourself.