• Maybe … Maybe Not (Der bewegte Mann)

8/24/26 (Mon)

I learned about Sönke Wortmann’s 1994 comedy when I was telling a German friend about a different film, Killer Condom. He recognized the writer of that film as the gay manga artist whose work was the basis for both, and strongly recommended this one. I took one look at the eye-catching poster and was sold. Described as one of the most famous German comedies ever, Wortmann’s debut feature proved a colossal success at the box office. The German title seems to be something like “the restless man”, indicating a man with an unstable or constantly changing life, while the English title outside the US is a boring The Most Desirable Man. The nice US title refers to the confusion of others from the main character’s clueless actions; there is no maybe regarding his straight sexuality, i.e., this is not a story about a man discovering his gay side, but about others projecting their fears and fantasies on him.

The tall, blonde, muscular and clueless Axel (Til Schweiger, terrific), a virtual magazine cover come to life, is inadvertently irresistible to women and has trouble resisting temptation despite his long-term relationship with the fiery Doro (Katja Riemann). He is summarily dumped by her when she catches him bonking another woman in a public toilet. Needing a place to stay, he goes for help to a men’s support group. There he meets super gay Walter (a hilarious Rufus Beck), who, like everyone, takes an interest in him. He offers Axel a place to stay, but, to his dismay, the privilege goes instead to his best friend, the bumbling Norbert (Joachim Król). For Axel, it’s just a nice gesture; for Norbert, it’s a gay porn fantasy. When Norbert accompanies Axel to Doro’s place to pick up Axel’s things, he tries seducing the oblivious hunk, only for Doro to walk in. Norbert jumps quickly into the boudoir. She announces to Axel that she’s pregnant and wants to get back together, but her attitude quickly changes when she discover a naked man in the closet. Axel manages to smooth things over, pledges to be faithful, and distances himself from Norbert.

Many months later, Axel has been avoiding sex with his pregnant girlfriend: he’s afraid that he’ll hurt the child and says memorably that he doesn’t want its first sight to be its father’s penis. He runs into an old flame and, horny as ever, ends up taking her to Norbert’s place. Doro gets wind of it and assumes that her now-husband is sleeping with Norbert. She rushes to the apartment, where she finds her husband nude, catatonic and surrounded by gay men (it’s complicated – and that’s not to mention the naked woman in the bath). The shock of it all sends her into labor. Norbert rushes her to the hospital, and by the end, they have become friends. Axel’s fate is left in the air.

Axel does not end up in a gay relationship or gain a newfound appreciation for gays, as would be the case in US films. He simply has no awareness of the effect that his looks and muscles have on their hormones: he blithely strips in front of the startled Norbert when he wants to take a shower, and agrees to go to a gay club just to dance, though he’s jolted when someone approaches him in the toilet. He’s not totally self-centered, as Norbert discovers when he sees Axel’s sensitive photographic works, which Axel simply shrugs off. I suppose a person’s expectations are different when they’ve been gawked at all their life. I wouldn’t know.

Norbert is also an inspired creation, especially as played by Król. His desperation for a relationship is clear, having taken up with an oafish butcher after his Axel hopes have burst, despite his dislike of meat and blood. He practically wears a “kick me” sign. He learns to stand up for himself only after Axel has defended him from a downstairs bully, putting that to use when he intimidates the hospital staff into giving Doro proper care. He is the character most changed in the film. Other characters, like Doro’s female friend and Walter, also make this a great romp. They were lifted as well by the sassy dialogue (Norbert: “All I know is that his name is Axel and he is heterosexually inclined.” Walter: “Oh really? How tragic”), which my friend ensures me is even better in the original German.

The humor is of its day and may not be acceptable to today’s enlightened mobs, and some of the sequences, like the Texas bull tranquilizer, can be strained. But no point in thinking too deeply about it. A fun ride from start to finish.