Bel Ami 2000 oder: Wie verführt man einen Playboy?

Bel Ami, the world’s most widely read men’s magazine, uses a computer to select the Playboy of the Year. The choice falls, of all people, on Peter, an accountant who is anything but an Adonis. Since the decision cannot be reversed, it is up to photographer Boy Schock to turn Peter into a proper party animal … Staged in a bright, colourful style and edited at a brisk pace – it is clear that Michael Pfleghar, at the time something of a prodigy of German entertainment cinema, was drawing inspiration from the films of his era. The result is arguably the most unusual Alexander film – one with which he struggled – not only because he has to overcome his fear of flying (the film was also shot in faraway Tokyo), but also because his character represents a break with his previous role patterns.
(Florian Widegger)