Schultze Gets the Blues

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Schultze Gets the Blues

PG

2005

1h 53m

Comedy

Drama

Music

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Popcornmeter

74%

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61 Reviews

73%

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2,500+ Ratings

Salt miner Schultze (Horst Krause) is forced into retirement. He lapses into the boredom of his small German town. An accordion player, the retiree sometimes plays polkas, but it is not until he hears zydeco on the radio that he discovers a new inspiration and applies the fast tempo of zydeco to his accordion playing. But the town's polka scene frowns upon such deviation from tradition. Undaunted, Schultze packs his instrument and heads to zydeco's birthplace: the American South.

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Critics Consensus

Schultze Gets the Blues is a sweet and charming dark comedy.

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Bill Muller

Arizona Republic

He does, but you probably won't, especially from watching this movie.

Rated: 4.5/5

Apr 7, 2005

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

The film's sparseness has an off-putting effect on the viewer. Schultze, the character, remains more an idea or concept than a fleshed-out human being.

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 27, 2005

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Eleanor Ringel Cater

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Like a lazy summer day in the Big Easy, the movie sneaks up on you.

Rated: B

Mar 25, 2005

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Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

Rated: 1/5

Aug 7, 2008

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Russ Breimeier

Christianity Today

A film with two opposite interpretations to its title -- figuratively sad, literally joyful.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 2, 2006

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

A delightful oddball German comedy about a retired mine worker's musical quest.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 11, 2005

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Douglas P

I read the reviews and thought it would be different than it was. I didn't get it but I may try to watch it again

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/17/23

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Audience Member

I came to this film with no preconceptions other than it was a German language comedy. I was pleasantly rewarded by the quirkiness of the characters and the direction. The ending was a bit formulaic, but I still enjoyed the film overall.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Audience Member

Disjointed and at the end and slightly unnerving but delightfully dull throughout! Good metaphor for striking out at life because life is always going to strike back at you. Germanic but thoughtful. What else can you say?

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Frances H

Cute "slice of life" comedy about getting out of a rut and finding new enthusiasm by trying new things, because life is too short to plod along with the "same old, same old."

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/14

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Audience Member

Thinking about how I loved the movie Robot and Frank. I wanted to make sure that people know that this fantastic movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

Quirky and charming, there's not a lot of dialog or action. Still an interesting view into cross-cultural influence and exchange of music from Germany to the US.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Michael Schorr

Director

Horst Krause

Schultze

Harald Warmbrunn

Jürgen

Karl-Fred Muller

Manfred

Ursula Schucht

Jürgen's Wife

Hannelore Schubert

Manfred's Wife

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Synopsis

Salt miner Schultze (Horst Krause) is forced into retirement. He lapses into the boredom of his small German town. An accordion player, the retiree sometimes plays polkas, but it is not until he hears zydeco on the radio that he discovers a new inspiration and applies the fast tempo of zydeco to his accordion playing. But the town's polka scene frowns upon such deviation from tradition. Undaunted, Schultze packs his instrument and heads to zydeco's birthplace: the American South.

Director: Michael Schorr
Producer: Jens Körner
Screenwriter: Michael Schorr
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Filmkombinat GmbH & Co. KG, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen
Rating: PG (Mild Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 18, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 12, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $594.1K
Runtime: 1h 53m

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