This dismal German comedy about middle-aged men features plots so utterly ridiculous you feel sorry for the actors. It’s crass, dull and utterly lacking in actual jokes
A fortysomething alpha male, a sad sack, a playboy and an intellectual walk into a German sitcom. Eight episodes of Dudes ensues. I do not speak German and can only hope it plays better in the original. In fact, the original-original is a Spanish comedy called Machos Alfa. That is now into its third season, which suggests it at least had a charm that has become lost in translation.
The alpha here is Ulf (Tom Beck). He is tall, dark, handsome, high-earning, married to an increasingly influential influencer, and he and his immaculate facial hair are on the verge of promotion to CEO of the magazine publishing company he has worked at for the last 20 years. But what’s this? He is denied his dues by the advent of Vanessa (Jaëla Probst), a hot-in-all-senses businesswoman brought in from outside by the boss to shake things up. I have never seen this setup before. I hope it doesn’t cause him to quit in a childish rage and jeopardise his entire lifestyle, re-employment prospects and marriage. Oh.
