The Super-Wife
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directed by: Sönke Wortmann
produced by: Bernd Eichinger, Martin Moszkowicz
starring: Veronica Ferres, Til Schweiger, Joachim Król, Thomas Heinze, Liselotte Pulver, Richy Müller, Heiner Lauterbach, Esther Schweins,
based on the bestselling novel by: Hera Lind
Following his huge success with the blockbuster comedy "DER BEWEGTE MANN" (a.k.a. THE MOST DESIRED MAN / MAYBE....MAYBE NOT) which grossed close to 50 Million US$ at the German box-office and which was sold all over the world, "THE SUPER-WIFE" marked director Sönke Wortmann's next success.
The film, which was released in Germany by Constantin Film with a massive 502 prints, started with a whooping opening week-end of almost 300.000 tickets. During it's release, the film reached 2.323.873 tickets / 24.415.719 DM boxoffice, leaving behind such competition as BIRDCAGE, 12 MONKEYS or TOY STORY.
Based on a best-selling novel by female author Hera Lind, the film tells the story of Franziska, a young actress turned mother who is unhappily married. Will, her husband, has specialized in shooting TV melos in the Caribbean, where he is save to flirt with the main actresses, while Franziska stays home alone, fighting her way through mountains of diapers and the jungle of children's sicknesses. One day, Franziska visits a lawyer to buy a house and because of a misunderstanding, the lawyer files her divorce. All of a sudden, Franziska's little world turns upside down....
Synopsis:
Never underestimate your ex-wife
A successful husband alone does not make a happy marriage. A wise saying which for the former actress Franziska Herr-Gross (Veronica Ferres) says it all. She and her husband Will Gross (Thomas Heinze) have two delightful rascals, Franz (5) and Willi (3). But the TV director Will specialises in shooting melos in the Caribbean, where he is safe to flirt with the main actresses, while Franziska stays home alone and fights her way through the mountains of diapers and the jungle of children’s sicknesses. One night, Will gives Franziska a call, but only to order via her the purchase of property - a house- for tax reasons. However, the next day, visiting the hairdresser before the real estate agent turns Franziska’s regulated housewife existence upside down. The lively Alma Winkel (Liselotte Pulver) just so happens to be sitting under the neighbouring hair dryer. She recommends her gifted son Enno (Joachim Król) as a real estate specialist to Franziska. Not only that. Enno is also a divorce lawyer ("900 successful divorces in a row!").
Perhaps it is the success rate that motivates him, as soon as Franziska steps in the door, to fax the announcement of her divorce to Will in the Caribbean. The fax goes out before the future divorcee, who hadn’t planned until now on ever being one, can say a single word about the house purchase. Unimpressed by her objections, Enno dismisses his surprised and huffy client with the assignment of writing down the story of her marriage. Every detail could be important for the divorce. Once the children are in bed, Franziska digs down deep into her memories and actually begins writing the story of her life. She records the romantic crush on her German teacher Dr. Viktor Lange (Heiner Lauterbach), her dream of becoming an actress, her meeting with the young director Will who made her pregnant in her first casting session and married her five hours before the birth of her first son (and two hours before his flight to a shooting location in Australia).
With a notebook full of her story and a bottle of wine empty, Franziska begins re-thinking the premature actions of her lawyer. The writing therapy fulfils its (and Enno’s) purpose: Now Franziska wants a divorce. After all,you can be happy without marriage, too, can’t you? Franziska writes until all her marriage frustrations flow right out of her heart and out her pen. And that in her most personal language: funny, biting and with a humour all her own. Just as she was told, she hands over her memoirs to Enno. Enno has already fallen head over heals in love with her, gets her a house of her own in his neighbourhood and proves to be a friend to her in all her difficulties. In the meantime, without Franziska knowing, Enno has given the manuscript to his mother, who in turn sends it to a publishing house. Franziska only finds out about the whole thing when Enno mentions that her memoirs are to be published as a novel under the title "Happily Unmarried". Paying a visit to the Hamburg publishing house, Franziska is surprised to meet her old crush Viktor. "Happily Unmarried" becomes a best-seller overnight and Franziska, under the pseudonym Franka Zis, is now a celebrated young author. Soon the role of frustrated housewife is forgotten. But the unexpected return of her not-yet-divorced husband Will puts an end to her flying high. Will has returned to make his debut as a feature film director after years in TV. Ironically enough, the book he chooses to adapt for his first feature is: "Happily Unmarried".
Without telling Will the truth about her pseudonym, Franziska escapes on her first reading tour. In the meantime, Will has finished the first draft of his script and chases the author Franka Zis on her reading trip to show it to her. Surprise! When they meet, Franziska and Will go at each other like cats and dogs: not only because Franziska is Franka Zis, but because of what Franziska reads in Will’s script. And then a series of incredible events occur, one of which being the story of how Franziska’s book is turned into a great comic movie. At the opening party Franziska reveals the title for her next book: "The Ex-wife".
