Good Bye Lenin! | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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Where to Watch Good Bye Lenin! What to Know Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Cast & Crew Related Movie News Photos Good Bye Lenin!

91%

Tomatometer

110 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In October 1989, right before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Alex Kerner (Daniel Brühl) is living with his mom, Christiane (Kathrin Sass), and sister, Ariane (Maria Simon). But when the mother, a loyal party member, sees Alex participating in an anti-communist rally, she falls into a coma and misses the revolution. After she wakes, doctors say any jarring event could make her have a heart attack, meaning the family must go to great lengths to pretend communism still reigns in Berlin.

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Good Bye Lenin!

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Heartfelt and sly, Good Bye, Lenin! succeeds as a satire by foregrounding the personal before the political, yielding a charming comedy full of sociopolitical insight.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

German writer-director Wolfgang Becker creates an intriguing story of a family traumatized by politics, then lets it drift off into an elaborate sitcom-style hoax ...

Jun 29, 2022

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Kirk Honeycutt

Hollywood Reporter

Non-Germans will certainly get the essence of the humor but may find the movie long and repetitive.

Jul 21, 2004

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Eleanor Ringel Cater

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Charming and eventually poignant.

Rated: B-

May 13, 2004

Full Review

Alistair Lawrence

Common Sense Media

While the finale might be a bit neat and tidy for some, Good Bye Lenin! still manages to be a political comedy with a heart and a conscience.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 17, 2021

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

A film of great history, great poetry, and great power.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 9, 2020

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Deborah Hornblow

Hartford Courant

"Good bye, Lenin!'' is a wonder of a film with humor and heart and political savvy to spare. Don't miss it.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 2, 2018

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Uynga U I'm gonna put this in my "watch again" list Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/24/24 Full Review Bahad j I felt like the characters in this movie could feel the happiness and difficulties that they faced in real life. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Munkhjargal A this movie was really interesting. He was able to show that the situation during the revolution is still the same with his mother. His son suffered a lot to do this. Finally, I decided to tell my mother the truth. i liked this movie. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Bob B I guess the satire was lost on me. I finally had to stop watching it. I also didn't laugh at all. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/07/24 Full Review Alexsander F Um filme que eu gostei bastante e, sempre que eu lembro de um bom filme, eu lembro dele, mostra muito bem como era à vida na Berlim Oriental e à sua transição para o ocidente com a queda do muro de Berlim. Um longa histórico indispensável para quem quer entender melhor esse momento do nosso passado não muito remoto. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/24 Full Review Kolja O One of the best German movies I've seen. It has so many emotions and is just good. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Wolfgang Becker Director Daniel Brühl Alexander "Alex" Kerner Maria Simon Ariane Kerner Chulpan Khamatova Lara Florian Lukas Denis Alexander Beyer Rainer

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Good Bye Lenin!

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Synopsis In October 1989, right before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Alex Kerner (Daniel Brühl) is living with his mom, Christiane (Kathrin Sass), and sister, Ariane (Maria Simon). But when the mother, a loyal party member, sees Alex participating in an anti-communist rally, she falls into a coma and misses the revolution. After she wakes, doctors say any jarring event could make her have a heart attack, meaning the family must go to great lengths to pretend communism still reigns in Berlin.

Director: Wolfgang Becker
Producer: Stefan Arndt
Screenwriter: Wolfgang Becker, Bernd Lichtenberg
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Westdeutscher Rundfunk, X-Filme Creative Pool
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 9, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.1M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)