I decided to finish my February romcom adventure with The Heartbreak Agency, a German film released by Netflix. Sorry, Hallmark, I can’t take any more Jane Austen this month. Maybe I’ll watch that last movie next month. Who knows.
Karl (Laurence Rupp) is a writer whose girlfriend just broke up with him. She said she got advice from a therapist saying Karl was unable to love. Upset, Karl gets an assignment from his editor to write a piece about Maria (Rosalie Thomass), the therapist that runs The Heartbreak Agency. He thought he wrote a great hit piece. Instead, he gets fired from the magazine and can’t find another job. His editor agrees to take him back if he actually goes through the therapy and writes a real emotionally based piece about it. Karl was in for more than he bargained for.
Like a lot of foreign films, The Heartbreak Agency does drag a little in the middle. In an American film, we would get a lot of will-they-won’t-they tension. While there is a little bit of that here, most of the middle of the movie is based around showing us what a crap person Karl is. At least emotionally. He seems like a really fun guy until you need a shoulder to cry on.
It’s not a bad movie but, if you are used to American films, you might find yourself a little bored. Personally, I enjoyed it. I do wish there was a little more interaction between Karl and Maria’s daughter, Hedi (Cora Trube), but I can understand why they didn’t put it in.
Rating: B