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Good Bye Lenin!

Play trailer Poster for Good Bye Lenin! R 2003 2h 1m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 108 Reviews 93% 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!

Good Bye Lenin!

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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 06/29/2022
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 ... Go to Full Review Kirk Honeycutt The Hollywood Reporter 07/21/2004
Non-Germans will certainly get the essence of the humor but may find the movie long and repetitive. Go to Full Review Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Journal-Constitution 05/13/2004
B-
Charming and eventually poignant. Go to Full Review Alistair Lawrence Common Sense Media 12/17/2021
4/5
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. Go to Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/09/2020
3.5/4.0
A film of great history, great poetry, and great power. Go to Full Review Deborah Hornblow Hartford Courant 01/02/2018
4/5
"Good bye, Lenin!'' is a wonder of a film with humor and heart and political savvy to spare. Don't miss it. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Argyle T @Argyle 08/17/2025 I was living in Germany when the wall came down..this film takes me back to that time...simply a brilliant heartfelt movie...a must see See more Faiz D @RT95588871 05/13/2025 This was my first German film, and what a wonderful film it was. A beautiful portrayal of family and politics. See more J Cabhan T @RT23973596 12/01/2024 Like Peter Sellers' "Being There" and Jim Carrey's "Truman Show", this gem works as an interpretation of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Instead of trying to escape from the cave, this story beautifully conveys how one young man tries to perpetuate the illusion of the cave for his mother after the fall of the Berlin Wall. See more Tiernán T @RT67446959 10/29/2024 Heartfelt, funny and warm. Hard to describe but this is one of those films that’s just gives you *that* feeling. It’s completely honest presenting German reunification for what it actually was, a hard fought idea that was never fully delivered upon. It takes a tumultuous period in history and personalises it through a sitcomesqe storyline that feels weirdly authentic. See more Bahad j @RT27093708 07/23/2024 I felt like the characters in this movie could feel the happiness and difficulties that they faced in real life. See more Munkhjargal A @RT28084692 07/23/2024 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. See more Read all reviews
Good Bye Lenin!

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Cast & Crew

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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!

A scene from the film GOOD BYE, LENIN! A scene from the film GOOD BYE, LENIN! A scene from the film GOOD BYE, LENIN! A scene from the film GOOD BYE, LENIN! A scene from the film GOOD BYE, LENIN! A scene from the film GOOD BYE, LENIN! A scene from the film GOOD BYE, LENIN! A scene from the film GOOD BYE, LENIN! View more photos

Movie Info

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
X-Filme Creative Pool, Westdeutscher Rundfunk
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)
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