--- title: "Toni Erdmann: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/toni-erdmann/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/toni-erdmann" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Toni Erdmann (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 18 reviews: 14 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Toni Erdmann, praising Maren Ade’s control of awkward comedy and the sadness beneath its father-daughter story. Praise centres on Peter Simonischek and Sandra Hüller, with Hüller’s tightly controlled performance drawing particular attention. The reviews repeatedly credit the pair with making an unusual relationship believable, while Ade’s unpredictable set-pieces allow embarrassment, affection and frustration to coexist. Many also find a pointed critique of corporate life and the demands of work. The divide concerns the length, how often the discomfort produces laughter, and whether the social themes deepen the characters. Many regard the extended running time as necessary for the relationship to develop; others find it trying. The Evening Standard admires the characters but reports more squirming than laughter. The spread is wide despite the positive consensus: The New Yorker offers a firm dissent, finding the comedy schematic and the emphasis on social ideas a substitute for psychological insight. ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 5/5/5. 30 January 2017. The critic calls it one of the most brilliant comedies of the new millennium and an all-timer, praising Ade's humanist approach to family bonds and memory. The standout element is the profound, Ozu-like exploration of parent-child reconnection through unconventional means. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/toni-erdmann) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★★. 3 February 2017. This is the funniest two-and-a-half-hour German comedy you’ll ever see, with hilarious set-pieces that take awkwardness to sublime levels and strong performances from the leads. Ade shows masterful control, revealing hidden depths and emotional payoff in a film of genuine warmth and surprise. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/toni-erdmann-review-45152) ## The Telegraph Rating 5/5. 2 February 2017. The critic calls the film an exquisite bittersweet comedy that offers laughter-filled catharsis and radical insight into a fraying father-daughter bond. The Zen-like balance of sweetness and bitterness is singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/05/15/toni-erdmann-review---the-most-german-comedy-ever-made/) ## Slant Magazine Rating 3.5/4. 3 October 2016. The review calls the film a laser-guided social critique and large-hearted comedy that dismantles themes of capitalism and family through nervy comic sequences. It praises Ade's calibration of emotions and the film's approach to the sublime in its second half. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/toni-erdmann/) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2017. The film is a low-key triumph thanks to its authentic father-daughter relationship and superlative performances, particularly Sandra Hüller's modulated turn as the workaholic Ines. Ade crafts a funny, perceptive oddity that mixes deadpan absurdity with emotional depth and social commentary. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/toni-erdmann-review/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2016. Festival review. The critic finds it surprising, awkward, refreshing and hilarious, a rare nearly three-hour arthouse comedy-drama that rarely drags. The standout element is the unpredictable situations grounded by the deeply believable lead performances. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/cannes/toni-erdmann-cannes-review/5103888.article) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2016. Festival review. The critic describes it as a tender, moving and often hilarious portrait of an unusual father-daughter relationship, noting its original take on familiar themes like work-family conflict. The standout element highlighted is the surprising, freewheeling comedy and excellent lead performances. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/toni-erdmann) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2016. The critic lauds the film's masterful use of tone to make a conventional premise work brilliantly over its long runtime. It singles out the deadpan style, Hüller's performance, and the joyful release provided by the father's antics. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/movie-review-toni-erdmann.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Susan Wloszczyna Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2016. The critic praises Maren Ade for embracing the awkwardness of a father-adult daughter bond and mining it for heartfelt humor and insight without Hollywood predictability. The film's generous length allows the lead performances by Peter Simonischek and Sandra Hüller to evolve believably, revealing shared traits and emotional progress amid generational and professional clashes. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/toni-erdmann-2016) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2017. Maren Ade’s comedy boasts two fascinating characters and a string of surreal set-pieces worth seeing despite its length. The escalating tension and privacy-violating father-daughter dynamic ring true, though the reviewer squirmed more than laughed. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/toni-erdmann-crazy-comedy-where-dad-becomes-a-stalker-a3457516.html) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Rating 3/5. 2 February 2017. The critic acknowledges the film’s rich meaning and revelation after initially misjudging it at Cannes, praising the melancholy hilarity in the father’s attempts to reconnect with his daughter. The poignant comedy in the climactic scene is singled out. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/37e244e4-e940-11e6-893c-082c54a7f539) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2016. The critic finds the comedy schematic and on-the-nose, constrained by its focus on big ideas about European decline, corporate culture, and generational shifts rather than deep psychological insight into the characters. While it diagnoses real societal troubles effectively, the personal father-daughter dynamics remain opaque and the filmmaking style lacks inner life or innovation. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/a-stilted-vision-of-a-declining-europe-in-toni-erdmann) ## Film Comment — Amy Taubin 16 May 2016. Festival review. The critic praises Maren Ade’s audacious screwball comedy about a prankster father and his corporate daughter as the first great film of the 2016 Cannes festival. She singles out the inspired comedic setpieces that leave viewers poised between laughter and tears. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/cannes-2016-toni-erdmann/) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn 13 May 2016. Festival review. The review focuses on the film's surprising emotional depth and standout comedic moments like the nude scene, positioning it as more than a standard comedy. It emphasizes the director's skill in blending humor with character insight at Cannes. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/cannes-review-toni-erdmann-has-the-funniest-nude-scene-of-all-time-but-its-not-a-comedy-290582/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang 22 December 2016. The critic hails the film as a magnificent, unpredictable breakthrough that mixes grounded insanity with emotional depth, using its long runtime to explore workplace sexism, globalization, and a father-daughter bond in intricate, non-formulaic ways. Sandra Hüller's performance is singled out as the finest of the year for its symphony of discontent and revelation, culminating in a sui generis final shot of hope and heartache. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-toni-erdmann-review-20161216-story.html) ## Sight and Sound — Catherine Wheatley 2 February 2017. The critic praises the film's blend of comedy and tragedy in exploring a father-daughter relationship strained by corporate life in Bucharest. The standout element highlighted is the pacing and the lead performances that reveal deeper emotional layers on repeat viewings. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-toni-erdmann-shaggy-dad-comedy-with-deep-bite) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 2 February 2017. The critic finds the film a fascinating exploration of a fraught father-daughter relationship that mixes laughs with deeper emotional resonance, noting it is not really a comedy despite its humour. Peter Simonischek's performance as the prankster father is singled out as superb. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/02/toni-erdmann-review-maren-ade-peter-simonischek-sandra-huller) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin 13 May 2016. Festival review. The critic praises the film's paradoxical success as a long, funny German comedy of embarrassment that ultimately moves the audience. Performances by Simonischek and Hüller are highlighted for their layered depth in turning initially unlikable characters sympathetic. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/maren-ades-toni-erdmann-cannes-893953/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott 22 December 2016. The critic calls the film a thrilling rebellion against conformity in work and life, driven by two fearless performances in a sweet yet thorny father-daughter story laced with generational conflict and satirical energy. It is hailed as the funniest nearly three-hour German comedy, propelled by a savage yet sympathetic critique of expectations. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/movies/toni-erdmann-review.html) ## Variety — Guy Lodge 13 May 2016. Festival review. The critic describes the film as a humane, hilarious triumph and a singular study of an estranged father and daughter whose hidden lives overlap to uproarious and devastating effect. It praises the extraordinary performances and Ade's ability to blend sentiment, subtext, and a broad critique of contemporary manners, including workplace feminism, across its necessary length. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/toni-erdmann-review-1201773917/) ## Collider — Brian Formo Rating A-. 23 December 2016. The critic calls Maren Ade's film one of the best of 2016 for its surprising depth and balance of screwball comedy with major theatricalism. They single out Sandra Hüller's revelatory performance as the standout element that elevates the story of family reconnection. [Read the review](https://collider.com/toni-erdmann-review/) ## The Playlist — Kevin Jagernauth Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 December 2016. Festival review. The critic calls the film brilliantly funny and wise, a slyly crushing look at family bonds that makes viewers thankful for the weirdos in their lives. He singles out the transcendent Whitney Houston sequence and the faultless lead performances for praise. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/youll-thankful-weirdos-life-watching-toni-erdmann-review-20161230/) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2016. Festival review. The critic calls the film a spectacular, hysterically funny yet deeply touching father-daughter story that stands out as the most delightful surprise at Cannes. They highlight the strong lead performances, especially Sandra Hüller's, and memorable sequences like the Whitney Houston karaoke and the chaotic nude brunch scene. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/toni-erdmann-cannes-review-spectacular-father-daughter-comedy-knocks-the-festival-for-a-loop/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2016. Festival review. The critic describes Maren Ade's lengthy caustic comedy as the finest in recent memory, equally hysterical and wrenching with a deep undercurrent of sadness. They single out the fine performances and Ade's bravura script for walking a difficult line between laughter and melancholy. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/12/film-review-toni-erdmann/) ## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2016. Festival review. The critic finds the film a tender and funny story about family and relationships that rewards viewers despite its length. She singles out the outstanding performances, especially Sandra Hüller's, for praise. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/toni-erdmann-review/) ## The Skinny — Ian Mantgani Rating ★★★. 13 October 2016. Festival review. The critic notes that while the film sometimes resembles a three-hour sitcom, the performances and certain moments elevate it. She singles out Sandra Hüller’s fragile performance for special praise. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/uk-festivals/film/lff-2016-toni-erdmann) ## NME — Nick Levine 1 February 2017. The critic calls the film a strange, sometimes hilarious and ultimately very moving comedy-drama. She singles out the touching exploration of parental love and the way the film never loses focus even in its weirdest interludes. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/toni-erdmann-film-review-1964865) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/toni-erdmann.md