German crime thrillers, but with a difference: In the “Rico, Oskar and…” films, two young friends snoop around in big, heavy affairs. The results are not only well worth seeing and full of stars, but can now also be found on Disney+.
The friends Rico and Oskar first made a name for themselves in 2008 – but since then it’s hard to imagine many family households without them: Rico, who was invented by Andreas Steinhöfel and has attention deficit disorder, and his highly gifted buddy Oskar are the popular heroes of five children’s books and four comic books. In addition, they are in the news on “Die Sendung mit der Maus” – and from 2014 to 2016, the duo also entertained German cinema audiences!
Despite their popularity in local children’s rooms, the friends who solve mysteries and deal with everyday problems did not guarantee success in the cinema: The first film in the series sold more than 830,000 tickets, but after that it went downhill to around 580,000 for film two and around 515,000 for the third part. The press response to the trilogy was great – also here at FILMSTARTS. From now on you can find the “Rico, Oskar and…” films at Disney+ – to catch up and watch again and again.
“RICO, OSKAR” AND A VERY ENJOYABLE FILM TRILOGY
It all starts with “Rico, Oskar and the Deep Shadows”: Ten-year-old Rico (Anton Petzold) lives alone with his mother Tanja (Karoline Herfurth) in Berlin. Although he is by no means unpopular, it is only when he meets Oskar (Juri Winkler), who is two years younger, that he makes his first serious friendship. And as a couple, they set out to hunt down criminals. At the top of their list is the notorious kidnapper “Mister 2000″…
Directed by Neele Vollmar (“Auerhaus”) and based on a script by Andreas Bradler, Klaus Döring and Christian Lerch, the popular children’s book was turned into a family film that mixes a crime story suitable for children with everyday humour and Berlin oddity. This was rewarded with an outstanding 4.5 stars in the FILMSTARTS review, not least because of the disarming wit with which the title characters give the (mostly prominently cast) adults a run for their money.
The second part, “Rico, Oskar und das Herzgebreche” (Rico, Oskar and the Heartbreak), written by Martin Gypkens and directed by Wolfgang Groos, follows on from this with only minor losses: Incognito, the little duo investigates a wondrous case of bingo fraud – but must also stand their ground against heartbreak. The story is told with more humour than in the predecessor, but also in a more routine way. For this, it received a strong four stars in the FILMSTARTS review, while the trilogy conclusion “Rico, Oskar and the Thief’s Stone” ties back in with the first film:
Nele Vollmar, who has returned to the director’s chair, and Wolfgang Groos, who is once again responsible for the script, are responsible for a 4.5-star film that is extremely varied, humorous and also emotional. At the centre of the children’s investigation is a stolen stone – which, however, brings much more suspense and meaning than one might think at first glance. And with a star-studded cast that includes the likes of David Kross, Milan Peschel and Moritz Bleibtreu, as well as Detlev Buck, Fahri Yardım, Annette Frier and Anke Engelke, this crime trilogy has plenty to offer anyway, even if you think you’re too grown up for the young investigator duo’s cases!
