Mein Fuhrer: The Trully Truest Truth About Adolf Hitler (DVD)

In spite of being the first German-made film to ridicule Hitler, Mein Fuhrer: The Truly Truest Truth About Adolf Hitler fails to leave a deep impression on the audience.

Made by German writer-director Dani Levy six decades after the fall of the Third Reich, the film caused ripples across Europe for its bold attempt to poke fun at the delusional dictator. Its premise - propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth) enlists the help of a Jewish actor (Ulrich Muhe of The Lives of Others fame) to reinvigorate the depressed Hitler in the final days of the war - could have made for dramatic viewing if only the director had focused more on Hitler's foibles.

Given the egomaniac tendencies of the Fuhrer, it is natural for the audience to expect plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in a movie mocking Hitler. But hilarious caricatures of the dictator are few. With only a few moderately amusing scenes the film feels far longer than its 95 minutes. As it lacks both historical messages and opportunities to deride Hitler's antics, this is an insipid and disappointing film.