Ach du meine Liebe (1984)

Detlev is in his mid-thirties, works as an insurance salesman, and still lives with his mother, Hilde. She spoils him, controls him, and scares off his girlfriend Katrin on her very first visit. Detlev now tries placing a matrimonial ad with the help of Mr. Stoff. To his surprise, he receives a great many replies and begins several relationships with very different women: the caring widow Karin supplies him with suits belonging to her late husband; the wealthy hairdresser Ute would prefer to spend all day in bed with him; the culture journalist Norma introduces him to Berlin’s theater scene; and to Andrea, who is only nineteen, he is a fatherly friend who persuades her to get a new hairstyle and smart clothes. Detlev changes more and more: his success with women turns the nervous mama’s boy into a self-assured young man who succeeds at work and also stands up to his mother with greater confidence. She grows increasingly proud of her son and thinks, “Ten girlfriends aren’t as dangerous as one.” There are also brief conflicts, though—for example, when Andrea turns out to be Ute’s daughter, or when Norma’s best friend Kerstin suddenly becomes interested in Detlev too. In the end, he marries none of the women, but manages to part amicably with all of them and continues his search.