Heiratsschwindler küsst man nicht (2012)

Disappointed by the routine that has crept into her marriage, frustrated Thea Ritter has an affair during a wellness weekend at a luxury hotel. The businesswoman, who runs a printing company with her husband Jochen, has no idea that Benedikt, her brief fling, is a con man. He hopes to extort €100,000 from her using a video of their filmed night together. Although Thea has already confessed everything to her husband, she wants to prevent a public humiliation at any cost, so she secretly takes the money from the company’s cash reserves. Benedikt’s next victim is bookseller Babette Ollenhauer. She, too, falls for the handsome charmer, but is initially cautious about financial matters. Benedikt skillfully turns things around, however, by proposing to Babette, and she happily accepts. Immediately after the wedding, he finally manages to get the power of attorney he has been longing for from Babette. Shortly afterward, the bookseller finds herself holding a loan agreement for €300,000 that her husband has taken out. When she confronts him, he even goes so far as to claim that Babette married him only because he had money, then turns around and disappears without another word. Babette is now liable for repaying the loan with her bookshop. Babette contacts Thea, who had already tried to warn her. The women decide to get revenge. For this, they choose Sindy, a young waitress whom they caught trying to pickpocket and are now using as leverage. Sindy, a single mother of two daughters who is barely making ends meet, is to serve as bait to beat Benedikt at his own game. Giving in to their gentle pressure, the young woman goes along with it and pretends to be a wealthy wife neglected by her husband. Benedikt soon takes an interest in her, too, and turns on the charm. For a while, it looks as though genuine feelings are developing between them. That would be counterproductive for Thea and Babette and their plans for revenge. The women think Sindy should test Benedikt to see whether he is really sincere with her. Günther Karow, a loyal employee of the Ritters, provides €45,000, which Sindy is supposed to hand over to Benedikt, who has presented himself as a financial adviser, to invest. But this time, too, he cannot resist and makes off with the money. With the help of Thea’s husband and Günther Karow, the women get Benedikt, in an unguarded moment, to sign a power of attorney that gives Babette—who is still Benedikt’s wife—every possible authority. While Sindy distracts Benedikt, Thea and Babette clear out his comfortably furnished apartment, where they also find a secret room containing plenty of cash and jewelry. Finally, using the power of attorney signed by Benedikt, Babette empties his bank accounts and cashes out his investments down to the last penny. “We only took back what belongs to us,” they throw at the completely stunned gigolo. Benedikt says there will be consequences, but he knows himself that there is little he can do. As he leaves the house, he has to flee from all the women he has swindled. As he walks down a country road, dejected and battered, an older woman pulls up beside him in an expensive sports car and asks if she can give him a ride. Smiling confidently, he gets in.