Neues aus dem Reihenhaus (2016)

A year has passed since graphic designer Jan Börner, his wife Anne, a lawyer, and their children Lisa and Lukas moved to the new housing development of Grünfeld on the outskirts of Frankfurt. All four have settled in by now, occasionally enjoying some of the benefits of life in the development and getting along more or less with their sometimes rather eccentric neighbors. The Swabian couple, the Häberles, have since moved into the house next door with their numerous children. Sven, the decathlete who had a relationship with Anne before she got married, and his family have already moved away again. Jan and Anne, however, still aren’t completely Grünfelders. They also make sure they don’t become too conventional. The collaboration with a publisher on a comic book, which had got off to such a promising start, has fallen through, and Jan is practically out of work. As Jan is on the phone with his wife, the doorbell rings. To his great surprise, Maren Köhler, his first great love, is standing at the door. For a short time, she had also lived in the house next to the Börners with her boyfriend at the time, and now she has some interesting, very good news for Jan. Maren is now an editor at Sonnenschein Publishing, the publisher that had been planning to get back in touch with Jan. With the publisher’s head backing her, Maren wants to launch his comic in a big way, in two volumes. Jan just has to sign the contract. Maren thinks the manuscript is his best work so far and is delighted by how he takes aim at the people in this housing development: it’s wicked, truthful, politically incorrect and, above all, absolutely hilarious. There are, however, a few small changes to be made to the second volume. She has brought along a list of suggested revisions. Jan is to look it over and then finish the second volume promptly. The graphic designer has just one week to make the changes, since the second comic book is supposed to come out before the upcoming book fair. So Jan asks his wife to take it a little easier on him, as he can’t take care of the house and children as much as he used to at the moment. Since Anne can’t arrange that, she hires a housekeeper. Barbora Hrdlickova is from Eastern Europe and is quite a character. After nearly drinking a whole bottle of vodka following a phone call that is tragic for her, Jan sends her away so she won’t cause any more damage around the house. Before she leaves, he gives her 500 euros, which leads to an argument between the couple. They forget all about it when Jan holds his own book in his hands for the first time. Maren has brought over a copy, and the three of them toast his success. Anne is sure Maren is still after her husband. A few days later, the doorbell rings and almost all the neighbors have gathered outside the Börners’ front door, holding up the comic book accusingly. Outraged, they tell the Börners that if they think everyone in the development is so awful, they should simply move away; they aren’t wanted here. They show how serious they are over the following days, too, with actions that make life difficult for the Börners. Werner Matzerath, however, whom Börner had especially made fun of, surprises Jan: he thinks the book is absolutely hilarious and says Jan is a real genius. Werner also gives him advice on how to calm the neighbors down. But the barbecue party he recommends is a complete failure. No one comes except Werner Matzerath. While the Börners are still sitting disheartened on their patio, a police siren sounds, followed by an announcement that all residents must leave their homes immediately because an old unexploded bomb has been found that could go off at any moment. Chief Inspector Glocke says the operation could take at least a few hours, perhaps even all night. At the site, where a large tent has been set up for the residents, some young comic fans are around, asking the residents featured in the book for autographs and showing their enthusiasm. That isn’t the only thing that changes the people of Grünfeld’s minds: Werner Matzerath’s heartfelt appeal to show some humor does, too. The bomb is defused without damaging the residents’ homes, and Jan’s courage is rewarded as well: he goes into the cordoned-off area to look for the family dog, which had run in there. Both owner and dog emerge unharmed.