Scheidung für Fortgeschrittene (2010)

Iris Wiedemann knows that her husband, Jörg, is cheating on her. She no longer wants to accept his infidelity and, after 20 years of marriage, is thinking about divorce. But an inheritance stands in the way: Jörg’s recently deceased aunt stipulated in her will that her estate would go to both Wiedemanns only if they could show that they had an intact family life. If either spouse filed for divorce, the inheritance would automatically go to the other. Since Iris doesn’t want Jörg to get the money, she plans to use her charm and scheming to drive him to file for divorce. But Jörg is in no hurry to move out. He has fallen out with his girlfriend because she sprang her desire to have a baby on him just as he told her he would soon be leaving his wife. Iris immediately talks to Jörg’s new flame, hoping to give her the right advice so he will move in with her as soon as possible. But Jasmin is angry too and no longer wants him either. Since Jörg won’t move out of his own accord, Iris takes some drastic measures. First, she tampers with his watch so that he arrives late for a meeting, removes the petrol from his motorcycle, and blocks his credit card so he can’t refuel. At the bank, he learns that Iris has closed their joint account, and his boss considers him so disorganized that he questions their business partnership. When Jörg discovers Iris’s plan, he wants to hold on to his marriage at all costs. Thus begins a real war of the roses. Next, Iris tampers with the color detector her color-blind husband uses to coordinate his clothes each day. As a result, he turns up at his next meeting dressed in a ridiculous, mismatched jumble of colors. In revenge, he drives the lawn tractor over the beautiful flower bed in the garden, which Iris was so proud of. Iris, in turn, puts Jörg’s motorcycle up for sale online, whereupon he deletes her company website. But things aren’t going particularly well for Jörg at work either: because of his disorganization, his boss does not renew his contract. At home, Iris and Jörg’s children have had enough of their parents’ constant fighting. They flee to their grandparents and demand that things finally return to normal. Iris has a change of heart and sends off her divorce petition. At the same time, Jörg also wants to spare his children further suffering, so he sends off a divorce petition too. He then packs his things and prepares to move out. But since they are now both seeking a divorce, the inheritance would go to the animal welfare association. They certainly don’t want that either, and frantically try to get their petitions back from the court. When the court refuses to give them back, they resort to physical aggression and are subsequently jailed. Together in a cell, they have time to talk about everything and remember the good times in their marriage. Instead of blaming each other, they make an effort to meet one another halfway. Their divorce plans fall through, and they decide to stay married. The prospect of the inheritance makes that all the easier.