The Pasta Detectives 2 (4 Stars)

Disney Wednesday #12

This is a sequel to "The Pasta Detectives", made a year later in 2015. The original title is "Rico, Oskar und das Herzgebreche", engl. "Rico, Oskar and the Heartbreak". In my review of the first film I remarked that the English title doesn't make sense, because there's no pasta anywhere in the film. Now it's got one step closer to making sense. It's claimed that Rico's father is an Italian. Duh! I should have guessed, with a surname like Doretti!

The film is based on the second book in the best selling series about the schoolboys Rico and Oskar, written by Andreas Steinhöfel. It evidently takes place a few weeks after the first film. Oskar has spent some time with his father. Now he's coming to stay the night with Rico. Only one night is planned, but the following morning a suitcase with clothes is left outside Rico's apartment with a note, "Mrs. Doretti, I hope it's okay for Oskar to stay a few days longer. I need more time for myself". Oskar's father didn't even come in to tell Oskar himself. This is the first heartbreak. What sort of a father is he?

In the first film Oskar always wore a bicycle helmet. Now he doesn't, and he tells Oskar it's because he's incognito. I don't know who he's hiding from, but he's obviously suffering from paranoia. In addition, Oskar also wears dark sunglasses whenever he leaves Rico's house so that nobody will recognise him. That's a remarkable disguise.

One thing I didn't mention in my last review is that Rico's mother Tanja goes out to play Bingo several times a week. Ugh. My mother took me to Bingo clubs a few times when I was young, and I found it remarkably dull. Tanja is remarkably lucky, winning the top prizes. Can you see the way Oskar is looking at her? He can see that she's cheating. She's put her counters on the wrong numbers.

If you've ever played Bingo – poor you! – you know that the numbers are checked when you shout Bingo. The bingo caller, Mrs. Wandbek, checks Tanya's numbers and says they're correct. Oskar insists on investigating, and he discovers that Rico's mother is involved in a racket. Tanja wins expensive items, sells them on Ebay, then gives the money to Mrs. Wandbek. Oskar also finds out that Tanja isn't acting illegally by choice, she's being blackmailed. I shan't give any more spoilers, except to say that it involves spectacular car chases through Berlin and the surrounding countryside.

Karoline Herfurth looks too sweet and innocent to be a criminal!

The second heartbreak concerns the policeman Simon Westbühl, who recently moved into a fourth floor apartment in Dieffenbachstraße 93. Rico's already decided that he wants Simon as his new father, but he finds out that Simon has another woman living with him.

The twins Mele and Afra visit Rico. The one on the left, whichever her name is, says she wants to kiss Rico, but they laugh at him when he says Yes. What a tease! Is that yet another heartbreak?

They also flirt with Oskar. Isn't he too young for them?

Tanja is lost in thoughts. Does she think she still has a chance with Simon?

She falls asleep in front of her computer. That's something I've never done.

At the end of the film there's a surprise, which I'll mention here, because it might be important in the next film. Until now, Rico has believed that his father was dead. Now Tanja tells him he's still alive. She left him because he was hitting her.

That's a dilemma for a 10-year-old boy like Oskar. Can he still love his father under circumstances like these? It's possible for a man to be a good father, but a bad husband.