Taxi to the Toilet (1981)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Very best movie i ever watch

An absolute waste of money

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

"Taxi zum Klo" or "Taxi to the Toilet" is a West German 90-minute movie from 1980, so this one had its 35th anniversary last year. The writer and director and lead actor is Frank Ripploh and this is his career-defining film, his only really known work although he was pretty close to Rosa von Praunheim occasionally. This connection also tells you the direction this film is taking. It is a fairly early full feature film about the homosexual scene in Germany. The protagonist is a gay man and during these 1.5 hours we get to gain an insight into his life, his personal life and his professional life. In his personal life, he meets another man and they become a couple. Occasionally, they seem pretty happy, but there are also moments when there's major conflict, such as insecurity about where to move, insecurity whether to move at all, jealousy, faithfulness and their relationship in general. The main character played by Ripploh is a school teacher very much liked by his pupils, but his colleagues as well as parents are very critical because they seem to know or at least suspect that he is into men. And as they don't like him because he gets along well with the pupils and because he gives some pupils bad notes, they try to use his homosexuality against him. I really liked the last scene with the kids being allowed to do what they want as it felt a bit as if the main character was breaking free from his struggles, but there's also a negative side to it as he will certainly lose his job after that. And what was that outlet comment. He can't let them do that can he? Anyway, there were scenes I liked in here, but they were also scenes I did not like and the latter includes a rectal examination at the doctor for example which was very graphic. I don't mind such scenes if they add anything to the film, but honestly, this one did not at all. It was only in there to shock audiences and make this film even more controversial. Sometimes subtlety is the right path. As a whole, I would say that this was not too interesting of a film, even if I can see how progressive it was for 1980s. It's a shame it was weak in several areas as Ripploh clearly elevated the material with his acting. May he rest in peace. The bad outweighs the good and I give it a thumbs-down. No need really to make a sequel too.

A film from the seventies, released in 1980, Taxi Zum Klo tells the story of a life divided by society and standards into two different parts, respectability by day and licentious indecency by night. An autobiographic account from Frank Ripploh who by day was the respectable and liked schoolteacher yet by night a hedonistic, sex seeking, public toilet inhabiting cruiser. The bulk of the story is taken with Frank's need and desire to hunt for the latest sexual conquest and encounters in risky and unsavoury places. He meets and falls for a theatre manager and they move in together, could this be the end of his hunting for sex in the underbelly of the very edge of Berlin society? Another question raises itself, does he manage to keep his seedy sex life out of the classroom, even if he does from time to time he has been known to mark students work in the public lavatories he inhabits hunting for his next slice of cock? There was a lot of outrage surrounding this film at the time of its release, not least the refusal by many film censors to even allow it to be shown. Read more and find out where this film made it in the Top 50 Most Influential Gay Movies of All Time book, search on Amazon for Top 50 Most Influential Gay Movies of All Time.

I'd wanted to see this movie for years...a friend had recommended it highly as a comedy, as a gay classic, had made it sound like a farce...so finally I got hold of a copy and...Described as an "erotic comedy" on the DVD cover? Whoever wrote that needs their head examining. Or maybe the comedy got lost in translation? It is not funny. Not funny in the slightest. Not unless you rofl over people wiping their bum on the guest towel in the bathroom for want of toilet paper...and, surprisingly, I don't! Frank is a sex addict and bargain bin Al Parker wannabee who treats us all to a slice of his sad, tawdry life. He bonks his way through a series of clones who, on this outing, appear to be unduly influenced by the likes of porno classic Kansas City Trucking Company --but not just the cast, no, the production values as a whole are equally as cheap and dreary.Cost a mere 100,000DMs to make? The money would have been better spent on therapy off camera for the lead actor/writer/director.Distasteful and distressing. Watch it by all means. But a comedy it is not. A tragedy if you ask me. But when you are expecting one thing and get another it is never good.

I watched 'Taxi Zum Klo' in 1985, at my Uni times, at age of 18. That version was a wildly mutilated one, but I had the option of getting the complete version of it much later. Back in 1985, it was the first time I realized I could live a regular life being gay, enjoying it, sharing it. After watching it i told my friends, family and people I loved. Never regretted it. So, this film made a huge impact in my life. I guess there is a small chance of anybody who toke part in the making of this film to read this comment (sadly, not it's director) .If yes, thanks for this film. Twenty years later, I'm more a Frank than a Bernd (LOL), but... thanks anyway.