"Run Lola Run"/"Lola rennt" (1998) has received an overwhelmingly positive critical response and has even won a few awards. At one point it was among the top 20 films in the US a very strong showing for a subtitled foreign-language film. The fiery-red

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Not since "Das Boot" back in the 1980s has a German film produced so much buzz in North America. "Run Lola Run"/"Lola rennt" (1998) has received an overwhelmingly positive critical response and has even won a few awards. At one point it was among the top 20 films in the US – a very strong showing for a subtitled foreign-language film. The fiery-red-haired Lola (Franka Potente) began running across US movie screens on June 18, 1999, offering a unique opportunity for German-learners to hear authentic German and enjoy an above-average film.

The CD soundtrack album

from "Run Lola Run."

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Unfortunately, "Lola" paid only a brief visit here in my home town of Reno, Nevada – not really known as a cinematic mecca. (At least "Lola" DID put in an appearance!) But nine weeks after arriving in the New World, "Lola" was still appearing on 120 screens in LA, New York City, and other places in between. The German film – starring Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, and Herbert Knaup – grossed over $4 million during the first few months of its US release.

It may not be perfect, but I can't recommend this film highly enough! It's not a "classic film" in the "Citizen Kane" sense, but "Run Lola Run" is great entertainment and a modern classic in its own way. Set in post-Wall Berlin, "Lola rennt" is a bright, humorous, well-crafted thriller by the young German director Tom Tykwer ("Winterschläfer," "The Princess and the Warrior"). He was 34 years old when he filmed "Lola" on the streets of Berlin. (See Lola Locations.)

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"Lola" has even had an impact on US television. When I watched the premiere episode of ABC's "Alias," it was "Run Lola Run" deja vu – as "Alias" star Jennifer Garner ran to pounding music – in Berlin! (I think Vancouver was standing in for the German capital.) Earlier, another TV series (the now defunct "Seven Days") ran an overtly Lolaesque episode – complete with the music, the time shifts, etc.

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About "Lola" on Video

Most critics have compared "Lola" to the British-made "Sliding Doors" because of its similar time-shifting, parallel realities, but ...

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