This low-budget slapstick comedy is funny in a very blunt and obvious way, but funny all the same. Justus von Dohnanyi's script is particularly generous with jobless Willi (Stefan Kurt), a bothersome outcast held together by nothing but quirks and issues. He's fun to watch, but you can't help feeling relieved he doesn't live next door. Although Willi, Achim (Jan-Josef Liefers) and Sven (Justus von Dohnanyi) aren't the most manly males, "Bis zum Ellenbogen" suffers from a slight overdose of testosterone. I wish we had seen a little more of Susanne Wolff in the part of Rebecca, Achim's headstrong wife. Notable guest appearances by Antoine Monot Jr. (of "Lammbock" fame) as the village oaf and Devid Striesow, who clearly enjoys his small part as a heartless banker and dreadful dad.