Hochzeitsreise zu dritt: A honeymoon, a mistake, and a better fit

Is it worth watching?

Honestly, you probably already know how this ends within the first ten minutes. If you’re into old-school Viennese charm and don't mind a story that feels like it was written on the back of a train ticket, you’ll be fine. If you need pacing that doesn't feel like a lazy Sunday afternoon nap, look elsewhere. ☕

The premise is simple: guy gets ditched by his ambitious wife. She cares more about her career than their honeymoon, so she jets off to work, leaving him alone. It’s cold, right? But it sets up this weirdly relatable vibe where you just want to reach into the screen and shake the guy until he realizes he's lucky she left.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Hochzeitsreise zu dritt (1932) through its definitive frames.

Oskar Karlweis plays the jilted husband with this puppy-dog energy that’s either sweet or slightly pathetic depending on how cynical you’re feeling that day. Watching him wander around aimlessly after being dumped is... well, it’s a mood. You can tell he’s lost, not just because his wife left, but because he’s finally realizing she never really liked him to begin with.

Then he meets this other girl. She’s unpretentious, kind, and—most importantly—actually shows up. It reminds me a bit of the awkward dynamic in Jane's Engagement Party, where everything feels slightly like a waiting game for the main character to wake up. 🙄

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Hochzeitsreise zu dritt (1932) through its definitive frames.

Small moments that stuck

• The way he looks at the empty seat at dinner. It’s so obviously staged, but he pulls it off.
• The background music in the hotel lobby feels like it’s trying way too hard to be whimsical.
• There’s a scene near a fountain that goes on for about thirty seconds too long. I think the actor forgot his next line.

It’s not as frantic as something like The Flying Fool, but it has this weird, grounded stillness. Sometimes the camera just sits there on a street corner while people walk by. It’s charming, but also makes you wonder if they just ran out of film for the day.

Look, the writing is fine. It’s not genius, but it’s not insulting either. It’s got that 1930s polish where everyone talks in perfect sentences, even when they’re miserable. I kind of miss that. Everything today is so messy and loud. This is just… a movie. You watch it, you smile, you forget it, you move on.

The ending isn’t a surprise, but it feels earned. Maybe it’s just nice to see someone stop trying so hard to keep a bad thing going. We’ve all been there, haven't we? Or maybe I'm just projecting. 🤷‍♂️