I just watched this movie in German and without subtitles (i.e., even though my German is "anständig" I may have missed a few jokes). I find it difficult to get a grip on the movie. I think it would have worked if it had been purely a black comedy but somehow the director inserted farcical elements (such as the constant "Heil Hitler"-ing and the recurring ado about bureaucratic procedures). This may have been done to attract a larger (or different) audience but it didn't exactly benefit the movie. If it had been cast in the form of a low-key but biting (black) satire it would have been a far better movie. I give it a 7 for what it could have been (if it had been a brilliant black comedy, it might have scored a 9).
Interestingly, for me "Der Untergang" was never the great movie it could have been either for essentially the same reason. In my opinion, the latter movie should have focused exclusively on the psychology and claustrophobia in the bunker during the final days of the Third Reich. It could even have ended with Hitler and Eva Braun retreating. All the "above-ground" scenes were superfluous and indeed distracted from the drama that was going on below-ground. As in the case of "Mein Führer", one cannot help but wonder if this was done purely to attract a larger (or different) audience.
Interestingly, for me "Der Untergang" was never the great movie it could have been either for essentially the same reason. In my opinion, the latter movie should have focused exclusively on the psychology and claustrophobia in the bunker during the final days of the Third Reich. It could even have ended with Hitler and Eva Braun retreating. All the "above-ground" scenes were superfluous and indeed distracted from the drama that was going on below-ground. As in the case of "Mein Führer", one cannot help but wonder if this was done purely to attract a larger (or different) audience.