On all levels,  “Go for Zucker” was a success in Germany. A popular hit, the comedy took a handful of prizes at this year’s German film awards and is being credited for helping to ease tensions between Jews and other Germans that have continued to simmer since World War II.

While the latter might be too much to claim for any movie, this good-natured film has the kind of humor and heart that can open some eyes to another culture, which is what it can do for American viewers as well.

At the center of “Go for Zucker” is Jacky Zucker (Henry Hubchen of  “Run Lola Run”), a former East German TV sports announcer turned down-on-his-luck nightclub owner and part-time pool hustler.

Kicked out by his wife Marlene (Hannelore Elsner) and in debt up to his ears, Zucker finds his luck running short. His kids, lesbian massage therapist Jana (Anja Franke) and his bank manager son Thomas (Steffan Groth), won’t bail him out and he’s looking at jail.

Then Zucker’s life changes in ways he could never anticipate. He’s found a pool tournament that will pay off his debts and he gets a telegram from his estranged brother, telling him that their mother has died and she wants to be buried in Berlin.

Upon further investigation, Zucker and Marlene find that they could receive a huge inheritance from the mother he hasn’t seen for decades. But to do so, they have to sit shivah with orthodox Jew brother Samuel (Udo Samel) and his family, including ultra-orthodox son (Sebastian Blomberg).

That’s going to be a good trick since Zucker, whose real name is Jakob Zuckerman, hasn’t been a practicing Jew for decades, Marlene is a shiksa who doesn’t have a clue about keeping kosher or any other Jewish tradition and, in order to play in the pool tournament, he has to find ways around his mother’s requirement that he and Samuel sit uninterrupted for a week.

That’s the setup for a comedy about a scam artist coming to terms with himself and, by extension, with the history of his country. The latter theme is a little heavy for comedy, but it’s delivered with enough subtlety that it doesn’t get in the way. And some of Zucker’s scams are hilarious.

This, of course, isn’t an American punch line/slapstick comedy. Rather, the laughs are contained within the plot and powered by the characters and some fine acting.

Hubchen and Elsner are old pros in the German film industry and inhabit their roles with style, and Samel is perfect as the uptight brother who has some flaws of his own.

Director/co-writer Dani Levy originally shot “Go for Zucker” for television, then changed his mind and turned it into a movie. Made for $2 million and shot in 24 days on 16mm film blown up to 35 for theatrical distribution, the picture has a low budget feel that’s as much the opposite of Hollywood slickness as the comedy and story line.

There are, without question, references to both Jewish culture and German culture that go flying over the heads of non-Jewish, non-German audience members. But “Go for Zucker” is entertaining. It’s a fun picture that has both a universal message and the advantage of a distinct, specific story.

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.

Go for Zucker

***

Director: Dani Levy

Stars: Henry Hubchen, Hannelore Elsner, Udo Samel

Rated: Not rated

Running Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes

Now Showing: Ross

The Reel Story: This comedy about a scam artist who has come to terms with his family and his Jewish heritage was both a critical and popular hit in Germany. In German with English subtitles.