Julius is a successful businessman who lives in suburbia with his wife and two children. On their twelfth wedding anniversary, he learns that Paula has a lover. Although he has had many affairs himself, Julius is outraged. He moves out.
Determined to discover more about the person who has stolen his wife, Julius follows the man. When he sees him post a notice for a roommate, he seizes the opportunity to infiltrate the enemy camp. Stefan, Paula's lover, turns out to be an unemployed graphic artist with a laid-back view of life.
After Julius moves in, he finds out that his adversary is relaxed, easy going, and playful. Stefan tells him that his suburban lover calls him "her man from another star." Julius, still in the throes of jealousy, anger, and depression, touches base with the wild man at the bottom of his own psyche. He also finds out that Stefan is no great shakes as a lady's man either.
Doris Dorrie's trenchant German film reveals that men don't know what they want from women because they don't really understand themselves. Heiner Lauterbach is convincing as Julius, the male machine programmed to tackle challenges and overcome difficulties. Uwe Ochsenknecht is top-notch as Stefan, the hippie who dreams of becoming a successful businessman someday. And Ulrike Kriener brings just the right dash of romantic fantasy to her role as Paula.
While Julius's six-month leave of absence from his job and familial obligations gives him an opportunity to see himself afresh and to muse on the strange paradoxes in the war between the sexes, he essentially remains the same. He finds a clever way to triumph over Stefan and to win Paula back — victory is his most positive reinforcement. Such insights into the male psyche make Men a thoroughly engrossing and entertaining movie.