Three middle-aged sisters come together to celebrate their headstrong and often demanding mother (played by Christine Schorn). Iris (Corinna Harfouch) has chosen to live at home and take care of mom, while the happily married, and naive Marianne (Kirsten Block) lives just down the hill with her husband and son. The third sister is Anne (Dagmar Manzel), and free-spirited woman who has made a living as a singer but is seeing that life reaching its twilight. All aspects of the impending birthday celebration are carefully planned, but how often do things really go according to plan? To the best of my knowledge, "Frei Nach Plan" never received a U.S. theatrical release, and that's a shame because this film deserves more attention that it has received. The four main actresses represent some of the top talent in Germany, and they are all excellent here. The story is funny and sad; sometimes shifting quickly from one to the other. The cinematography is excellent, and the music matches the action well.

I really believe that the reason this film is not better known is the fact that it is about middle-aged women and not young hotties. If you are looking for an action film with lots of explosions and gore, this is not the film for you, but if you like good acting and adult situations, then I can recommend "Frei Nach Plan."