# Otto – Der Außerfriesische
*Otto – Der Außerfriesische* is a 1989 West German comedy starring and co-directed by the comedian [Otto Waalkes](https://www.edgepedia.org/otto-waalkes), in which his character travels from East Frisia to Miami to save his lighthouse home from demolition for a rocket-glider test track. It was the third cinema film built around Waalkes, after *[Otto – Der Film](https://www.edgepedia.org/otto-der-film)* (1985) and *Otto – Der neue Film* (1987), and it was produced by Rialto Film GmbH of Berlin together with Rüssl Video & Audio GmbH of Hamburg.[1](https://www.kino.de/film/otto-der-ausserfriesische-1989/stream/) • [2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ea43d4a6a7215006e03053d50b37753d)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | 13 July 1989 in West German cinemas, distributed by Tobis[3](https://www.rialtofilm.de/ottoiii.htm) |
| Directors | Marijan David Vajda and Otto Waalkes[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ea43d4a6a7215006e03053d50b37753d) |
| Screenplay | Bernd Eilert, Robert Gernhardt, Peter Knorr, and Otto Waalkes[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ea43d4a6a7215006e03053d50b37753d) |
| Lead role | Otto Waalkes in a double role as Otto and his brother Benno Gross[4](https://www.zdf.de/filme/otto---der-ausserfriesische-movie-100) |
| Running time / rating | 92 minutes (89 minutes in the television version); FSK approved from 6 years[3](https://www.rialtofilm.de/ottoiii.htm) • [5](https://www.spio-fsk.de/?filmid=19205&seitid=327&tid=325) |
| Cinemascope | 35 mm, 1:2.35 (CinemaScope), Fujicolor[6](https://www.filmportal.de/film/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ceeae5927c7748b08d7523a610b22e69) |
| Admissions | 3,585,645 cinema visits in Germany[5](https://www.spio-fsk.de/?filmid=19205&seitid=327&tid=325) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Otto, a Frisian, lives contentedly in a decommissioned lighthouse on the [North Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-sea) coast. A company called Hi Speed Unlimited plans to build a high-speed test track for a rocket glider over the dike, and the lighthouse stands in the way.[4](https://www.zdf.de/filme/otto---der-ausserfriesische-movie-100) • [7](https://www.videobuster.de/dvd-bluray-verleih/66107/otto-der-ausserfriesische) The managers want to buy the tower, but it actually belongs to Otto's brother Benno, who emigrated to the United States and works there as a private detective; he must assert his ownership claim in person. Otto hurriedly sets off for America to find him.[4](https://www.zdf.de/filme/otto---der-ausserfriesische-movie-100) In Miami he struggles through an unfamiliar world and meets a series of strange characters.[8](https://www.justwatch.com/de/Film/Otto-Der-Ausserfriesische)
Waalkes plays both brothers, Otto and Benno Gross, in a double role.[4](https://www.zdf.de/filme/otto---der-ausserfriesische-movie-100) The comedy works through misunderstandings and encounters with eccentric figures rather than sustained suspense, and it plays on the bewilderment of a provincial in the wide world.[9](https://kinogrid.com/film/otto-der-ausserfriesische/)
## Cast and crew
Alongside Waalkes, the cast included Barbara May as Frauke, Hans Peter Hallwachs as Grödel, Volkmar Kleinert as Van Devil, Arnold Marquis as Baron von Platt, Wolfgang Zerlett as Brach, Hansi Jochmann as Karin, Christine Neubauer as Frieda, and Imke Eckart as Otto's mother.[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ea43d4a6a7215006e03053d50b37753d) • [5](https://www.spio-fsk.de/?filmid=19205&seitid=327&tid=325) The film also features guest appearances by the humorist Loriot (Vicco von Bülow) and the tennis champion [Steffi Graf](https://www.edgepedia.org/steffi-graf).[3](https://www.rialtofilm.de/ottoiii.htm)
**Behind the camera.** Marijan David Vajda directed, with Waalkes credited as co-director, and the screenplay was written by Bernd Eilert, Robert Gernhardt, Peter Knorr, and Waalkes. Egon Werdin was the cinematographer, Jutta Hering the editor, and Thomas Kukuck and Christoph Leis-Bendorff wrote the music. Horst Wendlandt produced, with Hans-Otto Mertens as co-producer.[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ea43d4a6a7215006e03053d50b37753d) • [3](https://www.rialtofilm.de/ottoiii.htm)
## Production and release
The shoot ran from 23 March to 16 May 1989 at locations in [Friesland](https://www.edgepedia.org/friesland), West Berlin, and Miami.[6](https://www.filmportal.de/film/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ceeae5927c7748b08d7523a610b22e69) The film was shot on 35 mm in [CinemaScope](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinemascope) (1:2.35) on Fujicolor stock, with a print length of 2,529 meters corresponding to 92 minutes.[6](https://www.filmportal.de/film/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ceeae5927c7748b08d7523a610b22e69) It passed German age rating (FSK) on 3 July 1989 with approval from 6 years, and premiered in cinemas on 13 July 1989 through the distributor Tobis.[3](https://www.rialtofilm.de/ottoiii.htm) • [6](https://www.filmportal.de/film/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ceeae5927c7748b08d7523a610b22e69)
**Box office and later releases.** The film sold 3,585,645 tickets in German cinemas, a figure recorded by the German film industry's statistics office SPIO.[5](https://www.spio-fsk.de/?filmid=19205&seitid=327&tid=325) A video release followed in December 1989, and the first DVD appeared on 6 March 2000.[10](https://www.filmdienst.de/film/details/17261/otto-der-ausserfriesische) The film was digitized in 2019 with funding from the Filmerbe program (FFE), with Tobis Home Entertainment as the applicant.[11](https://www.filmportal.de/node/5293/availability) It has since appeared in several Otto box sets on Blu-ray, including a nine-disc limited jubilee edition released by LEONINE on 21 July 2023.[11](https://www.filmportal.de/node/5293/availability) On television it was broadcast repeatedly in the 1990s, including several runs on the pay channel Premiere in 1992 and 1993 and on ProSieben thereafter.[5](https://www.spio-fsk.de/?filmid=19205&seitid=327&tid=325)
## Reception
The German Catholic film review service Filmdienst was dismissive, calling the film meager slapstick with old gags and stale jokes, and judging the third Otto comedy to be little more than a gigantic promotional event for its star; it recommended the film as suitable from age 12.[10](https://www.filmdienst.de/film/details/17261/otto-der-ausserfriesische) On IMDb, users have given it a rating of 5.8 out of 10 from about 3,000 votes.[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098040/ratings/) Retrospective user commentary has highlighted the culture-clash comedy of an East Frisian among Americans, including parodies of [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson) and the television car K.I.T.T.[13](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/138352.html)
The film belongs to a cycle of Waalkes comedies that drew on his East Frisian persona; a scholarly survey of the German domestic market lists it among the top German-made films of 1989.[14](https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/464290/1/771865.pdf)
## References
1. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische (1989) · Stream, Kino.de](https://www.kino.de/film/otto-der-ausserfriesische-1989/stream/)
2. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische, filmportal.de (credits)](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ea43d4a6a7215006e03053d50b37753d)
3. [OTTO - Der Außerfriesische, Rialto Film GmbH](https://www.rialtofilm.de/ottoiii.htm)
4. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische, ZDF](https://www.zdf.de/filme/otto---der-ausserfriesische-movie-100)
5. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische, SPIO Filmseite](https://www.spio-fsk.de/?filmid=19205&seitid=327&tid=325)
6. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische, filmportal.de (technical data)](https://www.filmportal.de/film/otto-der-ausserfriesische_ceeae5927c7748b08d7523a610b22e69)
7. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische, VIDEOBUSTER](https://www.videobuster.de/dvd-bluray-verleih/66107/otto-der-ausserfriesische)
8. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/de/Film/Otto-Der-Ausserfriesische)
9. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische Stream, KinoGrid](https://kinogrid.com/film/otto-der-ausserfriesische/)
10. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische, Filmdienst](https://www.filmdienst.de/film/details/17261/otto-der-ausserfriesische)
11. [Verfügbarkeit: Otto - Der Außerfriesische, filmportal.de](https://www.filmportal.de/node/5293/availability)
12. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische (1989) - Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098040/ratings/)
13. [Otto - Der Außerfriesische, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/138352.html)
14. [German cinema box office analysis, University of Southampton eprints](https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/464290/1/771865.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of the 1980s › Satirical, black, and parody comedies of the 1980s*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license