Horst Bömmelburg's (Michael Lott) relationship with his girlfriend Vera Malkowski (Anna Böttcher) is stressful and unsatisfactory in every way. When Vera finds a pornographic film in the trash, she leaves him and moves in with her mother. Horst makes friends with his new gay neighbour Siggi (Sven Walser), who introduces him to a new and much more relaxed perspective on his sex drive. At the same time he starts an affair with the famous soprano singer Kriemhild Nastrowa (Andreja Schneider), who is guesting with the orchestra that Horst is playing basoon in.
Vera does not know any of this and on her friend Gilla Bienentreu's (Elke Czischek) advice, attempts to seduce Horst over dinner with sexy lingerie. However, the attempt fails miserably. Gilla then introduces Vera to Gudrun Benningsdorf (Mina Tander) and Britta, editors of “Xanthippe”, a feminist magazine. They interpret Vera's story in their own way and publish an article in which Horst is presented as an inconsiderate “offender”.
Soon, Vera turns up at Horst and Siggi’s flat party. When Horst makes an attempt at lessening Vera’s feelings of humiliation from the disasterous dinner, she kicks him in the groin and walks out of the party. On the same evening, Kriemhild ends her affair with Horst, who is feeling rather relieved, as her insatiable sexual appetite was beginning to exhaust him. Kriemhild marries the geriatric conducter of the orchestra, Zacharias Brettschneider (Jochen Stern), who arranges a job for her at the Scala.
Siggi has just split up with his longterm partner Hubert (Heinrich Schmieder), and lives his life between one night stands and the desire to return to him. When his mother announces a visit, he plans to finally come out to her and present Hubert as his steady partner. However, he declines and a one night stand is asked instead. When Siggi's mother (Irmhild Wagner) visits, Hubert unexpectedly does appear, thereby blowing Siggi's cover, and on top of this is starting an affair with Benno (Alfonso Losa).
Horst admits his passion for porn star Kelly Trump (herself) to Siggi. Without Horst knowing, Siggi signs him up to be a guest on the trashy talkshow "Catch your Dreams", where Kelly Trump and another actress, as well as the editors of Xantippe magazine are also invited. Horst arrives with Siggi as a supposed audience member, and when he is asked on stage, he is publicly exposed as addicted to pornography. The talkshow host introduces the other guests and does his best to play everyone off against each other.
Siggi had only wanted to help Horst meet Kelly, and so tries to leave the live show with him. Vera suddenly turns up, having watched the show at home. She had become so enraged when the distorted relationship in Xanthippe was read out on TV, that she rushes into the studio to set things right. While angry discussions are raging on stage, Vera starts to make friends with Kelly Trump, and Horst returns to the show. He demands to know what all the fuss has been about and asks everyone in the audience who has seen a porn movie to stand up. After some hesitation the entire room ends up standing. After the show Vera and Horst make peace and agree that their relationship had no real basis. Vera goes to the pub with Kelly, and Horst and Siggi go home contemplating.
"Wie die Karnickel" is a charming, straight forward, light-hearted comedy full of clichés about the heterosexual and gay world. A version was released in the US with the title "Maybe, Maybe Not..." starring Til Schweiger. Unlike that movie, this one has not yet been released in the U.S.A. It's sort of based on the comic book, "Wie die Karnickel" created by Ralf König, although this time the script was written by König first, then published as a comic. Marius Ruhland composed the original music, and Sven Unterwaldt Jr. directed. In German.
