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Moordwijven (2007)
Typical Dick Maas comedy
Several other reviewers compare this movie with AbFab. Sure, there are similarities, but I am sorry Dutch humor doesn't come close to British humor. Nothing we Dutch produced comes remotely near the quality of Fawlty Towers' in class, style, subtlety. Dutch (and Flemish) movies are neither produced nor marketed for an international public which is also related to budget and quality.
Enough of that, lets talk about Moordwijven (Killer Babes)!
The cast, even the supporting roles and many of the small roles, is comprised of famous Dutch actors and actresses. Were they worth their dimes? Yes. The acting is solid. If anything, the problem lies in the script and style; not the actors. Bracha van Doesburgh in particular did an ace job as the lead character. Hadewych Minis did what we expect from her, and Sanne Wallis de Vries I know as a comedian from TV. I don't find her funny, and I don't like her way of acting. Somehow doesn't strike me as authentic. I am not sure if that is my preference, her quality, or a mix. I suspect the former! It wasn't a big deal either way.
Forget the acting for a moment. Did I dislike every single character in this movie? The 3 women? Their husbands? Yes. We're not meant to like the characters, we're meant to laugh at their behavior and the mistakes they make. The humor got me through the first hour. I don't laugh easily yet I laughed. I concede I was entertained.
Was the plot boring? Yes. On the horizon of a boat one can notice the weather from miles away. The plot is driven by jealousy and suspecting husbands of cheating. Slowly but surely the viewer figures out the truth behind what the ladies suspect. Albeit, as explained, without giving a rat. Fortunately, it isn't relevant as the fun in the plot elements lies in the details. There's always something, even though it is a small detail, which is surprisingly funny. Where something like Fawlty Towers builds a joke upon a joke which becomes funny^2, in Moordwijven you may only find certain aspects funny and the rest meh.
Was the story implausible? Unrealistic? Over the top? Yes. Without giving spoilers I can say it is a huge wink, and an entire subculture is ridiculed. I'm sure there's a special name for this sub-genre of comedy I am not aware of.
The above Q&A sounds cliché? Allow me to explain. You may know Dick Maas as director, writer, producer of movies like Flodder and more recent Sint. Together with Moordwijven they contain that typical style Dick Maas stands for. In script, directing, the supporting music, the humor. Everything! Flodder is an old movie and is -for me- youth nostalgia therefore difficult to compare. A contrast: Flodder is about a bunch of slackers living in a rich neighborhood whereas Moordwijven is about a bunch of posh and rich folks.
Sint, due to the thriller and (over the top) pseudo-horror is a more grim movie but the dark comedy resembles the one in Moordwijven (the pseudo-horror however is not; there are very few thriller elements in Moordwijven). For me, none of Dick Maas movies are highly enjoyable because I am not a fan of his style, nor of comedies in general. I'd prefer a thriller with some (dark) humor in it, like Loft, any time and there the jealousy and cheating theme does work for me.
TL;DR Having seen Moordwijven on TV once with some friends would be more than enough for me. Movies like these are ace to watch in a social environment (in contrast to a heavy movie such as say Antichrist), family friendly and OK even for teens. If you appreciate Dick Maas his style and take Moordwijven at face value (a typical Dutch comedy) then I highly suggest you to make it part of your collection. If you're not familiar with any of his work instead go watch his crown jewel Flodder first (tho less suitable for teens).
Roos en Rana (2001)
A reflection of the Dutch multiculture
(NOTE: contains a few minor spoilers.)
Roos and Rana are two good friends. Roos is a somewhat myopian, alternative girl grown up with her mother only with whom she doesn't have a good relation. Rana is a somewhat conservative, decent girl grown up in a traditional Turkish family in which her brothers take care for her. The two girls are bosom friends and share the same feeling: they're fed up with the rules and repression of their parents! After a spectacular escape from their daily school life, they manage to make the long trip to Istanbul using money stolen from Rana's parents. During the travel various problems arise and only with each others help the girls manage to arrive in Istanbul.
However, some things still go wrong and they find out some confronting truth related to their parents. The parents of both girls are from a different culture (The Netherlands is a multicultural society), and the parents have to team up to catch the girls. During their various efforts they learn to understand each other's culture better.
The multicultural aspect, where 2 cultures meet each other, is an important part of the movie. In my opinion the best aspect. It is partly because of this aspect that there's quite a lot humor in the film as funny things happen, although there's also a mix of drama. On another layer, i find it interesting how this movie shows how different backgrounds and views lead to different opinions: especially between the girls, though in less extend the families as well, one notices the conflict. They're forced to invoke consensus which doesn't always go well, but the benefits are there in the end.
I almost never found the movie boring because there was always action or problems and the emotions were strong. My only point of criticism is some aspects are overdone (Roos' hair) and the end: all the problems between the parents and the children were somehow over. While some problems were indeed solved and while i can imagine that after such a long trip confronted with the "harsh rules of adventure life" one would be glad to get back in the "protected state of childhood" doing so doesn't mean the actual problems are solved. At first glance this gave me the feeling the movie was somehow "not finished". I was wondering "what happens now?". I understood later the main point wasn't the conflict: the conflict was the thing which got the adventurous ball rolling.
Futhermore i cannot judge on the acting since i do not have much knowledge about this art. I can only say i found it realistic enough. Overal, for an adventure / telefilm, the movie was well worth it: one of the better telefilms in Dutch movie history.