10s Movie Review - Dames 4

Director: Maurice Trouwborst
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Hannah van Luntren, Jennifer Hoffman, Sarah Chronis, Tibor Lukácx, Henry van Loon, Ko Zandvliet, Huub Smit, Sophie van Oers, Renée Fokker, Elisa Breuger, Guido Pollemans, Martijn Hillenius, Ludwig Bindervoets, Hugo Maerten, Sanne Gloria Verboom, Jurjen van loon, Kristen Denkers, Rixt Leddy, Guido Schilperoort, Walter Bart, Tessa du Mee, Maaike Martens, Ozlem Solmaz, Peter de Witte, Chris Peters, Jadi Gerritsen, Harry Hooijberg, Ryanne van Dorst, Wouter van Couwelaar, Gijs Hoffs

Description: Immature thirty-something Wyne (Hannah van Lunteren) starts a women’s amateur soccer team in hope reconnecting with her settled-down best friend Nanda (Jennifer Hoffman)

Review: They do wear soccer outfits and on a good day they know on which position they play. But this soccer team, with women in their thirties, doesn’t really know how to play the game or how to arrange everything.
Like other Dutch films “All Stars” and “My Name is Joe”, “Dames 4” isn’t really about soccer at all. It’s the red thread through the story, that connects the characters. But it’s actually about Wyne and her best friend Nanda. Nanda is serious, can’t wait to settle down with her long-time boyfriend and is even thinking about having children. Wyne never grew up, loves her single life, doesn’t want a family life and can’t stand the fact that everyone around her is having babies. So when Wyne sees she is losing her friend Nanda, she decides to start a soccer team in order to keep spending time with her.
Apart from Wyne, none of the characters really have any depth and we don’t get to know them very well. Most of them are stereotypical or even caricature-like characters. The writing is witty at times, but overall a bit lazy and filled with sex jokes.
I didn’t like the direction Wyne eventually went in. It felt out of character and as determined as she was the entire film, that’s how quickly Wyne eventually choose her future path and set all her hopes, dreams and principals aside. It was like looking at a complete new character, it didn’t fit her.
It's a short film and a lot has to be told. “Dames 4” didn’t fully succeed in doing that right.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 114: Bro's Before Ho's

Director: Steffen Haars, Flip van der Kuil

Genre: Comedy/ Romance

Runtime: 88 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Tim Haars, Daniël Arends, Sylvia Hoeks, Henry van Loon, Jennifer Hoffman, Theo Maassen

Description: Because of a bad marriage of their parents, two brothers Jules (Daniel Arends) en Max (Tim Haars) made a pact never to get into a relationship with a woman. Therefore, they live a party-life in which they sleep with a different girl every day. However this changes when Jules starts to date Anna (Sylvia Hoeks) and Max falls in love with her. Can their bromance overcome this love triangle.

Review: When they could play Duckhunt for hours, life wasn’t that difficult for brothers Jules and Max. Their father tells them never to get into a relationship with a woman. The brothers decide to live by that life lesson.

Max wakes up ten minutes before work, gets into his outfit without showering and slowly shuffles to the video store next door. His diet: coffee, candy and chocolate. He hardly has any clients, but Max likes the life. His adopted brother Jules isn’t doing any better. He is an assistant manager at a local supermarket, but instead of managing the place, he bangs every female co-worker. Jules and Max live together with their roommate Rene. Rene acts like a ‘bad ass gangsta’, but is in a relationship with his stuck up girlfriend and he’s whipped. A life that Max and Jules despise. At night the brothers go out and take home girls. Max always settles for the ‘less pretty friend’, because Max always gets the hot chicks. But then the beautiful Anna walk into hi video store. Their brotherly bond is tested when he falls in love with Anna, but she starts dating Jules.

Directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil brought us “New Kids Turbo” and “New Kids Nitro”. The decision to make a romcom is a pleasant surprise, but I can understand the male fans weren’t jumping of joy. With “Bro’s Before Ho’s” they made a romcom that is also watchable for guys. It’s filled with crude jokes, bad language and sex.

Tim Haars plays the likeable Max, not spectacular but he wins over your sympathy easily. Comedian Daniël Arends, as brother Jules, is more solid with his arrogant attitude and dry humor. Henry van Loon play roommate Rene. Sadly it’s only a supporting role, because he is hilarious. It sometimes feels awkward and uncomfortable, but he’s a guarantee for laughs. Sylvia Hoeks, as Anna, adds some feminine spice to the film. Which is needed, because the movie has a high testosterone level and is very juvenile. The biggest problem of the film is the lack of originality and a cliché overkill.

For a Dutch comedy “Bro’s Before Ho’s” was better than expected, but it’s nothing new.

Rating: 2,5/ 5