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

10s Movie Review: Hartenstrijd

Director: Janice Pierre
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Jennifer Hoffman, Tibor Lukács, Eva van de Wijdeven, Oscar Aerts, Georgina Verbaan, Anniek Pheifer, Loek peters, Willeke Alberti, Cees Geel, Murth Mossel

Description: A lovelorn police officer (Jennifer Hoffman) and a womanizing bar owner (Tibor Lukács) get into a romantic game of cat and mouse as they both attempt to take their love lives in new directions.

Review: Romcoms mostly follow a certain path. Lovebirds trying to be noticed by the other, they find each other, due to a misunderstanding they lose each other and eventually they end up together. And that final moment is often during a dramatic race against time. This is the format it apparently needs, but it’s the execution and its details that makes the difference. In the Dutch romantic comedy “Hartenstrijd”, we follow a bet which will bring two different characters closer together.
Tina is a motor cop, who believes in true and eternal love and always hopelessly clings herself to men. When her boyfriend breaks up with her, her world crashes and Tina claims she is done with serious relationships. She moves in with her best friend Fleurtje and makes a bet with her that she won’t be in any serious relationships for at least a year. Tina thinks she can do the ‘no strings attached’ routine and have meaningless sex with men without getting feelings. So she starts to casually date Sven, a guy that is known for his smooth talking and sleeping with women without dating them or let alone be in a relationship with them. Sven just made a bet with his best friend Dennis, that he can go on five dates with the same woman without having sex with her. And Tina is his project.
The whole idea behind “Hartenstrijd” is the big difference between Sven and Tina, how they view love, relationships and dating. And this movie is, like most romcoms, very predictable. A lot of tossing and turning between the two, before eventually reaching its core. Tina and Sven are very stereotypical, almost caricature like. Tina is a dull and clumsy woman, who can’t live without a man in her life. Sven is a playboy, who objectifies women. Jennifer Hoffman and Tibor Lukács are both not very comfortable in their roles somehow. It’s the supporting characters that catch your eye. Like Eva van de Wijdeven as Fleurtje, I loved her sass. And Aniek Pheifer as Sven’s pregnant friend, giving him advice wherever she can. And I really enjoyed the scenes with Tina and her co colleagues.
If the roles were a bit more realistic, you could actually care about the leading characters. “Hartenstrijd” has its moments, it’s not all bad. But it’s the small jokes and moments. It’s not cohesive and feels unfinished.

Rating: 2/ 5