And again. An article which no-one will read, because it’s uninspired, obvious and very much passe. But still, I feel that I must voice out my discontent about one of the most successful Dutch films ever, simply because we are not in a Communist Nation and it is my duty to make my opinion somewhat public, in order to stop these shocking atrocities happening.
OK. It wasn’t all that bad, but as a romcom, it was just not good enough. Alles is Liefde is what we in Slovakia call ‘a weak tea’ compared to films like Love Actually. Fund mention Love Actually, but in fact, the comparison is quite deliberate.
I imagine a good, but otherwise uninspired Dutch screenwriter finally deciding to go see what sort of movies are out there. After going to the cinema on a cold winter’s evening (and it’s also raining; don’t forget, we’re in Holland), he finds himself charmed by that great British romcom.
Naturally, he or she then goes home and starts writing a script that is very much alike. There are indeed many similarities in the two films. The non-linear structure, many stories that are strangely interconnected and all takes place around a special time of the year (Christmas versus Sinterklaas).
That’s where the similarities end, but still, the two movies are too much like one another NOT to be compared. But I will not realy on recounting the differences between these two films to the reader. The can, if they widh to, go and see both and make up their own mind.
Anyway, few of the characters are lovable, Carice van Houten’s character (Kiki) is extremely aggressive and says ‘duh’ in the most annoying manner ever to appear in front of the audiences. The story feels a little rushed, with very little time between the introduction and resolution. Some plots are quite weak and improbable, which combined with a lack of laughs, makes the movie seem very odd, if not slightly neurotic. See, the thing about comedies is, that the laughter makes the storyline irrelevant and believable, no matter how ludicrous it actually is, but only if there is laughter. There was not a lot of laughter in this one, the film left me feeling rather puzzled at best.
I’m not trying to say that Love actually is the best movie EVER, it is just a much better romcom than Alles is Liefde would ever had the potential to be.
Peter
Posted by petersmisek 