Alles is liefde (2007)

Director:

Joram Lürsen

Writer:

Kim van Kooten (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 October 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Love is like Santa Claus. Believing is everything.

Plot:

LOVE IS ALL Klaasje has divorced Dennis, who cheated on her with a school teacher. Dennis would like her back...

Plot Keywords:

Prince | Department Store | School Teacher | Santa | Bar

Awards:

9 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Michiel Romeyn	...	Jan
Thomas Acda	...	Ted Coelman
Anneke Blok	...	Simone Coelman
Carice van Houten	...	Kiki Jollema
Jeroen Spitzenberger	...	Prins Valentijn
Wendy Van Dijk	...	Klaasje van Ophorst
Daan Schuurmans	...	Kees Tromp
Paul de Leeuw	...	Victor Jollema
Peter Paul Muller	...	Dennis
Chantal Janzen	...	Sarah
Valerio Zeno	...	Daniel Levi
Marc-Marie Huijbregts	...	Rudolf van Hoogstraten Bosch
Lies Visschedijk	...	Alicia
Viggo Waas	...	Youri
Marisa Van Eyle	...	Maria

Also Known As:

Love Is All (International: English title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch | English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Motel Films

Goofs:

Factual errors: Daniel Levi claims to be 16 years old, but in the opening sequence he is driving the van with the "Pieten". He needs to be 18 in order to have a drivers license in The Netherlands.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Victor Jollema: Did you get his number?
Kiki Jollema: No, how dumb do you think I am? He'll think that I like him. Then I'm gonna have to sleep with him.
Victor Jollema: Yeah. That would be horrible.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Zot van A (2010)

Finally a Dutch movie that isn't afraid of love

Who wouldn't want to unwrap Carice van Houten from her gift costume? She deserves her prince on the white horse because she comes to realize that she should believe in love. I also liked Anneke Blok, who plays a type that is rarely portrayed in Dutch movies: the busy mother who arranges everything and is heading towards a nervous breakdown. The gay couple is portrayed so matter-of-factly - not as some statement - that you are hardly aware that you are watching two men kiss each other on the lips.

The first half hour of the movie is especially funny. The movie then loses some of its momentum, despite the rapid cuts between the story lines. Some of the jokes fall flat and one extra character is hastily introduced. The finale on snowy Santa Claus's birthday makes up for a lot, although I found it a bit too understated to serve as the climax and bold moral statement that this movie deserves.

The multiple-story-line approach is a real balancing act and I applaud the filmmakers for their guts to set the bar so high. Also, I think to make a positive movie about love is in a way more daring than the cynical approach with a lot of cheap nudity, which since long has been the standard in Dutch movie-making.

Judging by the numbers of visitors, the filmmakers have succeeded in making the audience believe in love, at least for a short while..