The Happy Housewife (2010)
"De gelukkige huisvrouw" (original title)

Lea is an immaculate 30-something wife whose husband's job in real estate allows her an enviably glossy lifestyle. The word 'emancipation' simply isn't in her vocabulary and as long as the ... See full summary »

Director:

Antoinette Beumer

Writers:

Marnie Blok (screenplay), Karin van Holst Pellekaan (screenplay),

Stars:

Carice van Houten, Waldemar Torenstra, René van 't Hof

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Carice van Houten	...	Lea
Waldemar Torenstra	...	Harry
René van 't Hof	...	Verpleger Rene
Marcel Hensema	...	Beau
Isis Cabolet	...	Cynthia
Jaap Spijkers	...	Theo
Matthijs van Nieuwkerk	...	Matthijs van Nieuwkerk
Rik Launspach	...	Dr. Kallenback
Anke Engels	...	Corine
Joke Tjalsma	...	Moeder Henriette
Annemieke Bakker	...	Lidwien (as Annemieke Aalderink Bakker)
Maike Meijer	...	Zus Brigit
Bert Luppes	...	Dr. Mulder
Martijn Nieuwerf	...	Dieter
Dorijn Curvers	...	Kraamhulp Joke

Storyline

Lea is an immaculate 30-something wife whose husband's job in real estate allows her an enviably glossy lifestyle. The word 'emancipation' simply isn't in her vocabulary and as long as the money rolls in, all is rosy. So, when Harry Jr. arrives, she is a little traumatized at having to swap canapés for nappies. The result is a brave but hilarious story about a woman who fights to get her past - and her present - firmly back on track.

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Plot Keywords:

family relationships | title directed by female

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Offical site (Dutch) Official site (Dutch)

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch Dzongkha

Release Date:

15 April 2010 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

The Happy Housewife

Box Office

Budget:

€1,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eyeworks Egmond, Eyeworks Film & TV Drama

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The neighborhood featured in the opening shot, and thus where Lea and Harry live is the "overgooi" in Almere.

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Connections

Featured in Pauw & Witteman: Episode #5.17 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"For Bitter Or Worse"
Written by Anouk Teeuwe, Martin Gjerstad, Aben Eubanks, Tore Johansson
Performed by Anouk Teeuwe
Courtesy of EMI

User Reviews

Excellent performance, a movie with a meaning

For all those people who have read the description of this movie, discard everything you've read. I got the DVD in as a gift from my employer and wasn't too thrilled about it, but still took time to see it. The characters are very likable, at least most of them. Carice van Houten did an excellent performance as 'Lea' the main character. She had a very hard time giving birth, she was exhausted both mentally and physically which lead to a state of depression and somewhat hatred towards her 3 day old son. The story starts out happy and shows the life of a young carefree couple, both with successful careers. This scenario changes quickly after the birth of 'Junior'. A compelling series of events follows, 'Harry' Lea's husband can't trust Lea around her son anymore and consists that she gets treated in a mental institution. Her problems have a deeper background, the hunt for her problems have begun. ~ Overall was it a nice movie to watch, mainly because of the good performances and the urge to find out what causes Lea's problems. Between all the drama, Lea was able to show humor and progression, this element of the movie kept you watching it with content, the 2 hours flew by quicker than i thought. Story: 7/10 Performance: 9/10 Humor: 8.5/10 Technical: 8/10