Love Is All (2007)

The bumpy love lives of four Amsterdam couples intersect during the days leading up to Dutch national holiday Sinterklaas.

Director:

Joram Lürsen

Writer:

Kim van Kooten (screenplay)

Stars:

Michiel Romeyn, Thomas Acda, Anneke Blok

9 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Peter Paul Muller	...	Dennis
Daan Schuurmans	...	Kees Tromp
Paul de Leeuw	...	Victor Jollema
Lies Visschedijk	...	Alicia
Marc-Marie Huijbregts	...	Rudolf van Hoogstraten Bosch
Lineke Rijxman	...	Jutta Horvath
Viggo Waas	...	Youri
Camilla Siegertsz	...	Anneke
Bas Keijzer	...	Rens

Storyline

LOVE IS ALL Klaasje has divorced Dennis, who cheated on her with a school teacher. Dennis would like her back, but when she moves in with a young lover it looks as if he has missed the boat. Meanwhile, Klaasje's best friend Simone is the pivot of her family. Her husband Ted often feels redundant and he does not have the guts to tell her that he has been laid off. Pool attendant Victor is looking forward to marrying the love of his life, Kees. But Kees has doubts and keeps his fears at bay during weekends spent 'larping' (Live Action Role Play). Victor's sister Kiki, a sales assistant at department store Bijenkorf, is dreaming of a prince on a white horse. But she is unaware of the fact that a real prince, Valentijn, is crazy about her. With the arrival of a mysterious Santa Claus, all these amorous ups and downs reach a climax, while the happy endings come closer too.

---

Plot Keywords:

f rated | prince | school teacher | santa | department store | 

---

Taglines:

Love is like Santa Claus. Believing is everything.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Netherlands]

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch English Spanish

Release Date:

11 October 2007 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Love Is All

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

EUR3,740,500 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,537,889

Company Credits

Production Co:

Motel Films, Fu Works, Verenigde Arbeiders Radio Amateurs (VARA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Alles is liefde" the soundtrack of the movie was created by the dutch band BLØF.

---

Goofs

The day saint Nicolas arrives in Holland, is in the movie on a Sunday, but in reality it is always celebrated on a Saturday.

---

Quotes

Narrator: When you're young, you'll believe anything. Spinaze will give you muscles, your father is the strongest man in Holland and Sinterklaas is real. But there will be a day that you look at the mans shoes and think... wait a minute, those are my fathers shoes. You always suspected something like that but it's all getting through to you now. It's nonsence to believe there's a man with a long white beard in Spain who takes the boat to Holland every year to put something in your shoe. And another thing...

---

Crazy Credits

During the initial credits, there is footage of the re-scheduled wedding. The rest of the credits are laid out as a wedding invitation/ card and have hand-written greetings to the couple inscribed, as well as stills from the film and small clips in floral heart shapes of couples (not necessarily from the film).

---

Connections

Referenced in Spuiten en slikken: Episode #5.2 (2007)

---

Soundtracks

Love is an Arrow
Written by Riley Briggs (as R. Briggs)
Performed by Aberfeldy

User Reviews

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..