OK, I've just enjoyed this movie even though I absolutely despise New Kids. No, I don't understand why I liked it. Somehow I got the humour this time. I was willing to let my inner 11-year-old take over. I laughed throughout the entire movie.
I don't think there is any movie like this in the English-speaking world. It's hard to explain. Some of the other reviewers have explained it brilliantly, but I'll give it a try.
The plot is that five young men, through their stupidity, lose their jobs and then their welfare handouts. Their leader decides that they're no longer going to pay for anything. Eventually the bill collectors and police show up, but they're no match for our disgusting moronic heroes. The government then decides to wipe the town out. But the new kids, despite trashing and abusing the town, love the place and defend it.
This type of humour showcases shockingly unacceptable antisocial behaviour. This is why I usually hate it. There are many visual gags about sex, urination, defecation, vomiting and so on. We see the actor's penises. We see them urinate. Suicide, brutal car accidents, pregnant women ignoring their health, killing animals and babies, destroying property, disrespecting the police, women and gays, a constant stream of offensive insults -- all of this and much more is what this movie is about. They use the same very offensive language over and over again, until it loses all meaning. The five offensive young men utterly trash and terrorise a small, orderly town (a phenomenon that is sadly a little too close to what actually happens sometimes in the Netherlands). If a scooter fails on them, they attack it and kick it to pieces. There is no ideology behind their abuse, violence and aggression. It's just the way they are.
The new kids are lower class Dutch men (the lowest), so in a way this is a very classist movie. The movie makes fun of them, but it also makes fun of the media, the police, the criminal justice system, the government and Dutch society. Everything really. The movie attacks the very concept of feeling good and watching a movie. It's as if the movie makers are inviting to wonder why you're watching this sh*t. The themes that come to mind are schadenfreude, nihilism and anarchy.
In other countries, maybe the filmmaker might have used this comedy troupe to express witty insights. However, there is little of that here. There is some sophistication in this movie, but the sophistication is in its nihilism, its exploration of how low one can go, and its commentary on the stupidest aspects of modern Dutch society. There is some merit in the coarseness of the language and mockery. This movie has profound things to say about Dutch masculinity, but I'm not sure what.
This movie is well made. It's funny and fast paced. It's very unashamedly Dutch.
It's hard to explain why the moviegoer isn't consumed by hatred and disgust for these five a*sholes. They are indeed the heroes of the movie, but we're clearly laughing at them. They are so utterly stupid and mindless. At no point is there any doubt that these caricatures are losers and broken people unable to function in any normal way.
This is a very difficult movie to rate. Many people would hate it. But I did laugh. I can see why others want to give it a 10.
I don't think there is any movie like this in the English-speaking world. It's hard to explain. Some of the other reviewers have explained it brilliantly, but I'll give it a try.
The plot is that five young men, through their stupidity, lose their jobs and then their welfare handouts. Their leader decides that they're no longer going to pay for anything. Eventually the bill collectors and police show up, but they're no match for our disgusting moronic heroes. The government then decides to wipe the town out. But the new kids, despite trashing and abusing the town, love the place and defend it.
This type of humour showcases shockingly unacceptable antisocial behaviour. This is why I usually hate it. There are many visual gags about sex, urination, defecation, vomiting and so on. We see the actor's penises. We see them urinate. Suicide, brutal car accidents, pregnant women ignoring their health, killing animals and babies, destroying property, disrespecting the police, women and gays, a constant stream of offensive insults -- all of this and much more is what this movie is about. They use the same very offensive language over and over again, until it loses all meaning. The five offensive young men utterly trash and terrorise a small, orderly town (a phenomenon that is sadly a little too close to what actually happens sometimes in the Netherlands). If a scooter fails on them, they attack it and kick it to pieces. There is no ideology behind their abuse, violence and aggression. It's just the way they are.
The new kids are lower class Dutch men (the lowest), so in a way this is a very classist movie. The movie makes fun of them, but it also makes fun of the media, the police, the criminal justice system, the government and Dutch society. Everything really. The movie attacks the very concept of feeling good and watching a movie. It's as if the movie makers are inviting to wonder why you're watching this sh*t. The themes that come to mind are schadenfreude, nihilism and anarchy.
In other countries, maybe the filmmaker might have used this comedy troupe to express witty insights. However, there is little of that here. There is some sophistication in this movie, but the sophistication is in its nihilism, its exploration of how low one can go, and its commentary on the stupidest aspects of modern Dutch society. There is some merit in the coarseness of the language and mockery. This movie has profound things to say about Dutch masculinity, but I'm not sure what.
This movie is well made. It's funny and fast paced. It's very unashamedly Dutch.
It's hard to explain why the moviegoer isn't consumed by hatred and disgust for these five a*sholes. They are indeed the heroes of the movie, but we're clearly laughing at them. They are so utterly stupid and mindless. At no point is there any doubt that these caricatures are losers and broken people unable to function in any normal way.
This is a very difficult movie to rate. Many people would hate it. But I did laugh. I can see why others want to give it a 10.