Shouf, shouf habibi! - Schau ins Leben

I laughed and almost cried about this movie. Its a typically Dutch made movie for which one needs a bit of knowledge about dutch culture. A Film you most see. As a member of a etnic minority I saw a lot of simularity in settling and about intergration and its difficulty. I read a comment about this movie being Dull,´Well´, then Dutch culture has its dull sides, are you willing to see beyond!

Shouf Shouf Habibi is a film about a Moroccan Family trying to find their way in the Dutch society. With that they regularly clash with the established Western culture, from generation to generation.

The cynical treatment of the collision between two cultures that has been applied earns respect. Ter Heerdt emphasizes both the Dutch and the Moroccan attitude, which results in a very funny story. Rightly, there is no side chosen or judgement cut down; it remains merely analysing and thereby funny. It functions as comic relief to a subject which has become considerably hot in the Netherlands; integration. As I've said before, therefore this movie earns his credits.

It gave a lot of noise when this film was released in Holland. In the cinemas where it was shown, Moroccan youngsters claimed that the movie was 'theirs'. They thought that the film didn't have the intention to enjoy native Dutch people also, and as a consequence little riots broke out. Unfortunately, the Moroccan youngsters who did this never got the spirit this movie actually tries to promote....

Albert Ter Heert does a marvelous job in showing the viewers the inside of a sensitive issue in the Netherlands - integration. A heart warming and funny, bitter-sweet story with high-octane entertainment; Shouf Shouf Habibi enriches the viewer with insight into the struggle of a traditional Moroccan family trying to integrate into Dutch society, while maintaining their "identity" as well. An all-too-familiar scenario that occurs in every nation on earth; integrating into a society that neither understands nor fully accepts you is a challenge that every immigrant must face. The Dutch and Moroccan actors in this movie were most genuine in their presentation of the topic. It's an eye-opener to the ubiquitous intolerance of the unfamiliar in every society, but is presented in a light-hearted, enjoyable way that both educates and entertains. A delight to the senses.

This is supposed to be a comedy about Moroccan people trying to settle down in the Netherlands, and trying to make some money the easy way. Indeed there are one or two funny scenes, but on the whole there's too little humor to make this film a comedy: no smiles, no belly-laughs, no tongue-in-cheek jokes. The acting is flat and unconvincing, the filming is unimaginative. If you'd like to see a film about the clash between Islam and European culture, the generation gap between the immigrants and their children you'd better go and see 'East is East'. 'Shouf shouf habibi', hyped as the 'First Dutch Moroccan Film Ever', will not go down in my history book. 4/10

Although I normally do not like comedies (I prefer subtle humor in films that are about something else then just making jokes), Shouf Shouf Habibi definitely put some smiles on my face. Some subtle, intelligent jokes, some tougher. Good acting, interesting actors. To me this film showed that the general image about Moroccans that is spread in Holland can be true, but isn't always, and that there are always different stories for different people. Good humor, making you think, what else does a comedy want?