Masterclass

Being a big fan of Hans Teeuwen and of most of the Dutch actors in this movie arguably has a very counterproductive effect on my opinion of it.

As other reviewers stated, in the end it's all not that original. It's a drama teacher that goes too far, after being invited by an actor that is too weak to keep control of the situation.

We have some of the best actors in the country performing here, but in the end it all seems a bit like a hobby project, at times reminding me of the Dutch improvisation theater show 'De Vloer Op'.

Everything together makes me wonder if the movie might've worked out better with a cast of 'unknowns'. Having famous actors perform the role of famous actors causes the absurdism to lay too thick on top of everything.

I'm a big Hans Teeuwen fan, so I had to watch how his first film was like. To be honest, I don't think it's that great. I think it's OK technically and it's nice that the drama students didn't know they were in a movie in some scenes. I don't like however that a lot of Hans' former work has been literally copied into this film. The whole absurd ism thing seems just a spin-off from the "Poelmo, slaaf van het zuiden(voor meisjes die van paarden houden)" theater show he did with Gumbah and Pieter Bouwman. Some parts of this show are literally copied ( "He, wat doe ik nou?" and when the students grab their partners by their legs and walk around with them). It isn't really original at all. The piano compositions heard in the film were from one of Hans' stand-up comedian shows. In the end, this just feels like some kind of rerun from Hans' work, but only in another format. It disappointed me because there were so little new things to find in this film. The story enrolled itself nicely in the beginning, but in the end it didn't meet expectations.

I hope this is some kind of "conversion" film for Hans' and that his next film will be more interesting. I'm giving this film a 4.

A class of young drama students are led to believe that they are attending an actual masterclass of famous dutch comedy actor Peer Mascini. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but to the increasing bewilderment of the students, Mascini confronts them with the most bizarre questions and assignments.

As a satire on drama school culture, Masterclass states the obvious. We already know that some drama teachers are pretentious snobs who use silly metaphors and techniques. As for director and actors' intention to mess around with some innocent students: goal achieved. Indeed, the students' progression from shyness to bafflement (some nice close-ups here) could hardly have been acted. On this level, the movie is an interesting study of acting versus spontaneous behavior. But so is any hidden camera show.

The Hans Teeuwen signature is identifiable for those who are familiar with his brilliant performances as a stand up comedian. Some narrative tricks are used effectively here. For example, in the story of the terrible fate of a former student of Mascinis, the repeated mention of the victim's name, Seth Aalbers, gives the story its hilarious effect. Also, the unexpected and prolonged ending sequence is fresh and funny – an escape from the theater school for both the actors and the viewers.

As a tribute to Mascini, the movie does a good job. Support actor Pierre Bokma is remarkably low key in his role of the underdog.

With his first movie, Teeuwen has proved that he can successfully transfer some of his theater knowledge to the screen. However, one hopes that he will come across a great script that will allow him to reach the same level of emotional urgency of his theater shows.