Bros Before Hos

A fresh and funny comedy from the Netherlands, describing a bunch of people turning 30 (some more fortunate, some much less), all in the wake of American movies like most Western young people actually are.

The movie is nice because is full of energy and juvenile enthusiasm: it shows that being young and sexually uninhibited does not necessarily mean that you are also able to cope with more serious matters such as love, life or commitment.

Plot is predictable, however it's a comedy: honestly if it were not for the Dutch language I would not have been able to tell it from an American movie of the same genre.

When Steffen Haars and Flip Van Der Kuil made their first "New Kids" shorts and the feature film, their humour was refreshingly in your face. Every character they wrote was rude and violent, every joke was completely over the top, it was beautiful unstructured chaos acted in a genius deadpan style. It was also something I had just never seen before. After three movies however, I'm sort of wondering if they can do anything else. "Bros Before Hoes" doesn't technically have the same characters of "New Kids" and its sequel, but that doesn't stop them from making the exact same movie again. Now apparently it's a romantic comedy, but who cares, it's just the same jokes they've done to death in their earlier works. People puke, smoke crack, do anal, watch porn, beat each other up for no reason, take their cocks out in public, sexually assault the mentally handicapped, that used to be hilarious but the surprise effect is completely gone now. This is clearly not what the directors want, because generic gross-out seems to be all they have left now to keep the audience interested. There's one great moment though: there's a scene where the main character meets his dad and the part is genuinely emotional and funny at the same time. It's a brilliantly written and acted scene in a sea of mediocrity. It almost makes me hopeful for the directors' next feature (almost).

Someone stated this movie is only for people with an IQ of 30. I can't agree with that. That's like stating members of Mensa have a different sense of humour, not able to enjoy a bit of mindless banter. Your IQ has absolutely nothing to do with your sense of humour but I guess that's too difficult to understand for that reviewer. Comedies will never get only positive or negative reviews. We all have a different sense of humour so what's funny to someone looks dumb to somebody else. My IQ is above average but still far from Mensa and so is my wife's and we both enjoyed Bro's Before Ho's, mainly due to the character played by Henry Van Loon who doesn't look like a gangster at all but hearing him speak the "gangsta" lingo was just funny. Tim Haars on the other hand could play Prince Harry if somebody ever thinks about making a movie about him. His physical attributes are the same as the by now famous Duke of Sussex. I don't say he's a great actor but that's mostly due to the characters he plays most of the time like in The Netherlands immensely popular New Kids movies. Bro's Before Ho's is a bit simple, I'll concede to that, but there are enough funny scenes to make it entertaining and you don't have to understand Dutch to enjoy it. I do but my wife doesn't and she had the same fun as me watching this movie. Just don't expect a life changing story, but just a bit of mindless banter.

I have watched "Bros before Hos" (2013) quite a lot, and with each rewatch, I find myself noticing something new. It's almost as if this film has the ability to change and evolve with each viewing, like a chameleon adapting to its surroundings. It's strange, because I've watched this film over 50 times and I know every line of dialogue and every beat of the story by heart, yet it still manages to surprise me.

It's almost as if, with each rewatch, I discover something new about the film that I never noticed before. The performances, for example, which I initially took for granted, now stand out as particularly impressive, with the cast bringing depth and nuance to their characters. The cinematography, which I had previously overlooked, now adds an extra layer of beauty to the film. Even the plot, which I thought I knew so well, now reveals new complexities and subtleties with each viewing.

It's amusing how a film can change and reveal itself in new ways, even after multiple viewings, and even though I know the movie by heart, each rewatch gives me a new perspective and a different experience. It's a strange feeling, but it's also a testament to the power and complexity of cinema, it can keep surprising you even when you think you know it all.

Let's be honest, first up it's weird to read an English review about a Dutch film, written by a Dutchman, but because it's an international site, so be it.

Second of all, if you want to go see this movie with your girlfriend/wife/whatever you call her, be sure she's not squeamish or easily offended. The humor is rude, blunt, politicly uncorrect and hilarious if you like/love that sort of sh*t. If you read the reviews by the professionals, the sex of the person is obvious; men get it, (most)women don't. Luckily my wife has a healthy sense of unhealthy humor.

When my wife and I watched it, during the end credits, as the people walked by, you could see the same thing you could have seen if you went to Magic Mike, only then with most of the women; they looked as if they were forced to be there, and were determined to not like it (btw, I liked Magic Mike, but not as much as this one).

One last thing, stay for the end credits, especially if you love action movies!