Loverboy

Loverboy is made within the project of TeleFilm to promote Dutch movies. Of course the budget is much smaller than the mean Hollywood production, so that we shouldn't expect a high quality production. However this has its own charming effect on the movie. Perhaps the story is simple, but it is easygoing and nice to watch at, especially for the younger people. A reality is exposed which perhaps can be used as a warning: do not trust guys with money too soon! Your self respect is much more important than money.

The story is about a girl named Denise who meets Michael: a charming man who has lots of money and likes to spend it (on Denise). What she doesn't notice, is that Michael has other plans with her; he is a loverboy and wants to use Denise to make money for 'them' by introducing her into the prostitution circuit. Landing in a network of smart tricks and many lies she walks away from home and throws her safe environment and future away.

Finally the only mistake Michael makes, is falling in love with Denise. But after all his lies, can this love still be answered and fulfilled?!

This film is about an issue which is quite often in press here in Holland: Maroccan Loverboys (hence the title) gets nice blond dutch chick to be a prostitute. She does not mind and things go from bad till worse... And then she finds out, but it's not... The movie gets better through time... Nice waist of time though.

I think that the main issue, in the background, of this movie is that young girls are being taught by videoclips on MTV to love the external, material aspects of life, which makes them vulnerable to loverboys (pimps who recruit young girls).

This movie is about the process of a young girl, Denise, becoming a prostitute. She is seduced by a good looking, succesful and rich guy, Micheal. Step by step Micheal changes her from a sweet, innocent girl, into a prostitute. The movie shows in great detail how Micheal plays a psychological game with her.

The second storyline of this movie is that Micheal falls in love with her, which was, of course, not planned, because he is a pimp. You see Micheal's internal struggle with this. He tries to get her to be a prostitute, but sometimes he tries to protect her from it.

Denise is ruining her life, quitting school, running away from home, losing her friends.

The viewer is omniscient, you see both Denise's conversations with her family and school-friends, as Micheal's conversations with his co-pimps.

Loverboy is a movie made for TV and at the end of summer 2004 it will be repeated. As a health care teacher I use this movie in the classroom. I think all children must see this movie. But followed by a discussion about loverboys and forced prostitution. The Loverboy in this movie looks like a nice guy. Too nice if you ask me. But if he wasn't that nice the victim would not have fallen for him. That's the reason why I think it would be best to discuss this issue afterwards. In my opinion this movie is best seen by children aged 14+ But accompanied with an adult.

With kindest regards

Marion

This film is about loverboys, men who seduce young girls/women and force them in to prostitution. They're not very friendly people, usually using violence so that their victim is too afraid to do anything about their situation. So what do you do when you make a movie about loverboys? You make the loverboy a nice guy, someone who falls in love with his victim, awww isn't that romantic? Yes it is and that's the whole problem about this movie. It totally underrates the problem. Never is there a real threat, Denise the victim never seems to be stuck in her situation, she isn't forced to become a prostitute, she isn't forced to stay one. At the end she finds out that the loverboy has other girlfriends and then she just quits with the guy. Just like that.

One can argue that it wasn't the intention of the makers to make a film about the real problem, the actor portraying the loverboy did acknowledge that in real life the loverboy situation is far more violent. However since this film is about the only one about loverboys it's regarded as a good source and a good representation about it. And that's the real disturbing part since the film more or less promotes the good side of loverboys more than emphasize the negatives. At least the previous commenter also knows better.

In the Dutch show 'Cut (2003)' there was an episode about loverboys as well, but handled so much better. Especially since it didn't have a happy ending, and the girl that was the victim disappeared just like many do in real life.