Flodder

Well, at first you are astonished and laugh about the Flodder-Family. But if the movie continues you will see, that the freaks on this story are not the Family. It may be the truth that, to identify freaks positively, you have to confront them with other freaks.

Works still after 32 years. One of my favourite movies.

I have to admit, I have not seen much of this New Kids Nitro thing, so I'm just riffing on that show here. What I have seen though is all the 3 Flodder films that were released and the first one is the best of the bunch. Fish out of water and all that stuff.

Now the humor is quite mad, raunchy and really way beyond anything someone would call political correct - do not even touch this if you have issues with that subject matter. Because nudity, swearing (foul language) and many more things that are offensive are included. This is what you get, but the movie is true to itself and it has an inner logic (something that gets compromised even in the first sequel) ... Juvenille anarchic - and just couldn't care less if or how many it offends along the way.

Flodder, the movie adaptation of the beloved TV series, earns a solid 8/10 from me. While it may not capture all the elements that made the series exceptionally enjoyable, the film still stands strong on its own merits. It successfully brings the unique and uproarious world of the Flodder family to the big screen, offering a good dose of humor and entertainment.

The movie maintains the essence of what makes Flodder such a beloved franchise its quirky characters, offbeat humor, and the outrageous situations the family finds themselves in. However, fans of the series might notice the absence of Coen van Vrijberghe, whose presence added a distinct flavor to the show. His absence in the film is felt and leaves a bit of a void for those familiar with his contribution to the series.

Despite this, the movie does a commendable job of translating the chaotic and unconventional life of the Flodder family into a feature-length format. It retains the spirit of the series, while also introducing the characters and their bizarre lifestyle to potentially new audiences.

Dick Maas made and wrote his first of the Flodders-trilogy as a brilliant comedy without knowing that there would be two sequels which were not so strong. The housing problem in Holland in cities like Amsterdam or Rotterdam is acute and there is above all the problem of illegal immigrants. And what more is: living on a belt or next to a chemical plant can be dangerous. Flodder is more than a simple comedy: it is also a social satire of the cool Dutch bourgeosie who wants to be isolated of the big towns where there is criminality and so on but who goes to the warm countries during holidays to change their mediocre existence. Take Yolanda (Apollonia van Ravenstein), she is bored by her neighbourhood where never happens anything - there are f.i. no "café's" - and tired of her husband Kolonel Wim Kruisman (Herbert Flack) and she starts a sexual adventure with Johny Flodder (Huub Stapel). Alcoholism is also a subject of the movie: the alcohol is made at home and consumed in high quantities and whisky is drunk in floods by Kolonel Kruisman. This comedy is unsurpassed and is at the same time a sociological study of the escape out of town of the high-class citizens to the outskirts.

"Flodder" is one of the funniest movies ever made and few people realise that it is a Dutch movie made by none other than the Holland version of John Carpenter, the famous Dick Maas, author and director of the thriller "Amsterdamned". The Flodder family is the reincarnation of the term a-social. When the whole family bunch, basically all bastards, criminals and sluts must be relocated from their City slum because of toxic waste under their house, the city council house no choice. The only available space is in the "Zoendal" - the "Sun Valley" the best area in Amsterdam where all doctors, snobs and businessmen can afford to live their lives. And where the central point of interest and politics is the tennis club of the community. The Flodder family brings devastation to the tranquil world that ruled before. They are simply unbelievable. The characterisation is incredibly funny, beginning with Ma Flodder who searches other people's trash cans for food or making illegal liquor in her cellar and ending with the eldest daughter who is the biggest slut on earth. Together they make the most horrible family imaginable, a sort of immoral mirror image to the Brady Bunch or the Waltons. When the City counsel of Amsterdam hoped that the Flodders would show their good will to be more civilised in their new area, it turns out that Holland's most famous family would rather bring out the worst in the rich people of "Sun Valley"-wonderland. The rest is a hilarious, brilliant and well made social satire that can be watched as a provocative movie as well as a straightforward comedy. Dick Maas at his best. I salute him! Flooder was the Dutch smash hit in 1986 and brought two sequels and a tv series. All of the sequels were nice but not as great as the original.

Flodders (1986) is available on DVD in Germany in a dubbed German version in Dolby Digital 5.1. under the name:

"Flodders -Eine Familie zum knutschen"

Why is First Floor Features, the producer of the movie not bringing the Dick Maas blockbusters out on DVD in the Netherlands, I wonder. The are not even available on video there. These movies have so much potential, still to this day and have a huge silent but true following.