Rent a Friend

Everybody seems to think that this movie is funny and well-acted and stuff. Let me assure you: it is not! Just because it is a little better than the average dutch movies, doesn't mean that it is a GOOD movie. I saw it after reading all this reviews at IMDb. All those actors look like if they are acting in a soap-show. Yeah, it's all about that, but it is not meant to look like it all the time... So, don't watch this movie, it's a waste of your time, if you want to see a dutch movie, watch LEK!

Am I really the first, and so far only person to comment on this film? This only goes to show how unjustly ignored (by the public, not the press) this film is/was.

The idea on which Rent-a-friend is based is brilliant. Haven't we all at one time or another longed for a friend to suit our every (non-sexual) need?

Yes, the acting is at times somewhat wooden, but that only adds to the whole comedic situation in my opinion. Yes, the dialogues are cheesy, sometimes verging on the ridiculous, but I would only describe that as being 'camp' rather than bad writing.

The situations in which friend Alfred finds himself are often hilarious. (Or is it that only a Dutch person can laugh about a man seeking a friend to watch German soccer with?). The whole development of Alfred's ploy to make money to impress Moniek into a multi national operation is still believable, and like I said before, funny.

And funny is what a comedy should be.

Rent a friend is lighthearted, a bit over the top, but certainly not worse than a lot of so called comedies we get to see most of the time. I recommend it. Even if it is on video, because the film has long left the theatres.

RENT-A-FRIEND; the title is english, but it's a (typical) Dutch film, by Eddy Terstall. Well, as most of his selfwritten films also this one deals with young adults, esp. assertive women, relationships (where love isn't really jumping off the screen, it is more defined by sex) and the same cast. This film was slighlty different as he had a big budget, yes he had a whole million dollars (rumours go that actors were fully paid !). This is the main difference to his other films. The money was clearly invested in locations, this time not the recognisable 'backyard' of the director, the Amsterdammish neighbourhood 'the Jordan', but the very modern buildings and flats in Rotterdam. This decor suited perfectly the plot, which is a parody on modern society; A writer (Rifka Lodeizen) of a famous soapopera, in which she puts her own life experiences, breaks up with her boyfriend (Marc van Uchelen), because besides painting mexicans from above (a big circle with a small one in it), he doesn't make money. Through the soap opera, boyfriend sees she's sleeping with her boss. He sets up a company, where you can rend friends (no sex) and is very successful. The film is entertaining, more structured, but still lacks sometimes in its actorsachievements and dialogues, but certainly deserves a larger (Dutch) audience than it's getting now. *** out of five

This is a pretty hilarious film that failed to get the audience it deserved in Holland or abroad. Underdog painter Alfred (Marc van Uchelen) is stuck in a relationship with soap opera writer girlfriend Moniek (Rifka Lodeizen), who does not find his oddball paintings of Mexican riddles amusing any longer. Snippets from this soap opera (acted hilariously badly - think "Boogie Nights") run parallel to their lives. When Moniek has an affair with her boss, poor Alfred finds out through watching the telly! Fed up, he moves to his sister's house and decides to go into business by offering himself for hire as a "friend". This leads to a string of sketches that involve some pretty weird negotiations about the etiquette of professional friendship with an excellent cast of Dutch comedians playing the role of customer. Business booms and Alfred soon finds himself at the head of a company called "Rent-a-Friend". He is joined by a determined young woman (Nadja Hüpscher, omnipresent in Terstall movies) with a Japanese fetish and a fetchingly broad Rotterdam accent. While the company continues to expand in surprising ways, Alfred's personal life also swings up. To complement an already very funny, if slightly episodic movie, the art direction places the story in an unfamiliar, slightly futuristic Holland that doesn't really exist - yet. It goes very well with the deadpan dialogue and the cheerful soundtrack. There are persistent rumours of an American remake, but I seriously doubt whether this can be topped.

In this age where people live mostly in isolation emotionally, there really is the yearn for a friend in need from the bottom of most people's hearts. This movie starts off in a seemingly ridiculous way, but in the end you'd think, hey, I'd like to rent a friend some time... I'd definitely recommend this video -- it's dazzling funny with substance.