Minoes

This was my favorite film at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2002. This bright tale of a woman who is really a cat has all the charm of a fairy tale and the timeless and romantic feel of Amelie or Mary Poppins.

The story is simple. A cat turns into a woman after coming across some unknown nasty stuff spilled from a barrel. She finds herself stuck on the rooftops of her small town not sure which world she now belongs to - human or feline. She trips into the life of a struggling reporter and they both finds ways to help each other and expose the local business hero as the cad that he is.

Everything from the set designs to the action was well crafted. The result was such a treasure that I'd love to own a DVD copy but can't find any. Somehow I think if the US companies (please, not the new Disney!) got their hands on this they would ruin it's European charm. Please, please distribute this or release a DVD.

Carice van Houten, now famous for her role in Zwartboek, is a great actress and knows how to get her audience's attention. In Minoes, she is a very sweet and fun girl and together with Theo Maassen she really put together a lovely movie. Though not more than 1 hour of entertainment, this movie is something you could watch over and over and over again. Why? It's lighthearted, very funny and brings out the genius that was Annie M.G. Schmidt, who wrote the story years ago. The power of this movies is also the voices of the cats. Famous Dutch people like Wim T. Schippers, a.k.a. Ernie (Bert and Ernie), and Hans Teeuwen, a renowed Dutch comedian make funny jokes all the time and besides it's really fun to hear someone be a cat. If you enjoyed this movie, I highly recommend Ja Zuster, Nee Zuster, which has a similar class and quality. Go ahead and watch them and have a great time!

I love this Dutch film in any way possible. It has charm, it is funny and sweet and most of all it is heartwarming. It starts with a simple premise. A cat changes into a young woman because she eats from some chemical stuff in a barrel. She, Minoes (Carice van Houten), is allowed to stay with Tibbe (Theo Maassen). He is a reporter who is about to get fired but since Minoes can help him with some news which she hears from other cats, she saves his job. They make a deal. She can stay, but she must provide Tibbe with some news.

Mr. Ellemeet (Pierre Bokma) is the hero of the town. He seems to be a very good man but Minoes and the other cats slowly discover that he is not that good after all. Now the shy Tibbe wants to help the cats and expose Mr. Ellemeet but he has no prove besides the stories of cats. Minoes, the other cats and a girl named Bibi (Sarah Bannier) who lives next door come up with a plan to help Tibbe.

The simple story is based on a novel written by Annie M.G. Schmidt, who was and is probably the most read author for children books in The Netherlands. Although it is quite simple it has so many nice touches you almost forget the simplicity. The nice little touches deal with Minoes who has a struggle with herself. She is a cat but slowly becomes a human being. The hunger for fish and birds and the need to climb trees when dogs are near are those little nice things.

Carice van Houten plays her part extremely well. It may seem pretty easy what she does but that is only because of her. Theo Maassen finds the right note for his character as well and Pierre Bokma is a good villain. The performances are good and it looks very good as well, exactly the way a movie like this should look. The movie is perfect for children and I think that adults will have at least the same amount of fun. There is simply nothing wrong with this movie considering it is for the whole family. If you want to see a great family film, try this Dutch little treasure.

Note: A nice fact is that Jan Roelfs is the co-producer. He was Oscar-nominated as the production designer for 'Orlando' and 'Gattaca' and is the production designer for the upcoming 'Alexander' from Oliver Stone.

there is nothing more to say, it ìs simply great: good story, good actors, straightforward and heartwarming... Carice van Houten is an ideal Minoes, Thea Maassen is a believeable Tibbe, the cats are welltrained and the voices are wellcast, the atmosphere of it all is simple, typical Dutch...

I feel the earlier 2 comments were very detailed and sufficient. Nevertheless would like to add on some personal comments.I have just watched this movie at the European Film Festival here in KL. Having lived in Malaysia for 26 years it was a real treat to watch a Dutch movie on the big screen here. It made me feel quite nostalgic to see all the typical Dutch scenery, habits and other trivia. And then those cats attributed with typical Dutch characters. Lovely! The audience here was of the same opinion as I heard a lot of them laughing out loud. This movie is especially great for children AND adults with a ticklish inner child!! Praise for the acting of Carice van Houten. I thought she was more real and believable as a catwoman than Halle Berry!