In short: Not original, but great fun. For the biggest part. Good dialogs. Chemistry between actors Lies Visschedijk and Dan Karaty. Recognizable situations for everyone being part of modern day Dutch life. And a nice feel good ending. But it loses its pace and its wit towards the end.
In Long: This movie is loosely based on the columns of Sylvia Witteman (in a Dutch Newspaper De Volkskrant). Her first writing was only culinary and later on more on her life as housewife and mother. She does this with great humor, making fun of herself as chaotic, plumb, neurotic, over-the-hill woman.
This "spirit" is used as inspiration by Marjolein Beumer to write the scenario for the movie Soof (which short for Sophie). Her sister Antoinette Beumer (Loft, De Gelukkige Huisvrouw) directs this light hearted movie.
In short the plot. Soof (Lies Visschedijk), a housewife, taking care of adolescent daughter and boy twins, next to running s small catering business. Her husband Kasper (Fedja van Huêt) has a very busy business life, from which he suddenly takes a sabbatical. This coincides with the fact that Soof's business takes off. This happens because a celebrity choreograph Jim (Dan Karaty) loves her food and makes sure she gets more jobs... And from there on you probably can guess what starts evolve. And sure it does. It does at a leisurely pace and with great dialogs and funny scenes. This keeps up till two-thirds of the movie and then it loses pace and humor. Until the last five minutes when the second plot twist turn the spirits up again. And of course, the now almost obligatory, dancing by cast and crew over the end-titles. If you are non-Dutch you probably will wonder what a lot characters are doing in the movie. Well basically nothing, but they are for the most part cameos and therewith sometimes cluttering the movie. Keep your critical eyes in your pocket and you enjoy it to fullest, because it is a fun movie. It does not pretend to be more than that and can be appreciated as such.
