I recently had the dubious honour to make Dutch subtitles for this film with a view to a television broadcast in Holland. Although I was initially appalled by the poor writing, acting, direction and just about everything of this piece of evangelical cinema, I decided to make the best of it and enjoy myself. I laughed my head off.
The story concerns an American young man, Tim, who freaks out when he discovers he was sired by a Dutchman instead of the man in the photograph his mother had put in a frame, and which had been his solace during his childhood. Using his high school graduation money, he travels to Amsterdam. He has fallen prey to pimps and/or drug pushers by the time the movie opens. His search for his dad having floundered, he finds himself hustling, prostituting himself and robbing American tourists. While he is sinking into a moral quagmire, a conference of travelling evangelists is being held at the RAI conference centre. Raj from India, speaking idiosyncratic Indian English, and Abraham from Nigeria, who speaks some sort of pidgin English, end up sharing a room.
On his way to the conference, Raj encounters Tim at the Leidseplein. Tim begs for money, allegedly to get some breakfast. Well intentioned and unflappably optimist Raj religiously resolves to return there later with food for this unfortunate American boy and does indeed collect some during the conference lunch. From there on, the film turns around Tim's descent into moral depravity and his repeated and increasingly improbable meetings with Raj, who gives him food and lodging at his hotel, helps him kick his drug habit cold turkey, kicks the bad guys like a regular action hero and even hooks Tim up with his natural father, a kind veterinarian. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that he gradually converts Timothy, as he calls him, to Christianity in the process. The religiously inspired optimism and naivety of this weird Good Samaritan character, who follows his dear Timothy around like a happy puppy, is a marvel to behold, while his attempts at comedy fat flat on their face and become unintentionally hilarious.
Having lived in Amsterdam for some 17 years, I naturally enjoyed observing the geographically impossible moves of the characters around the city. However, the real delight of this picture was the psychologically improbable and poorly motivated behaviour of the characters within this cityscape. On top of this, some of the Dutch B list actors in supporting roles do their utmost to prove how bad they are at their job.
I would recommend this film to viewers of all religious or non religious persuasions, provided they have a sense of humour. However, it does offer specials delights to Dutch viewers, as they can spot Peter Blok, who went on to bigger and better things, in a tiny part, watch Hans Kemna demonstrate why he did well to stop acting and become a casting director, and hear eternal supporting actor Frederik de Groot as Jaques the pimp pronouncing the word Rembrandtsplein in English with a weird French accent, while pronouncing his lines in Dutch like any other native. When he is in a homicidal mood, his voice is dubbed by a British actor, which to me at least suggests some kind of demonic or thespian possession.
If you ever get the chance to see this, don't pass it up.
The story concerns an American young man, Tim, who freaks out when he discovers he was sired by a Dutchman instead of the man in the photograph his mother had put in a frame, and which had been his solace during his childhood. Using his high school graduation money, he travels to Amsterdam. He has fallen prey to pimps and/or drug pushers by the time the movie opens. His search for his dad having floundered, he finds himself hustling, prostituting himself and robbing American tourists. While he is sinking into a moral quagmire, a conference of travelling evangelists is being held at the RAI conference centre. Raj from India, speaking idiosyncratic Indian English, and Abraham from Nigeria, who speaks some sort of pidgin English, end up sharing a room.
On his way to the conference, Raj encounters Tim at the Leidseplein. Tim begs for money, allegedly to get some breakfast. Well intentioned and unflappably optimist Raj religiously resolves to return there later with food for this unfortunate American boy and does indeed collect some during the conference lunch. From there on, the film turns around Tim's descent into moral depravity and his repeated and increasingly improbable meetings with Raj, who gives him food and lodging at his hotel, helps him kick his drug habit cold turkey, kicks the bad guys like a regular action hero and even hooks Tim up with his natural father, a kind veterinarian. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that he gradually converts Timothy, as he calls him, to Christianity in the process. The religiously inspired optimism and naivety of this weird Good Samaritan character, who follows his dear Timothy around like a happy puppy, is a marvel to behold, while his attempts at comedy fat flat on their face and become unintentionally hilarious.
Having lived in Amsterdam for some 17 years, I naturally enjoyed observing the geographically impossible moves of the characters around the city. However, the real delight of this picture was the psychologically improbable and poorly motivated behaviour of the characters within this cityscape. On top of this, some of the Dutch B list actors in supporting roles do their utmost to prove how bad they are at their job.
I would recommend this film to viewers of all religious or non religious persuasions, provided they have a sense of humour. However, it does offer specials delights to Dutch viewers, as they can spot Peter Blok, who went on to bigger and better things, in a tiny part, watch Hans Kemna demonstrate why he did well to stop acting and become a casting director, and hear eternal supporting actor Frederik de Groot as Jaques the pimp pronouncing the word Rembrandtsplein in English with a weird French accent, while pronouncing his lines in Dutch like any other native. When he is in a homicidal mood, his voice is dubbed by a British actor, which to me at least suggests some kind of demonic or thespian possession.
If you ever get the chance to see this, don't pass it up.