Thoroughly enjoyed this road movie that made me forget I watched it with my friends. There is a good mix between drama and humor. The dutch actresses (sisters Van Houten) act very natural and the American (Holly Hunter) actress acts intriguing. You follow the journey of the Dutch sisters with their long lost Americain mother. Although a difficult process the journey leads to some insight in their lives. It clarifies the way they live their life. By driving their mother round they also add value to her miserable life. The music adds to the atmosphere of the movie that ends with a nice twist in the tale. The story is simple and not flawless, but overall I give it a 8 because of the good mix of drama, humor and atmosphere.
10 Reviews
No mere chick flick
PopSixSquish20 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
What a beautiful, affecting story. Twin sisters from Holland, raised by gay fathers, travel to the US to help out the injured birth mother they've never met. One is serious, uptight, hardworking, career-obsessed; she has issues to work out with the misogynistic, belittling boss who undervalues her. The other is sunny, fun-loving, optimistic, family-oriented; she has issues to work out with her controlling, infantilizing husband. (Yeah, a bit of a Twilight Sparkle/Pinkie Pie dynamic.) The former has never let herself waste time wondering about their "womb," while the latter has always had a bit of an obsession with her visions of their American hippie mom. Yes, there are rotten male characters (on top of the boss and husband, the sisters get assaulted by a despicable group of men outside a tavern), but they're balanced by good ones, and the movie doesn't shove any ham-fisted or misandrist messages down your throat. It's 'feminist,' not obnoxious.
The film is carried by excellent performances from the three leading ladies. Carice is truly an extraordinary gem every single time--she's impossibly beautiful AND irresistibly adorable ("cuteiful," I daresay), crazy-good at acting and emoting, graceful, dainty, etc. Her natural wide-eyed innocence and vulnerability can also seep into a character just enough to render her more sympathetic in moments where perhaps the same role, filled by another actress, might not be. Everything she's in is simply so much better than it would be without her. Jelka holds her own alongside her sister and Holly. And Holly? Is every bit as great as you'd naturally anticipate, in the role of the mother who's definitely not what anyone expects. I found myself wondering whether these characters might in any way connect with the van Houtens' real-life personalities and relationship.
It's a journey of self-discovery, bonding, learning, love, and growth, and things develop quite interestingly as we learn more and more of Jackie. The drama is amped up by such debacles as running out of gas in the middle of the desert, a terrifying snakebite, being attacked by rapists, the sisters' personal problems, and so on, while the end takes an unforeseen turn. I'd have liked it if both sisters got to do karaoke, since Carice sings wonderfully as well, but that's not an inherent quibble with the script, which gave Sofie her own rewards. (And I will say that Jelka's voice is particularly well-suited to country.)
This is also the kind of film whose glorious scenery and RV theme spark in me nostalgia for family vacations and road trips, and stoke my own sense of wanderlust. It's gorgeous and should definitely be on people's watchlists.
The film is carried by excellent performances from the three leading ladies. Carice is truly an extraordinary gem every single time--she's impossibly beautiful AND irresistibly adorable ("cuteiful," I daresay), crazy-good at acting and emoting, graceful, dainty, etc. Her natural wide-eyed innocence and vulnerability can also seep into a character just enough to render her more sympathetic in moments where perhaps the same role, filled by another actress, might not be. Everything she's in is simply so much better than it would be without her. Jelka holds her own alongside her sister and Holly. And Holly? Is every bit as great as you'd naturally anticipate, in the role of the mother who's definitely not what anyone expects. I found myself wondering whether these characters might in any way connect with the van Houtens' real-life personalities and relationship.
It's a journey of self-discovery, bonding, learning, love, and growth, and things develop quite interestingly as we learn more and more of Jackie. The drama is amped up by such debacles as running out of gas in the middle of the desert, a terrifying snakebite, being attacked by rapists, the sisters' personal problems, and so on, while the end takes an unforeseen turn. I'd have liked it if both sisters got to do karaoke, since Carice sings wonderfully as well, but that's not an inherent quibble with the script, which gave Sofie her own rewards. (And I will say that Jelka's voice is particularly well-suited to country.)
This is also the kind of film whose glorious scenery and RV theme spark in me nostalgia for family vacations and road trips, and stoke my own sense of wanderlust. It's gorgeous and should definitely be on people's watchlists.
Worth watching, but odd
birck12 May 2014
I enjoyed this film, whether because of or in spite of some of its peculiarities, I know not. Two young adult dutch sisters, with lives in Holland as problematic as anybody's, get word that their absentee American mother has gone into a hospital in New Mexico, dare each other to take on the job, and wind up still together, meeting her for the first time at a rehab center in the States. The story is of how they all get to know each other and how the sisters are able to make some changes of their own, thanks to the journey. Oddly, many sexes are represented here, but decent non-macho, non-dickhead males are thin on the ground. To be fair, that doesn't seem to be a poke at Americans, since the sisters have the same issues to deal with back in Amsterdam-and are forced to deal with them via Skype during the road trip; just odd. Another oddness is that the filmmakers set and shot the story in a New Mexico that could have been the location for "the Road". It's a flat, barren wasteland that looks more like the deserts of West Texas or Oklahoma than like anybody's Land of Enchantment. Their trip takes them through one cruddy jerkwater roadhouse after another. That serves to point out that, yes, some Europeans do like American Country-Western music. But what happened to the Rocky Mountains, Santa Fe and Albequerque? New Mexico can be spectacular, but the director seems to have chosen what she found under a rock instead. Odd. If for no other reason, this film is worth watching for the "Dykes on Bikes" sequence. I will say no more.
It was a great movie... Until the ending.
liv-heste2 April 2013
The movie is about two dutch sisters who travel to America to meet their mother who has been gone for their whole lives. She is in the hospital with a fractured leg, and she needs to be transferred to a centre for rehabilitation. But the mother is a bit strange. She doesn't seem very happy to see her children. They travel together many kilometers in the mothers minibus, they get a lot of new experiences and their lives change forever. It is a great movie, and the story with the two sisters seeing their mother again is great. It is funny and a specially the ending is a bit overwhelming. The ending comes very unexpected, and one could think that the movie could have been much better and more worth watching if the ending had been different.
Nice little road trip movie
maartenrogier12 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The basic story is simple: two daughters fly to the USA to go on a road trip to meet their mother for the first time to take her to some hospital, and along the way they bond with their mom, learn to love themselves, and kick out the toxic men in their lives.
The best parts of this movie are the interactions between the two sisters. Their conversations and fights seem very natural, and are enjoyable to watch. Holly Hunter's character is mainly there as a catalyst for these interactions, and seems a bit of a waste of her talents.
The plot is very contrived at times, especially at the beginning and the end. A precise plot is clearly not the aim of the movie, which is all about the Van Houten sisters reconnect with each other.
It's not a great film, nor does it pretend to be, but it's very enjoyable to watch on a Sunday afternoon.
The best parts of this movie are the interactions between the two sisters. Their conversations and fights seem very natural, and are enjoyable to watch. Holly Hunter's character is mainly there as a catalyst for these interactions, and seems a bit of a waste of her talents.
The plot is very contrived at times, especially at the beginning and the end. A precise plot is clearly not the aim of the movie, which is all about the Van Houten sisters reconnect with each other.
It's not a great film, nor does it pretend to be, but it's very enjoyable to watch on a Sunday afternoon.
compelling actresses
SnoopyStyle30 July 2021
Dutch twin sisters, Sofie (Carice van Houten) and Daan (Jelka van Houten), never knew their birth mother. Their gay fathers are happily married and used visiting American hippie Jackie as a surrogate. Daan is struggling to get pregnant. Career-obsessed Sofie has no use for starting her own family. They get a call from America. Jackie (Holly Hunter) needs help after a stay in the hospital.
These are compelling actresses and this is a good neo-family road trip. One thing that kept bugging me for most of the movie. These girls should realize that Jackie would know some Dutch. She probably spent some time there. I kept waiting for the scene where she tells the girls something which reveals that she's been listening to her all that time. I have to give it to the movie. I never saw the twist coming. In some ways, it's a great twist and it says something about family more than Fast & Furious. I like that Sofie almost left it with the garbage and I really like the last scene in the suburbs. I do want a better way for the girls to have agency in tracking down their mother and they really should be smart enough to know that she would speak at least some passing Dutch.
These are compelling actresses and this is a good neo-family road trip. One thing that kept bugging me for most of the movie. These girls should realize that Jackie would know some Dutch. She probably spent some time there. I kept waiting for the scene where she tells the girls something which reveals that she's been listening to her all that time. I have to give it to the movie. I never saw the twist coming. In some ways, it's a great twist and it says something about family more than Fast & Furious. I like that Sofie almost left it with the garbage and I really like the last scene in the suburbs. I do want a better way for the girls to have agency in tracking down their mother and they really should be smart enough to know that she would speak at least some passing Dutch.
A road movie about finding a mother
jennifer-vrielinck11 February 2014
This is a magnificent movie. It contains feel-good, ups and downs, laughter and tears, violence and kindness, love and lust. A lot of contradictions. The movie is a mirror of real life, like road movies should be. All actors are casted great. The scenery is philosophical and well chosen for the story. Especially the end is magical. Not in a fairy-tale way but in a way people should think about what fairy-tales are. The singing is beautiful, the acting is true, the girls are lovely, the mother too. I enjoyed every minute, every frame. The story takes you along and stays with you for a very long time. It's an intense experience. Without spoiling it for future watchers: this is what life is all about. A philosophical approach of family and of love... The fabulous end is the answer to all questions.
seems like a typical road-movie at first but goes deeper
vincent_hahn4 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
(The spoiler within this review is not too bad. I think you can read this review instead of the wikipedia-summary before watching the movie without getting disappointed. Perhaps it even increases your "adventure".)
On the surface this move seems to deal with two sisters having a great adventure on the road and leaving their old lives behind. Already within the first minutes you can see typical patterns; both sisters struggle with their individual lives. The older one is egocentric and career focused, the younger one seems to have deep problems in her current relationship. As soon as they viewer gets to know that both of them are going to have a road trip, the spectator can imagine that this will change both lives and characters. This pattern has always been present in movies, from present to past. (Just as in Despicable Me, The Intouchables, Cruel Intentions, to list a few examples.)
In my point of view, the movies subject is on a different level. Beyond the obvious plot, it deals with the family-ideal as it exists and especially with the relations between its members. Whilst the viewer gets comfortable with the situation, the ending questions which connections and what behavior a family member has to fulfill. And I'm pretty sure that the writers even had some thoughts which didn't come to my mind yet. Furthermore, I think that the spectator has to be concerned with this question before watching the movie. Otherwise it's going to be clumsy and sometimes boring.
Besides, the music and the landscape pictures are beautiful. (Concerning the booklet and the movie's title well, too bad they won't reach the expected audience.)
On the surface this move seems to deal with two sisters having a great adventure on the road and leaving their old lives behind. Already within the first minutes you can see typical patterns; both sisters struggle with their individual lives. The older one is egocentric and career focused, the younger one seems to have deep problems in her current relationship. As soon as they viewer gets to know that both of them are going to have a road trip, the spectator can imagine that this will change both lives and characters. This pattern has always been present in movies, from present to past. (Just as in Despicable Me, The Intouchables, Cruel Intentions, to list a few examples.)
In my point of view, the movies subject is on a different level. Beyond the obvious plot, it deals with the family-ideal as it exists and especially with the relations between its members. Whilst the viewer gets comfortable with the situation, the ending questions which connections and what behavior a family member has to fulfill. And I'm pretty sure that the writers even had some thoughts which didn't come to my mind yet. Furthermore, I think that the spectator has to be concerned with this question before watching the movie. Otherwise it's going to be clumsy and sometimes boring.
Besides, the music and the landscape pictures are beautiful. (Concerning the booklet and the movie's title well, too bad they won't reach the expected audience.)
Good Performances, Contrived Plot
markyd-329-72096818 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
There are excellent performances by the 3 actresses here. Holly Hunter gives a mysterious and intense performance as the fabled and unknown mother, since the daughters grew up in the Netherlands and mom, a surrogate mother, lives in New Mexico. (These are not spoilers since this part of the plot is laid out within the first few minutes of the movie, and reported elsewhere.) There are some nice insights into the lives of twin sisters growing up without a mother, since their parents are 2 men. There is no political or moral statement about this, just a natural occurrence without a woman in their lives. The intriguing thing is how both sisters reacted quite differently. As the plot moves along, these differences are fleshed out. They must also confront their childhood fantasies about "Mother" when they come into contact with the wonderfully strange Hunter character. The cinematography is delicious, given the New Mexico locations.
Though this is an unconventional reunion story, Adoptees, Birth Mothers and others who wound up in families by non-conventional means will share in the sense of loss these sisters have experienced as well as the inner journey they both must navigate. However, the plot itself crashes along in a nonsensical way at times, and as things build towards a perceived happy ending, the contrived action overwhelms! In such a short period of time, insights and redemption and connection and breakthroughs and awakenings and, etc ..., they come so fast and furious that the "heart string pulling machine" was on overdrive as the plot becomes gratuitously formulaic.
However, during this time when I wanted to walk out of the movie, others were crying and cheering, so you may see it differently.
Other plot devices used in this movie will have to go uncritiqued because of spoiler issues.
Though this is an unconventional reunion story, Adoptees, Birth Mothers and others who wound up in families by non-conventional means will share in the sense of loss these sisters have experienced as well as the inner journey they both must navigate. However, the plot itself crashes along in a nonsensical way at times, and as things build towards a perceived happy ending, the contrived action overwhelms! In such a short period of time, insights and redemption and connection and breakthroughs and awakenings and, etc ..., they come so fast and furious that the "heart string pulling machine" was on overdrive as the plot becomes gratuitously formulaic.
However, during this time when I wanted to walk out of the movie, others were crying and cheering, so you may see it differently.
Other plot devices used in this movie will have to go uncritiqued because of spoiler issues.
Not an Easy Ride!
blogurious31 May 2012
Road-movies can be fun depending on the depth of the story and the journey there and back might even leave you begging for more. "Jackie", however, is an insipid excursion into boredom city, where the waiting-for-something-to-happen is the only thing actually happening.
We've all been on that road before, looking for that something meaningful we think we lost and finding it after a long search may not bring the satisfaction we were expecting. It's not a long movie, but the slow pace and lack of rhythm makes it the perfect sleeping medicine. Unfortunately you realize you're still in the theater, so snoozing through the credits might not look very nice. The story is not so bad, but the fact that it takes so long for everything to wrap up makes this movie quite a pain to watch.
We've all been on that road before, looking for that something meaningful we think we lost and finding it after a long search may not bring the satisfaction we were expecting. It's not a long movie, but the slow pace and lack of rhythm makes it the perfect sleeping medicine. Unfortunately you realize you're still in the theater, so snoozing through the credits might not look very nice. The story is not so bad, but the fact that it takes so long for everything to wrap up makes this movie quite a pain to watch.
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