Flodder
Encyclopedia
Flodder is a 1986 Dutch comedy film written and directed by Dick Maas
, and distributed by First Floor Features. It is the first film in the Flodder franchise and is followed by two more films and a spin-off series. The film follows an anti-social, dysfunctional family
who move to an affluent, upper class neighbourhood as part of a social experiment which results in mayhem as the Flodder family refuses to adapt.
Flodder’s absurd humour and politically incorrect
satire ridiculing the Dutch welfare state
resulted in mixed reviews. However it still attracts a cult following and in 2007 was admitted to the Canon van de Nederlandse Film. Flodder is also a Dutch word meaning blank cartridge, a referral to the Flodders looking dangerous and being noisy, despite being rather harmless.
However the family fails to adapt and persists in their anti-social lifestyle which clashes with the values of the reserved upper class inhabitants of the neighbourhood, who try everything in their power to get rid of the Flodders. This results in several confrontations between individual members of the family and the upper class inhabitants.
The town council, being aware of the problems the family is causing, starts looking into alternative living accommodations, although Sjakie keeps insisting that the family should be given another chance. In the meantime son Johnny starts a relationship with neighbour Yolanda Kruisman, much to the fury of her husband.
This culminates at a neighbourhood meeting being held to discuss how to get rid of the family. Johnny and Yolanda walk in announcing their engagement. They decide to throw a party where everyone is invited. Meanwhile the town council finds a suitable alternative house for the family, but Ma Flodder discovers she has inherited a large sum of money from Opa Flodder who recently died in a train accident. With the money she decides to buy the house they’re living in. The climax of the film is the engagement party, which is attended by everyone and quickly gets out of hand; the people from the neighbourhood however have a great time and finally start to appreciate the family as they are. In the mean time Yolanda’s husband goes to the army base where he works and takes one of the army tanks. In the finale of the film he destroys the house of the Flodders who take it with good humour.
Huub Stapel
as son Johnny Flodder
René van 't Hof as son Kees Flodder
Tatjana Simić as daughter Kees Flodder
Lou Landré as Jacques "Sjakie" van Kooten
Jan Willem Hees as grandpa Flodder
Nani Lehnhausen as Toet Flodder
Horace Cohen as Henkie Flodder
Herbert Flack as Kolonel Wim Kruisman
Apollonia van Ravenstein asYolanda Kruisman
Bert André as Neighbour Ed Neuteboom
Lettie Oosthoek as Neighbour Tilly Neuteboom
(1992) and Flodder 3
(1995). The spin-off television series ran from 1993 till 1998.
(a Quebec working class dialect) and distributed in Quebec
under the title Les Lavigueur déménagent (The Lavigeurs are moving). The name Lavigeur
was taken from a Montreal
working class family who had made headlines in 1986 after winning what was then the largest jackpot ever awarded in a Canadian lottery.
Dick Maas
Dick Maas is Dutch film director, screenwriter, film producer and movie music composer.He achieved national fame after the success of the movies De Lift, Amsterdamned and Flodder.-Shorts:* Adelbert* De overval...
, and distributed by First Floor Features. It is the first film in the Flodder franchise and is followed by two more films and a spin-off series. The film follows an anti-social, dysfunctional family
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
who move to an affluent, upper class neighbourhood as part of a social experiment which results in mayhem as the Flodder family refuses to adapt.
Flodder’s absurd humour and politically incorrect
Politically incorrect
The phrase "politically incorrect" may refer to:* Someone or something which does not meet a standard of political correctness* Politically Incorrect, a late-night U.S. political talk show* Politically Incorrect, a German political blog...
satire ridiculing the Dutch welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
resulted in mixed reviews. However it still attracts a cult following and in 2007 was admitted to the Canon van de Nederlandse Film. Flodder is also a Dutch word meaning blank cartridge, a referral to the Flodders looking dangerous and being noisy, despite being rather harmless.
Plot
When it emerges that the Flodder family’s current state-owned house is on a toxic waste dump, the city council is forced to find somewhere to move them. Social worker, Sjakie, proposes to move the family to an upper class neighbourhood hoping that the change in social environment will have a positive effect on the problematic family.However the family fails to adapt and persists in their anti-social lifestyle which clashes with the values of the reserved upper class inhabitants of the neighbourhood, who try everything in their power to get rid of the Flodders. This results in several confrontations between individual members of the family and the upper class inhabitants.
The town council, being aware of the problems the family is causing, starts looking into alternative living accommodations, although Sjakie keeps insisting that the family should be given another chance. In the meantime son Johnny starts a relationship with neighbour Yolanda Kruisman, much to the fury of her husband.
This culminates at a neighbourhood meeting being held to discuss how to get rid of the family. Johnny and Yolanda walk in announcing their engagement. They decide to throw a party where everyone is invited. Meanwhile the town council finds a suitable alternative house for the family, but Ma Flodder discovers she has inherited a large sum of money from Opa Flodder who recently died in a train accident. With the money she decides to buy the house they’re living in. The climax of the film is the engagement party, which is attended by everyone and quickly gets out of hand; the people from the neighbourhood however have a great time and finally start to appreciate the family as they are. In the mean time Yolanda’s husband goes to the army base where he works and takes one of the army tanks. In the finale of the film he destroys the house of the Flodders who take it with good humour.
Cast
Nelly Frijda as Ma FlodderHuub Stapel
Huub Stapel
Hubertus Wijnandus Jozef Marie Stapel is a Dutch actor. He is especially known from the films De Lift , Flodder and Amsterdamned by Dick Maas. He also appeared in the Golden Earring video When the Lady Smiles.- External links :* at the New York Times Movies & TV...
as son Johnny Flodder
René van 't Hof as son Kees Flodder
Tatjana Simić as daughter Kees Flodder
Lou Landré as Jacques "Sjakie" van Kooten
Jan Willem Hees as grandpa Flodder
Nani Lehnhausen as Toet Flodder
Horace Cohen as Henkie Flodder
Herbert Flack as Kolonel Wim Kruisman
Apollonia van Ravenstein asYolanda Kruisman
Bert André as Neighbour Ed Neuteboom
Lettie Oosthoek as Neighbour Tilly Neuteboom
Reception
Although reasonably well reviewed, the film was considered controversial at the time, but has since gained cult status. It was admitted to the Canon van de Nederlandse Film in 2007. In 1987 it won a Gouden Kalf for best Art Direction.Sequel
The film is followed by two sequels, Flodder in AmerikaFlodder in Amerika
Flodders in America is a 1992 Dutch comedy film directed by Dick Maas. The film is the sequel of the successful film Flodder from 1986. It was filmed on location in New York and stars Dutch actors Huub Stapel, Nelly Frijda, Tatjana Simic, Rene van 't Hof, Lou Landre and American actor Jon Polito...
(1992) and Flodder 3
Flodder 3
Flodder 3 is a 1995 Dutch comedy film directed by Dick Maas.This is the third and last movie about the anti-social family, called 'Flodder'. As with all the other productions of Dick Maas, he composed the score himself....
(1995). The spin-off television series ran from 1993 till 1998.
Quebec Version
The film was translated into joualJoual
Joual is the common name for the linguistic features of basilectal Quebec French that are associated with the French-speaking working class in Montreal which has become a symbol of national identity for a large number of artists from that area...
(a Quebec working class dialect) and distributed in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
under the title Les Lavigueur déménagent (The Lavigeurs are moving). The name Lavigeur
Lavigueur family
The Lavigueur family is a Quebec family that made headlines in Canada in the 1980s after winning a lottery jackpot of $7,650,267 in 1986, which was then the largest prize ever given by Loto-Québec...
was taken from a Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
working class family who had made headlines in 1986 after winning what was then the largest jackpot ever awarded in a Canadian lottery.