Just Say Yes (2021)

Directed by: Appie Boudellah, Aram van de Rest | 97 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Yolanthe Cabau, Noortje Herlaar, Jim Bakkum, Juvat Westendorp, Edwin Jonker, Nienke Plas, Pip Pellens, Kim-Lian van der Meij, Tino Martin, Huub Smit, Josilvio, Winston Post, Lisa Michels, Nina Warink, Patricia Paay, Dave Roelvink, Carolien Bech, Svenn van der Kruit, Destenaysha Cijntje, Flint de Man

Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ are popular and are crowding out the popularity of TV. Watching series and films without advertising what you feel like at that moment: a genius concept! At the same time, the popularity of these streaming platforms has created a kind of power struggle. By offering as much content as possible, these platforms hope to attract (new) customers. Netflix is ​​especially good at this. New series and films are added to the range almost daily. A substantial budget has also been set aside for original content. This content was created exclusively for the platform in question and therefore cannot be seen anywhere else. In the case of ‘Just Say Yes’, that’s a good thing…

‘Just Say Yes’ is – what the title does not suggest – a Dutch romantic comedy. In this film, Yolanthe Cabau plays the lead role as Lotte. She’s a goofy type who works in front of the TV. Her sister Estelle (Noortje Herlaar) is an influencer and everything Lotte is not: popular, successful with the opposite sex and irresponsible. When Lotte is brutally dumped by her cheating boyfriend Alex (Juvat Westendorp), she decides to enlist the help of the smooth Chris (Jim Bakkum) to win him back. That is different.

Like a horror movie, the romantic comedy is incredibly predictable. It is precisely because you know what you are getting that these films score so well. However, because the expectations are low, that does not mean that making a good genre film is easy. ‘Just Say Yes’ is the perfect proof of that. Despite the impressive cast, director duo Appie Boudellah and Aram van de Rest do not succeed in making a convincing film. In fact, this film is excruciatingly boring and an insult to the viewer.

The biggest flaw of this film is that no character is sympathetic. Lotte knows that her boyfriend cannot be trusted, but decides to follow him willfully. Alex is a notorious cheater, Estelle a selfish airhead and then there’s Lotte’s nymphomaniac girlfriend (Nienke Plas) and a sexually frustrated housewife (Kim-Lian van der Meij). Furthermore, the characters consist of annoying broadcasters, wimpy housemen and unnecessary celebrities cameos. You look at characters you wouldn’t like to meet in person. It has produced a rather boring and dated movie that is somewhere in between ‘Bridget Jones’ and ‘American Pie’. After every boring joke there is a kind of silence (as if the makers hoped that there would be laughter very loud and dialogue was not useful because the audience would laugh over it). This film is a loveless mishmash of other films, but without charisma or zest for life.