Mother Lice – The Movie (2021)

Directed by: Ilse Warringa, Jan Albert de Weerd | 108 minutes | comedy | Actors: Ilse Warringa, Jennifer Hoffman, Andre Dongelmans, Arnoud Bos, Dragan Bakema, Maaike Martens, Leny Breederveld, Bianca Krijgsman, Rian Gerritsen, Dunya Khayame, Meral Polat, Aiko Beemsterboer, Rop Verheijen, Walid Benmbarek, Beppie Melissen, Corneel Evers

Linear TV is dead. At least that is the message that has been proclaimed for years when it comes to the state of the picture tube. Certainly, people still turn to major sporting events, and with major news events there is often also a reason to start the news, but otherwise, according to prophets of doom, ‘TV’ is mainly an ongoing business.

And then suddenly there was a comedy series about an ordinary primary school that is populated by slightly less ordinary people: ‘De Luizenmoeder’. The series became a hit of unprecedented magnitude, with around five (!) million viewers at its peak. Makers (and protagonists) Ilse Warringa and Diederik Ebbinge had looked closely at series such as ‘The Office’ and ‘Parks and Recreation’, and found the schoolyard to be the ideal mirror for today’s Dutch society.

And as is often the case with successful TV hits, there is always someone who comes up with the – usually disastrous – idea to add a film version. A strategy that is perfectly understandable from a marketing point of view, but often less so from a substantive point of view. Because what often works well on TV in a format of 25 minutes, does not automatically lend itself to an interesting cinema film.

The setting of ‘Luizenmoeder: De Film’ apparently differs little from that of the series: we find ourselves again in and around primary school De Klimop, where after the departure of director Anton (Diederik Ebbinge, who finished after two seasons of the series was with the concept) literally yawns a great void. The neurotic Juf Ank (co-director and writer Ilse Warringa, in her career-defining role) is in charge for the time being, but is increasingly succumbing to the pressure of the parents. And then the board also appoints a slightly overkilled type (Dragan Bakema) to drag the school into the digital age with e-teachers and robots.

The parents in the schoolyard once again form a striking cross-section of Dutch society, while everyone can also easily recognize themselves in one of the school employees: from the apparently sweet yet villainous Nancy (a wonderful role by Bianca Krijgsman) to the ordinary Jennifer Hoffman ( who again has the thankless task of looking around in a very surprised way). However, the show is stolen by the anarchist teacher Helma (the brilliant Leny Breederveld) who doesn’t care about all the newfangled things and prefers to tell her students about the good old days, when students still dared to rebel against higher authorities. In the real world someone like Helma would probably have been canceled a long time ago, but in essence she is of course the best teacher imaginable.

In terms of plot lines, it sometimes seems as if three episodes of De Luizenmoeder are intertwined, but Warringa has succeeded well in making a coherent whole of the film. What is striking is that the dramatic tone predominates. In particular, Warringa’s own Miss Ank is a layered, lifelike character in a dramatic way. In between her own troubles, she takes care of a problem child in her class, while ignoring her own loneliness. At times it creates scenes that are genuinely moving. In between, strong points are also discussed about excessive parental involvement and the dark sides of digitization. But in the funny situations between the schoolyard parents, the sharpness that characterized the series is often lacking. Those scenes often remain a bit bland and stale, with obvious jokes and a little too little successful satire.

‘Luizenmoeder: The film’ will undoubtedly aim for the largest possible audience, but the larger the target group, the less specific and daring the humor. The film version is therefore a lot safer than the series, but is very successful on a dramatic level, with a strong emotional impact and excellent protagonists. But the question that lingers above the market is whether it was really necessary to take the step to the cinema screen at all. A third season would have made more sense in the end.