Bennie Stout – The great Sinterklaas movie (2011)

Directed by: Johan Nijenhuis | 93 minutes | family | Actors: Hanna Verboom, Koen Dobbelaer, Diederik Ebbinge, Bianca Krijgsman, Plien van Bennekom, Irene Moors, Merel Boot, Pieter Lossie, Marijn Bekkenk, Koert Jan de Bruijn

Strange actually that, although our country has such a rich Sinterklaas tradition, until recently very few films have been made around the cozy family celebration. In recent years, that has changed somewhat, but except for ‘The Horse of Sinterklaas’, a real classic has not yet appeared. A film that the whole family likes to watch together year after year in the run-up to the 5 December party, with gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate within reach… ‘Bennie Stout – The great film of Sinterklaas’ deserves that status. Fortunately, the Sinterklaas party has been modernized over time. Today, naughty children are no longer bagged and sent to Spain for re-education. Johan Nijenhuis offers a very plausible explanation for this change in ‘Bennie Stout – The great film of Sinterklaas’, set in the 1930s.

Benjamin is, how could it be otherwise, the youngest in the Stout family. The family is not rich, but father, who is often away from home as a fisherman, works hard and mother also contributes with her household work in the mayor’s house. It is November and Father is almost home. In the harbor of their village, however, the family faces a disappointment: Papa Stout is still working in Bilbao, Spain, and will not return until spring. Despite the fact that they can use the income well, it is a major setback that father will not be home for the holidays. Benjamin especially has a hard time with it and when he writes his wish list for the Good Saint, it only says that he wants his father back from Spain. Benjamin is actually quite unlucky: without meaning it, he gets into trouble. Many of those problems are actually caused by his classmate, the spoiled mayor’s son, Roderick. For example, Roderick sabotages Benjamin’s homemade pedal car, so that he cannot brake in time and a beautiful marzipan pig is destroyed. Mother Stout pays for the costs and Roderick easily gets rid of it thanks to the interference of his mother, who keeps the apple of her eye above her head.

When a few days later Saint Nicholas celebrates his entry into the small village, Benjamin is not allowed to look as punishment. He has to polish the silver in the mayor’s house and devises a plan. Due to a combination of circumstances, he is able to put his name in the big book of Sinterklaas under ‘Naughty children’. He hopes to be assured of a place in the bag of Sinterklaas. After all, that boat has to go back to Spain, right? Mother and Steven already have so much to do with him that they would rather lose him than be rich, so Benjamin can pick up his father himself! The plan seems to work at first, but Benjamin hasn’t taken into account that you can’t just fool Sinterklaas!

‘Bennie Stout – The Great Sinterklaas Movie’ was largely shot in the Zuiderzee Museum, which is of course the perfect location for a story in this setting, because every scene looks really beautiful. The picturesque houses and streets breathe the atmosphere of the 1930s. In that sense, ‘Bennie Stout’ is a bit reminiscent of ‘Kruimeltje’ and ‘Pietje Bell’, to whom there is still a nice reference. However, those who enjoyed ‘Foeksia the mini witch’, Nijenhuis’ previous family film, will also enjoy ‘Bennie Stout’, because just like ‘Foeksia’, ‘Bennie Stout’ is a musical. Some of the songs are the traditional Sinterklaas songs, but there are also songs written especially for the film. Very infectious. Not every (young) actor is convincing, but the main roles are well cast. Wijo Koek’s screenplay is well put together and offers young and old a good dose of adventure and humor. ‘Bennie Stout – The great film of Sinterklaas’ is a heartwarming, cheerful and nostalgic family film. Those who value family traditions would do well to start a new one in 2011.