Ron Goossens, Low Budget Stuntman (2017)

Directed by: Steffen Haars, Flip Van der Kuil | 78 minutes | comedy | Actors: Tim Haars, Bo Maerten, Michiel Romeyn, Henry van Loon, Thomas Acda, Don Alphonso, Jos Bakker, Pieter Bouwman, Dennie Christian, Steef Cuijpers, Karsten de Vreugd, Tygo Gernandt, Nick Golterman, Steffen Haars, Bert Hana, Gerda Havertong, Martin Koolhoven, Tim Oliehoek, Roy Reymound, Medina Schuurman, Jules Seegers, Huub Smit, Bonnie St. Claire, Eddy Terstall, Waldemar Torenstra, Quinty Trustfull, René van Berge Henegouwen, Maartje van de Wetering, Flip van der Kuil, Ad van Kempen, Hanna van Vliet, Nils Verkooijen, Ilse Warringa, Chris Zegers

’12 Years a Piet’, ‘Bokito’s Revenge’ and ‘Straight Outta Alphen’. Just three film titles from the repertoire of Ron Goossens, who caused a furore as a low budget stuntman. This unlikely hero is a creation of the team behind the ‘New Kids’ movies. In ‘Ron Goossens, Low Budget Stuntman’ they perform Ron Goossens, an alcoholic who, after a night of drinking, gains national fame with a Youtube video in which he tries to jump an open bridge with a car. That failed (of course) and there you go: a success. He is then approached by a shady manager to get a job as a low budget stuntman.

At home, however, things are not going so well. His girlfriend turns out not to have been very faithful and doesn’t see the relationship anymore. She does give Ron the choice: if he gets the beautiful actress Bo Maerten in bed, then his girlfriend sees a future together.

It’s an unlikely setup that has almost become a signature of its creators. Then it is a good thing that such films do not have to rely on their credibility. The absurd is actually a strong point and in ‘Ron Goossens, Low Budget Stuntman’ there is also a lot of effort. What works especially well are the references to Dutch tragedies that are used as fictional films and the fact that there are enough well-known Dutch people who don’t take themselves too seriously. Chris Zegers, for example, plays a drug-addicted failed actor who never gets a better movie role than “Agent Number 4.” Or Waldemar Torenstra, who plays himself, as a first-class horny self.

As a film, ‘Ron Goossens, Low Budget Stuntman’ is highly anecdotal. Later on, no one will talk about the story itself, but they will remember one-liners (“I’m really keilam!”) and jokes. That’s what the makers seem to be primarily aiming for. Another effect that follows from this is that you can feel the film is that the makers most likely had a lot of fun making it. Just writing such an absurd film would have been a party in itself, which was later capped off with being allowed to produce ‘Ron Goossens, Low Budget Stuntman’. That, combined with the celebrities and sometimes really good jokes, that ‘Ron Goossens, Low Budget Stuntman’ will survive just fine as a cult film.