When you fall in love… (2012)

Directed by: Hans Scheepmaker | 90 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Fajah Lourens, Bas Muijs Sr., Elle van Rijn, Casper van Bohemen, Marc van Uchelen, Ernst Daniël Smid, Jetty Mathurin, Karel de Rooij, Talisia Misiedja, Mimoun Ouled Rad, Edwin Jonker, Nadia Poeschman, Jasper Faber, Jihane El Fahid, Clotilde Gagaud Parici, Ruben Lürsen, Joost Buitenweg, Jolanda van den Berg, Marieke Steenhoek, Peter Kranen, Fabienne Leeseman, Daniel Maurice Nussbaum, Raymi Sambo, Job Redelaar, Has Drijver, Simone de Best, Monique Schut, Tim Murck, Nabil Oulad Ayad, Danny da Costa, Shura Alexandra Out

Producer Rob Houwer has an impressive track record, with titles such as ‘Turkish Fruit’ (1973), ‘Soldaat van Oranje’ (1977) and ‘De kleine blond dood’ (1993). The fact that Houwer can both freeze and thaw is apparent from the fact that he was also the man behind megaflops such as ‘De gulle minnaar’ (1990) and ‘De zeemeerman’ (1996). Films that were razed to the ground by the critics and also ignored by the public. After ‘De zeemeerman’, the film that is regularly labeled as the worst Dutch production ever, it took ten years before Houwer dared to link his name to a film again, but ‘The fury of the whole world’ (2006) was also not a success. . It was only six years later that Houwer dared to take up the adventure again, with the romantic comedy ‘If you fall in love…’ (2012). He apparently already sensed that another flop was imminent: the usual previews for film critics were omitted and the press was also not welcome during the premiere. The trailer was only released shortly before the release date and promotional activities were minimal. After a week, ‘If you fall in love…’ disappeared from the halls again.

Anyone who has seen the film will understand why Houwer has so jealously withheld his film from critics. ‘If you fall in love…’ is about Benjamin (Bas Muijs), a wealthy director of a transhipment company in the port of Amsterdam, who is tired of life with his spoiled wife (Elle van Rijn) and ditto friends and by chance falls like a rock for the feisty young Patty (Fajah Lourens). He has no idea that she works in the cafeteria of his own company and she thinks he is just a conceited jerk. Benjamin sees only one option to win her heart: he has a wig and goatee fit by an opera singer friend (Ernst-Daniël Smid) and goes undercover in his own company. As crane operator Bennie, he manages to get close to Patty; she even falls in love with him. But how long can Benjamin aka Bennie keep his secret to himself?

Does the story sound familiar to you? That is not surprising, because ‘If you fall in love’ is a direct copy of the ‘High heels, real love’ from 1981, also produced by Houwer. According to the producer himself, it is a reworking of the book of the same name by Dimitri Frenkel Frank. An unnecessary reworking then, because even with the best will in the world you can’t even call this new version directed by Hans Scheepmaker an improvement. ‘High heels, real love’ was of course already a no-brainer, but at least it could boast of two convincing protagonists, Rijk de Gooyer and Monique van de Ven, and a solid dose of humor. ‘If you fall in love’ has to do with soapies Bas Muijs and Fajah Lourens, who have clearly been found too light for supporting roles in feature films. You simply won’t make it with a handsome face or a lascivious body alone. Especially Muijs does not convince at all in his double role. ‘If you fall in love’ has a high GTST content in several respects, because the setting, the decoration and the clumsy dialogues also suggest that we are dealing with a soap here instead of a production by the man behind ‘Turkish fruit’ and ‘Soldier of Orange’.

It is not easy to discover a plus in ‘When you fall in love…’. Even if you don’t set high standards for films, you will have to persevere. At most the inveterate Fajah Lourens fan will enjoy this; the actress lets herself go in the – obligatory in Dutch films – sex scenes.