A Trashy Dutch Family

I just saw two Dutch movies.

Flodder in Amerika is about a trashy Dutch family sent to New York as part of an international exchange program. They are chosen so that Holland can get rid of them. Mistaken for a Russian medical delegation, they are taken to The Plaza and wreak havoc all over New York. It's an ok mindless comedy. I could read the Dutch subtitles over English dialog but didn't pick up very much when I was listening. Stereotypes abound. The funniest was about American geographical ignorance, which came up again and again. "Yes, I know where it is. I was in Copenhagen last year!" The Dutch stereotype that went out the window was the one that all are polyglots. Only one character spoke English.

Het Schnitzelparadijs is about a Moroccan guy who's a dishwasher at a restaurant. His father thinks he works at a library. His brother is a hip-hopper who lays around on the couch. He gets the girl. Dutch stereotypes called into question in this movie include the one for cleanliness. The restaurant kitchen is the scene of food fights and all kinds of mayhem. Also, pot is not just for tourists, as joints are passed from mouth to hands to mouth and on again. It seems odd for a place where the swine flu is constantly in the headlines.