Soof 2 (Esme Lammers, 2016) Netherlands

Reviewed by Laurine Lambert. Viewed at Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2017.

This will be my creative review. Soof 2 is a Dutch movie, that is one of the biggest reasons I watched this movie. (because I’m Dutch…) I felt really surprised that this movie played at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 2017? Because in my country it is not a very successful movie. Anyway it somehow ended up in The United States.

Soof 2 is the sequel of Soof 1, a feelgood romantic comedy. Soof (2013) was one of the most popular movies in Holland. Soof 2 sadly is a weak repeat, same story, same characters, a few jokes and a popular soundtrack. Somehow we always have the same actors in Holland. They never go away, and they never give the chance to other talents.

As in Soof 1 Soof’s marriage is failing again. In the first movie Soof and her husband found each other at the end of the movie and lived happily ever after. In Soof 2 she is depressed, the couch and tv are her favorite friends. She has no more interest in her looks and her passion about cooking has gone resulting in an empty restaurant. Her husband is having affairs with a much younger woman and he is discovering the fashionable hipster life. Her daughter has reached the difficult age so Soof feels alone and unloved.

Lies Visschedijk successfully manages to portray a sympathetic and comedic character. Her situation calls for new adventures. Soof stays her down to earth personality but picks herself up and joins new people and new situations. Her restaurant becomes a health haven and explores the latest foodie culture. She finds romance again and she becomes happy and successful.

The storyline is meagre, the jokes are weak and there is no sense of surprise in the movie. Only a few extra new characters are introduced but otherwise it is a copy of the first one. It is a light enjoyable enough movie on a boring Saturday afternoon but as often in sequels, stick to the original.