Ober (2006)

Note des utilisateurs:

7.1/10   

Réalisateur:

Alex van Warmerdam

Scénariste:

Alex van Warmerdam (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 septembre 2006 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Comedie

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Fantasy Becomes Reality | Restaurant | Rowboat | Neighbor | Baby

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

A crowd pleaser at TIFF

Ensemble

Alex van Warmerdam	...	Edgar
Ariane Schluter	...	Victoria
Jaap Spijkers	...	Walter
Mark Rietman	...	Herman
Thekla Reuten	...	Suzie
Kees Prins	...	Zakenman 1
Pierre Bokma	...	Zakenman 2
Porgy Franssen	...	Zakenman 3
Lyne Renee	...	Stella (as Line Van Wambeke)
Waldemar Kobus	...	Richard
Fedja van Huêt	...	Ralph
reste de la distribution par ordre alphabétique:
Joop Admiraal	...	Magere man
Jakop Ahlbom	...	Stanley
Martine Berghuijs	...	Vrouw
Loek Beumer	...	Ober racletten
Leny Breederveld	...	Vrouw Gerard
Bert Bunschoten	...	Gerard
Aat Ceelen	...	Gezette man
Peter Drost	...	Gerant racletten
René van 't Hof	...	Oud winkel vrouwtje
Togo Igawa	...	Makino
Jan Jaap Janssen	...	Begrafenisondernemer
Stephan Legand	...	Sieb
Sylvia Poorta	...	Ilse
Karina Smulders	...	Verrukkelijk meisje 1
Sofie van Dijk	...	Verrukkelijk meisje 2
Marc van Warmerdam	...	Ober nachtrestaurant

Autre(s) titre(s):

Waiter (Canada: English title) (festival title)

Durée:

97 min | Canada:97 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Pays:

Netherlands | Belgium

Langue:

Hollandais

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Son:

DTS

Classification:

Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18

Company:

Graniet Film BV

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Allemaal film: Tussen kunst en kassa (#1.5)" (2007)

A crowd pleaser at TIFF

I am pleased to report that Alex van Warmerdam's "OBER" was well received by the audience at yesterday's Toronto International Film Festival screening. Spectators can be fickle at 9:45 a.m., and it is a testament to the director's talent that his film elicited a laugh-out-loud response from beginning to end.

I tend to be skeptical of films from the Netherlands. I'm no philistine, but I have encountered several movies from this region that I can only describe as "weird." Now, I won't claim that there aren't unusual elements in this film, but they are employed in the service of comedy rather than abstraction.

Warmerdam, himself, plays Edgar, a middle-aged waiter who suffers through confrontations with his belligerent customers, unruly neighbours, his chronically ill wife, and his demanding mistress. Warmerdam's dead-pan performance is so consistent that the passivity that defines his character is not compromised when Edgar visits Herman, the screen-writer who is controlling his destiny; he is simply worn out, and has come to request, not demand, that his life might be propelled in a more agreeable direction.

Herman concedes, but as any screen-writer will attest, a compelling narrative requires conflict. The various fates that are in store for Edgar are, yes, unusual at times, but the comedy is particularly strong in this film because each trajectory is so "unexpected." Another festival film this year is "STRANGER THAN FICTION," (w/ Will Farrell & Dustin Hoffman) which has a similar premise. It was sold out before my tickets were assembled, so I can't assess whether or not it is as successful in its execution as OBER. I do feel, however, that Warmerdam's film has the potential to satisfy a wider audience than it will ever encounter, and I would urge people to seek it out. It is a film with great depth, but it needs to be emphasized that, first and foremost, OBER works as an accessible comedy that even the most skeptical movie-lovers will enjoy.