Movie Review – Yes Nurse! No Nurse! (2002)
“Ja Zuster! Nee Zuster!”
Overall Quality 3.5 / 5.0 (campy good fun)
Gay Content 2.0 / 5.0 (significant gay character and subplot)
Gay Positivity 3.0 / 5.0 (still a few lingering, though mostly insignificant, issues)
A quirky (to put it mildly) Dutch musical based on a Dutch TV series from the 1960s about a rest home run by firm but kind Nurse Klivia (Loes Luca), and her confrontations with her mean-spirited and high-strung landlord, Mr. Boordevol (Paul Kooij).
The story centers around the landlord’s attempts to evict Nurse Klivia and the oddballs living in her resthome. He apparently wants to set up luxury apartments or somesuch so he can rake in the dough. A subplot involving a thief (Gerrit) trying to overcome his larcenous ways interweaves the main story.
Another subplot introduces gay content to the film. It appears the villain is gay (yawn), but in an interesting twist, resuming his love affair with a long-lost boyfriend (Wouter, played by Paul de Leeuw) restores his good nature. Mr. Boordevol transforms from Mr. Scrooge (“Bah, humbug!â€) into Tiny Tim (“God bless us, every one!â€).
Although turning good when he gets some gay lovin’ is a refreshing twist, gay-man-as-villain is still woefully overdone. Also, a dark flip side: a gay man, when lonely, turns evil. That said, these issues pale before the cartoonish feel-good fun of this campy musical.
The filmmakers have done a great job of making the film feel like a 60s sitcom. The colors and visual set-up are reminiscent of a simpler, just-colorized era of film and television.
The music isn’t the stuff of classics, but it’s so silly and catchy it’s fun to watch. One must-see musical sequence involves Gerrit (the hunky Waldemar Torenstra) singing to a flock of pigeons on a rooftop wearing nothing but his tighty-whiteys.
The movie alternates from endearing to dumb and back again with lightning speed, but the energetic and enthusiastic cast help save the film from itself. I recommend the film as a pleasant diversion, especially if you’re in the mood for something different from the usual DVD fare.
