A restaurant kitchen from hell that represents the Dutch multicultural society in miniature forms the unlikely background for the meet-cute (and not much else) interracial relationship that is at the heart of the Dutch comedy Het schnitzelparadijs (Schnitzel Paradise). The Martin Koolhoven-directed film may pose as a hilarious, often politically incorrect take on Dutch society, its true guise is actually a honey-drippingly sweet romance that stays just on right side of gooey thanks to the affable performances of its leads.

 

On the heels of the 2004 box-office success Shouf shouf habibi (Hush, Hush, Baby), arthouse director Martin Koolhoven grabs a big budget of his own and uses it to full effect for another multicultural laugh-out-loud fest, with most of the hilarity again coming from the gifted pen and deadpan delivery of Mimoun Oaïssa, who was the protagonist of Shouf and stars here in a supporting role.

 

The main roles have been reserved for newcomer Mounir Valentyn (a real find) and up-and-coming actress Bracha van Doesburgh (Vet hard/Too Fat, Too Furious), who star as a Romeo and Juliet-like couple, but without the tragic ending and with much worse catering. He is a clever Moroccan-Dutch boy who sees nothing in his father’s idea of studying medicine and starts to work as a dishwasher in a hotel restaurant instead. She is the future heiress of the hotel but is waitressing there for the moment (“I have to start at the bottom.”). Their romance is made of nothing -- a couple of quick and longing glances, some initial resistance from her and then several trips to one of the hotel’s numerous bedrooms. It has all the innocence of true love as imagined by people who have never been in love. If their lovey-dovey affair was not intercut with the constant frying, flying and falling schnitzels and other salty fare in the disgustingly oppressive kitchen, one would probably die of a sweetness overdose.

 

What makes Het schnitzelparadijs work despite its overly simple love story is the pure chemistry between Valentyn and Van Doesburgh, two promising young thespians who have some serious sparks flying that will have audiences glued to the screen. Another big plus is the portrayal of the messy kitchen as a metaphor of Dutch society, where anarchy reigns but there is nevertheless hope for the intelligent and the romantic. The inhabitants of the kitchen are a mixed bunch: a Serbian butcher, a Turkish kitchen aid, two Moroccans and the occasional Dutch chef. Every single one of them is constantly proclaiming that it is a place for losers and that they will leaver sooner rather than later, but like many a politician, they secretly like their job, the idea of producing disgusting stuff others will have to swallow and above all, the company of their equally whining colleagues.     

 

Helmer Martin Koolhoven stays close to his characters with much handheld camera-work that follows the actors around and employs many television-style semi-close-ups, though his exceptional use of depth betrays his cinematic eye. The uniformly excellent male supporting cast is frenetically kinetic, which offers a nice balance to the quieter waters of the central romance, thus keeping the proceedings at a brisk pace throughout. Abundant use of English-language pop songs and the obligatory montage-pieces welded to them give the film a decidedly American flavour despite its typically Dutch setting. The hotel’s kitchen might not be a paradise for schnitzel-lovers, but this film will certainly prove enjoyable for those with an appetite for a broad yet romantic comedy.

 

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