Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

incitatus-org Through an awkward accident, Camiel (Marcel Hensema) meets Simon (Cees Geel). Camiel is an intelligent, shy, insecure, gay student studying to become a dentist. Simon is close to his opposite: a true Amsterdam mythical hero - down-to-earth, liberal, dry humoured seducer ("Couldn't you just instantly turn into a naked chick?") who owns two cafés and lives in the Dutch paradox - he's in the semi-legal business of running a hash home delivery service. Both are true products of Dutch society, as it is dreamed to be, with their multilingual, easy, matter-of-fact approach to life. But the film is mostly about Simon. Well, about Camiel looking Simon, fascinated.So what is it about Simon that so fascinates Camiel? To a certain extent, Camiel is an outsider, he is just someone who walks the streets. He is not extraordinary in any sense. Neither his love life, nor his profession can help him up, nor does he play an instrument or have any hidden talent. When he meets Simon, it seems as if Simon has his whole life organised around himself, to be able to live his life fully. He is surrounded by his oddball friends and has a loving family (in Thailand!). And that with a forgiving smile which allows him to boyishly do as he pleases.The second half of the movie is darker than the first, when the weight on the looming tragedy starts to be felt (Simon's approaching death). The second half of the film is more emotional, building on the characters and relationships of the first half. Notice the remarkable difference in the treatment of the subject with Les Invasions Barbares, of death, friendship, love, sex and society. Perhaps the last is the most remarkable, because somewhere Simon is the society. There is no clash with an outer world which is different to him - because the difference between the individuals is what makes up the society in which he lives. Similarly there is no generational gap either, Simon's children will make something out of their lives as he did with his, nothing fundamental has changed. It is Western society at its (brief?) peak. If there is any weakness in the film, then it would have to be Simon's interest in Camiel, the reasons of which could have been more explicit (perhaps his stability, or his intelligence?). None the less, the audience takes on the role of Camiel, and is taken along into Simon's world. A world which is a rare glimpse into the liberal post-modern society which is (was?) The Netherlands. Camiel will not be the only one leaving impressed.

ekeby I've read the reviews here, most of them from people living in the Netherlands. This movie seems to polarize these folk in ways that must be unique to the Dutch. I'd like to comment on it from a different cultural perspective.Reviewers here make the point repeatedly that this is a quintessentially Dutch movie, and more or less insist that you have to be Dutch to comprehend it in toto. That may be true. I know a little German, enough to have heard the cadences and staccato rhythms in the dialog. And I could tell that the English translation, although working hard, was probably not able to do justice to the actual words. This is an instance where a dubbed version might be an improvement for non-Dutch speakers.As an American, and a gay man, I found this movie totally accessible. The subject of euthanasia was not especially controversial to me, having known many gay men who chose that route in the 80s. Nor did the interaction between the two friends seem that unusual. I've had close friends who were straight and we could talk to each other in the same blunt, joking way Simon and Camiel do. I think this story could have been set in many other urban communities around the world, not just Amsterdam.So I guess I'm saying I don't think this story is uniquely Dutch by any means. That it has an extra dimension for the Dutch because of the language, however, seems likely. I liked the structure of the film, I liked the close and choppy editing, and I liked the progression of the story. In many ways the film's style is as unsentimental as the story, and that seemed appropriate.

CineCritic2517 When compared to well made, e.g. English spoken movies, probably all Dutch movies are very hard to grade for mainly two simple reasons.1. Way too many Dutch actors simply cannot act. (this is not supposed to be funny nor an exaggeration). Almost every line of script that is muttered by this group of actors, just sounds too unnatural and overacted. Compare it if u will to acting in cheap US horror movies or soap commercials. Being a Dutch person, I have contemplated often on why this is. Some believe we simply lack the proper language to deliver natural acting, but I believe it to be a curse.2. (almost) All Dutch movies contain way too many unnecessary scenes carrying pointless nudity, sex or otherwise. E.g. where in any other language based movie 'the female corpse on the coroner's table' is shot from an angle which would perhaps only show the chest, the Dutch, without exception, would not pass on the opportunity to take a nice shot of the dead person's privates as well. It's almost like a gimmick. Just see any Dutch movie and u can wait for it to happen leaving u dumbfounded as to why on Earth they do it. The same goes for the totally out of place sex-scenes from which the typical dutch movie made in the 70s and 80s suffers.Both these elements are highly annoying and distracting when trying to watch Dutch movies, especially when it contains serious and sensitive content like in the movie Simon.Why does this movie have such a high voting?Simple; this is because Simon, on the balance, contains a minimum of bad acting and the 'unnecessary scenes' actually serve a purpose in this movie. Above all, acting aside, Simon deals with a very compelling and touching story and finds a perfect way to give it closure.But to me, seeing any movie in any language with just even one horrible actor in it, can and most probably will ruin the film for me. Simon in that respect is alas no exception.Is that being harsh? No, I don't think so. Why would I be lenient towards just Dutch movies in this respect? This movie simply came highly recommended which was the reason I saw it. But normally I would skip them knowing fully well that I'm just going to be highly annoyed followed shortly by embarrassment.Overall, Simon absolutely delivers and on the balance it is by far one of the best Dutch movies ever made. But, like someone wrote, it also suffers from the inheritance of poor (unnatural) acting albeit less in the face as it tends to be. But if u can see past that, which to my regret I simply can't, then you certainly have a small gem.

Oyster-6 Brings both a smile to your face as tears to your eyes. The raw humor portrait by "Simon" is balanced with the sincere emotions portrayed by the people around him.Where a few other Dutch movies tell the tale of a loved one being destroyed slowly by a disease of some kind ("Turks Fruit" and "Ik ook van jou") in a dramatic way, the movie "Simon" also touches you by the black humor that goes along with the tough struggle of not only the main character but also the people around him.Delicate themes like suffering from terminal cancer, euthanasia and (in a less impacting way in this film: gay marriage) go hand in hand with crude jokes about sex, flat-chested women and gay and racial jokes. Though the delicate line between authentic sentiment and cheap emotional effect is never crossed in neither the dramatic not the emotional side of the barrier.