Moos (2016) Reviews

• "She's always there when you need her"

  Red-1252017-07-14

  The Dutch film Moos (2016) (TV) was co-written and directed by Job Gosschalk. Jip Smit plays the title role of Moos. (It's pronounced "Mohs" in Dutch.) Moos is almost a nonentity. She routinely goes unnoticed. The best people can say about her is that, "She's always there when you need her." For purposes of the plot, Moos is supposed to be unattractive. Actually, she's quite attractive, but you have to suspend disbelief in order for the movie to work. (Think of the lovely Betsy Blair, who was called "the dog" in the film Marty.) The movie starts with Moos auditioning for a spot in a prestigious theater academy. She doesn't succeed, but she stays around anyway. Complications arise. Naturally, there's a boy meets girl moment as well, when Moo's male best friend returns from Israel. The film plays out in a more-or-less predictable fashion, but I enjoyed it anyway. It's well acted and well directed. You care about Moos and you want her to live out her dream. Also, Amsterdam is a beautiful city that's displayed well in the movie. (That's the reason the film worked well in a theater, although it was made for TV.) We saw this film at the lovely JCC Hart Theater, as part of the Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. The RIJFF films are carefully chosen by a knowledgeable committee. We've seen eight films at this point, and all of them have been winners. Moos has a IMDb rating of only 6.7, but it's better than that. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a charming movie, and worth seeking out and watching.