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Perfect cast and a good story

Admirable film.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Let me insert a positive comment prior to my trashing one of the plots of the film: I thought it was great the way the filmmakers handled the nudity and sex. I wasn't shocked by it but rather I found it to be natural and expected when it was shown. often I find that movies that shy away from showing sex use its absence to titillate, for example, the well placed prop or hand that blocks the view of genitals. such practices only serve to draw MORE attention to those body parts. In this film, the casual nudity and sex only served to demystify themselves. It was no porno, the point of the film was not sex. Sex was merely one of the vehicles from point A to B. Good work. I'll have to raise my rating to commend the makers for the groundbreaking WAY they told the story. Many films have offensive plots that never make this much of an impact.Now to my complaint about one of the film's plots: A badly written movie that reminded me of "Valet Girls" and "Angel" ('High school honor student by day, Hollywood hooker by night' not the Buffy spin-off) without their humor. The writing was on level with the porn movies made at the time. (Yes, the porn writing at that time was in it's heyday but it was still bad writing.) To focus on one of the most egregious part of the plot: Even listening to the director's commentary didn't help explain the whole ridiculous and insulting gay-subplot. Ah, so getting gang-raped by a bunch of guys late one night will make you gay the next day. (i wonder if that would work with lesbians?) So maybe sexually repressed heterosexual women could be helped by gang-rape? Once they get banged they'll realize that they like it, will become sexually liberated, and will show up at the rapist's house the next day for some snuggling as Eef did. A component of good writing is that, even if the revelation about a character is surprising, a viewer should be able to go back in the film and realize that it was foreseeable. In this movie there is nothing that Eef did that showed him to be gay any more than were his friends or the viewers. 1. the measurement scene: it wasn't his idea, it's not uncommon, and if that means he's gay, then his two friends are even more gay. 2. The gay-bashing scene: even if it was his idea, his friends and their girlfriends were at least if not more brutal than he was. 3. Failing to get erect for his girlfriend: as he said he was drunk, I'm sure this has affected most of the film's viewers at one time or another, and from the dialog it seemed as if it had never been a problem before. In fact the other couple also had a problem that prevented them from having sex. 4. Watching the gay sex scene: yes, he watched it briefly but immediately his idea was not to relieve himself sexually. Instead his immediate idea was to use it to make money to win the favor of the girl. If watching three seconds of that scene makes him gay it makes everyone of the viewers who watched it gay as well. 5. Does a twenty year old really living in Rotterdam in the 80s need to be reminded that homosexuality is an option? There is porn of every variety on every newsstand in that country. Legalized prostitutes have delineated districts. If he wanted to have gay sex he probably would have by this point.

This film is no "Saturday Night Fever." For one thing, "Spetters" is more of an art film; while the other reeks of commercialism throughout. The music by the Bee Gees, moreover, makes it look more like a record album vainly attempting to be a film. Second, sexual repression in SNF more impacts the lives of the American kids than it does the Dutch boys. The garage scene in the latter film (where the three young bikers compare erections to see who gets first crack at the carny gal)would be judged too homo-erotic for American audiences to take, for instance. While the American boys go disco dancing for fun; the dutch kids try testing their courage in more dangerous ways, such as bike racing. While the only death in "Spetters" occurs when a biker deliberately crashes into a moving truck (a suicide, rather than living his life as an impotent cripple); the American dies falling off a bridge while stunting! Even the role models for the two groups of young men are different. While John Travolta admires a poster of Al Pacino, an actor, on his bedroom wall and takes pride in his hairdo; the bikers' hero is a national cyclist whom they want to emulate and become someday. Defining manhood, in American terms, becomes just another marketing tool(since Travolta has no aspirations to act); while the three bikers know the way to manhood lies through courage, not false glamor and appearances.The scene where one of the bikers gets paid back for robbing and beating gay men by being gang-raped by tough-looking homosexuals, is excellent. Here the tables are turned in a way we would never see in American films, since gays are supposed to be victims who never fight back against their attackers. This demonstration of courage to defend one's honor and dignity makes "Spetters" a far superior film than SNF. SNF, despite all its trendiness as a barometer of the seventies, treats both its men and women as garden variety, working-class stereotypes. For genuine closeness, heroism and male-bonding, check this one out at the video store (make sure it's the uncut 123 min. DVD Director's version). A better coming-of-age film you will never see.

"Spetters" by Paul Verhoeven is sort of a Dutch coming-of-age movie about a number of teenagers that want to get the **** out a small, depressing and boring town. Nothing new here.The problem is that this movie can't decide what it wants to be. There are too many serious topics to consider this a comedy, but the characters are way too one-dimensional and the situations and developments are way too absurd to consider this a drama. Some scenes are dead serious, some scenes are (supposed to be) funny, it all goes back and forth in a very awkward manner. I know it's possible to mix drama and comedy in a successful manner, but it certainly isn't happening in "Spetters". Then, of course, there's an awful lot of sex and nudity. People not from the Netherlands might be shocked how far this movie goes, but then again, I've seen worse in Dutch movies. Suffice it to say that the nudity adds very little and isn't the least bit erotical or tantalizing. It's just there. Finally, since this is an old Dutch movie, the sound is utterly terrible. The characters all seem to be lip-synching (poorly), the sound effects don't sound right, and the background music is terrible. Although Dutch is my native language, subtitles wouldn't hurt. The acting is decent, though, (there are a lot of famous actors in this movie), at least by Dutch standards. Paul Verhoeven is great when directing over-the-top action spectacles (Starship Troopers, Total Recall) or dark thrillers (Basic Instinct), but he should probably stay away from drama, comedy, or any combination thereof. *1/2 out **** stars

I found "Spetters" was one of the most true to life "teen" to adult coming of age films made in the 1980's that didn't get the credit or respect it deserved."Spetters" takes an ensemble cast and manges to touch upon each piece of the joys and anguish of growing up at this age in a small town. What appeals the most to me about Spetters, is that even though this is filmed in Europe, the locations/cinematography is small town "anywhere"! The ensemble cast is also small town "anyone", and very appealing.The ages 19 and 20 are one of the first notable "changes" of your life, and "Spetters" addresses those turning point decisions well. 19 is the end of the "teen" years, and 20 is not quite yet the adult so for these two years you are seriously thinking about how to make your way in the world - what is your talent, have you made the right decision to go into business, stay at home, finish college, date heavily, marry and most of all you are both questioning and coming to grips with WHO YOU ARE. In "Spetters" some are running away from who they are, others are embracing it, while still others are met with an unexpected future that destroys all of their future hopes and dreams.At 19 and 20 - we all think we are indestructible. "Spetters" addresses this and the subsequent handling of tragedy and loss both physical and mental. Add in the "outside factors" of friends, sexuality, family, community, religion --- each (and more) shape in how these decisions play themselves out in their lives."Spetters" is filmed like you are watching life as it progresses day by day - it begins in the same place as it ends. "Spetters" is about three young men who live in a small town yearning to get out the only way they know how: via motor cross sport. All three men think they have the talent to make an be a champion in the sport like their hometown hero, and one in fact does posses the talent to go far, while the other two are placed in subordinate positions just to look from the outside in. Insert a smart, pretty and sexy young woman and her brother who have gone from town to town selling 'questionable' food snacks at the races. The woman also secretly yearns for something as well: real love, financial security and permanence. While at a stop over in this town, she sees potential in one of the men and takes it for all she's got the only way she knows how."Spetters" does have explicit sexual situations that drive the film in my opinion. And I'll admit, prior to seeing this film, there is much I had no idea took place. I would assume this might make the film as shocking for some viewers as it was for me. The frame of mind, surviving daily in this small town, and other growth situations of this group of characters are very important so their sexual development/exploits regardless of how shocking, are there to remind you of how these characters 'live'. And be warned, the sexual situations are heterosexual as well as homosexual, rape and consensual."Spetters" is a brilliant film of daily life, love and tragedy. If you can get the uncut, un-rated version in its original language, do. That is the first way I saw on on the Los Angeles based "Z" Channel and I am for all foreign director's visions to be seen uncut, unedited, undubbed and experienced in the vision of which they wanted to present it. A strong NC-17 (USA Code) film.