Yes Nurse! No Nurse! (2002)

hyped garbage

A Masterpiece!

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

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.

Shu-fen's comment has very intelligent observations, i agree entirely and won't try to surpass his enthusiast, excellent review. I am familiar with the beloved Dutch TV series from the late sixties that was behind this film and have enjoyed this remake, true to the spirit of the original as it is, immensely. The speed and inventiveness in this film are incredible, one slapstick-like scene after another, songs and musical-like scenes bursting out everywhere all the time, and yet, very clear cut small miracles of natural acting abound, intimate scenes, close ups, small conversations, never too long... Viewers from abroad will fail to recognize and enjoy the nice local accents of various Dutch towns in the speech of some actors, but that's always something inevitably "lost in translation"... - willem ouwerkerk

I'm usually one who can appreciate light-hearted kookiness and I've enjoyed my share of musicals...but this movie is virtually unwatchable. It rapidly declines from a mildly amusing Singing In The Rain-like song and dance number into such over-the-top unfunny vaudevillian absurdity that I had to leave the theater after about 40 minutes. I felt like I was watching an awful high school production.Although he is inexplicably raved about by others here, the character of Boordevol stands out as the most unbearable, by far. This painfully shrill caricature destroys what little charm the film manages to produce; making me wince every time he appeared on the screen.Large portions of the audience around me found endless hilarity in this film but I just didn't get it...at all. It is, simply put, one of the most ridiculous films I've ever seen.

Maybe you won't get to experience a full Castro Theater singing along with the star of the movie, but I think you'll enjoy it almost as much as I did! And while it played in the 27th San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, it isn't really a Gay film. It's just a movie that has a special appeal to a Gay audience. I doubt that most of the audience speaks Dutch. I doubt that most of the audience had ever heard any of the songs. I had no idea that this movie had its origins in a long lost '60s Dutch TV series. None of this mattered. The movie was silly and just plain fun. The characters burst out in song and start dancing. There were bits and pieces that reminded me of '60s American musical and others that reminded me of British sit-coms. There were heroes and villains. There is growth and change. The Dutch Queen even comes to visit. Yes Nurse, No Nurse could never have been made in the US. And that's a good thing.

This truly unique, truly wacky musical is something only European cinema could produce. From the Busby Berkeley-style production number in the opening credits to the 50's beefcake inspired pigeon feeding song (take THAT Mary Poppins bird lady), this musical gleefully totters along the line between silly and salacious with the occasional good-natured stumble into John Waters territory (One of the songs even mentions Baltimore) This movie is NOT for everyone. However, if you are familiar with the vernacular of the big budget musical, if you liked the zany sensibility of Little Shop of Horrors, if you can enjoy a movie where the only explosion occurs off camera (a tribute to You Can't Take it With You?) then this may just be the film for you.