Hotel Paraiso

Released Feb 7, 2003

1h 45m

Comedy

Romance

List

40%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

38%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Three women (Monic Hendrickx, Anneke Blok, Sylvia Poorta) try to prevent their gay brother from marrying a woman and thus inheriting their family's seaside estate.

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Robert Denerstein

Denver Rocky Mountain News

A comedy in which lightweight attempts at relevance mostly fall flat.

Rated: C

Jul 17, 2003

Full Review

Bill Muller

Arizona Republic

While Zus & Zo strains for style points, it's just an off-the-shelf romantic comedy, and not a very good one.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 12, 2003

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

The title translates, roughly, as 'This & That,' a confectionary shrug that pretty well sums up the blase inconsequentiality of it all.

Rated: C-

Feb 20, 2003

Full Review

Brandon Judell

Bay Area Reporter

The screenplay is uneven, the cast has its highs and lows, & Paula van der Oest's direction shifts from inspired to humdrum. But if you enjoyed Maid in Manhattan, The Guy Thing, or Just Married, Zus and Zo is oh so much better, and it's really queer.

Sep 26, 2021

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Oct 6, 2005

Full Review

Enrique Buchichio

Uruguay Total

Hay ante todo una notable frescura en la observacin de sus personajes que seguramente proviene de la habilidad de su directora y guionista Paula van der Oest.

Dec 28, 2003

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Audience Member

Although the start of Zus & Zo disappointed me slightly (some homophobic comments by the eldest sister), the ending completely made up for it. In spite of how it is often characterised, this is not a romantic comedy, but a drama. It's not about the sisters, it's about the brother. Well, you're going to have to see it for yourself - I recommend it. This is a light, daring and surprising portrayal of the struggle so many transgender people go through.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Not funny, and most of the main characters are annoying as heck. It's hard to root for them.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very fun film from the Netherlands about three sisters who find out their brother is going to be married. If the brother gets married, he gets to own the beach house in Portugal, so the three sisters are determined to stop the marriage because they all want the house. Besides, their brother is gay. Itâs amusing and goes along at a nice pace with great dialogue from the vivacious sisters. All the characters are well developed and have fun things to do. Itâs nothing special, it just seems like a feature length sitcom, but itâs still funny and enjoyable. A nice movie to watch on a Sunday afternoon if you want a good laugh.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The director handled most of the film's elements in a light, deliberate manner. She is successful in telling an interesting story about the greed between three sisters and their gay brother (Jacob Derwig as Nino). How each sister treats Nino's fiancée (Halina Reijn as Bo) provides a variety of entertaining situations. How Nino regards his sisters bring the conflicts full circle. The sisters are thrown into utter frenzy when finding out their gay brother has decided to have a marriage of convenience in order to claim family property completely. Naturally, there is a stipulation in the father's will that the resort would pass exclusively to the son upon taking a wife. What might sound like a trite exercise in self-indulgence actually turns out to be a very fine job examining marriage, family relationships, and the problems which occur when keeping secrets. If you like "Desperate Housewives" or found "Hannah and her Sisters" or "The Royal Tenenbaums" of interest, you should enjoy "Zus and Zo." The subtitles aren't much of a problem and you can share this film with almost anyone. The sisters' plots to keep Nino a bachelor are as good as a classic "I Love Lucy" episode. This isn't demeaning the art, just don't expect "Zus and Zo" to be an exercise in typical Euro existentialism! The three sisters are Michelle (Sylvia Poorta), a human rights activist, Wanda (Anneke Blok), a performance or conceptual artist, and Sonja (Monic Hendrickx), a magazine journalist. Each perform in a calculated yet effective manner. The family dynamics are horrendous with Wanda, the only single sister, having an affair with her hypochondriac brother-in-law! (Sonja's husband) Michelle keeps bringing home less fortunate aliens, making her husband and children angry at the limited amount of time they get because of the constant do-gooding for others. Bo is a super cool fiancée. She is, almost unshakably agreeable and courteous in each meeting with the sisters. She seems to have unnaturally progressive and permissive attitudes about Nino and relationships in general. It becomes obvious that Nino still has a thing for his ex-boyfriend, Felix (Pieter Embrechts). Their special friendship started in childhood. Felix is now a hot, celebrity chef. The Dutch settings are beautiful and the camera work is top notch. The final twist is a good one and you will have to view it through the ending credits. "Zus and Zo" isn't rated, but aside from a few brief T & A shots, there's no nudity and little profanity. The subject matter revolves around adult themes so children wouldn't find much interest.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting Dutch film, nice performances, amusing story. There are some slow stretches scattered about, but overall it moves along well. A bit overlong. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of my all time favorites!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

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Paula van der Oest

Director

Monic Hendrickx

Sonja

Anneke Blok

Wanda

Sylvia Poorta

Michelle

Jacob Derwig

Nino

Halina Reijn

Bo Mendes

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Synopsis

Three women (Monic Hendrickx, Anneke Blok, Sylvia Poorta) try to prevent their gay brother from marrying a woman and thus inheriting their family's seaside estate.

Director: Paula van der Oest
Screenwriter: Paula van der Oest
Production Co: Filmprodukties de Luwte
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Original Language: Dutch
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 7, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 19, 2016
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Surround

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