(Rob van Vuuren
as van der Merwe)
Strap in and hold on tight to your stereotypes,
because the butt of South Africa’s favourite jokes is coming to the big screen.
Van Der Merwe is a quirky
new comedy about the underdog and will be released in cinemas nationwide on July
28, 2017.
Producers Craig Jones, Bruce
Macdonald, Murray Macdonald and Bruce Lawley present an all new
tongue-in-cheek, family comedy affair, starring Rob van Vuuren (Van) and
Reine Swart (Marike).
In every country there is a person who is the butt of
all jokes. In Ireland, it is Paddy. In Israel, it is Hymie and in South Africa,
that person is Van der Merwe… this story is about
him.
Complete with his misconceptions, biases and
characteristic inability to succeed, Van
der Merwe is sure to make you laugh, cry and above all, cringe, as
he attempts to right a grievous wrong, or make a fool of himself trying. With a
loving wife, gorgeous daughter, a feisty father and a soon-to-be British
son-in-law, you will be left believing in sheer luck, good or bad.
“I wanted to make
a film about a single character, like ‘Ace Ventura’ or ‘Zoolander’, but with a
South African flavour. Van is part of our
culture, a character we can all relate to. He has a history and a place in our
hearts. Bringing him to life on the big screen is something a lot of people
want to see,” says director and screenwriter, Bruce Lawley about
his debut feature film.
Set on a farm in South Africa, Van Der Merwe focuses on Van’s
daughter, Marike, who returns home from a gap year in England with her new
fiancé, George, a British medical student. This sets the scene for all sorts of
problems and challenges. Not only does Van have to come to terms with the fact
that his daughter is marrying an Englishman, but he is also pressured by his
bossy, staunchly traditional father to put an end to the relationship. This
puts him in a precarious situation with a difficult choice: risk the wrath of
his father by condoning the wedding, or obey his father, whose approval he so
desperately wants, and risk losing his daughter forever. When the family of the
English fiancé arrives on the farm, the fireworks really begin as the clash of
cultures results in a number of side-splitting incidents and hilarious situations,
as we witness some classic Van der Merwe jokes played out in front of our eyes.
Light-hearted, and entertaining, the story is supported by an array of
interesting characters that were specifically created to highlight Van’s
shortcomings. Well-known actress, Chanelle de Jager, plays Van’s wife, Suzette,
who is determined to save the day, while Ian Roberts can be seen as the
overbearing Oupa Van, who is bound to strike a chord with any audience. Other
actors that can be seen in the movie, include Adrienne Pearce, André Jacobs,
Rika Sennett, Erica Wessels, Louw Venter, Benedikt Sebastian, Matthew Baldwin,
Neels van Jaarsveld and Melt Sieberhagen to name but a few. Kurt Darren also
makes a cameo appearance as a wedding singer and Barry Hilton plays Freddie,
the barman and Van’s best friend.
The film will be
distributed by Ster-Kinekor Entertainment and will be released in cinemas
nationwide on July 28, 2017.
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