1
Maggi64
New Jersey, USA
A Funny, Charming, and Altogether Delightful Little Movie
The MDL synopsis does not in the least reflect what this movie is. It gives a detailed description of what happens in the first 15 minutes of the movie, and then omits the next hour and a half.
The actual movie is about 5 men who'd been friends since they were little kids, and parted ways for 3 years after high school, only to reunite after one friend -- who'd joined the yakuza -- went on the run from his boss and needs help. The yakazu boss is played by Yoshida Kotaro (many will recognize him as the older man from Ossan's Love), who puts in a comically flamboyant performance while sporting a floral patterned suite, fedora hat, and cane.
Since none of the childhood friends, now in their early 20's, has any gainful employment or direction they all readily agree when one says, "Let's go back to being the idiots we were during the best times of our lives!" This effectively translates to: "Let's help our pal who's on the run because the yakuza thinks he stole 300 million yen by finding the thief who truly stole it." There are multiple plot points intertwined with this as it comes to light who truly did steal the money, as well as how and why they did it.
None of this, however, really matters. Because the actual point of this movie is to watch the gang of pals displaying their hilarious comradery as they try to outrun the bad guys. In other words, it's a bromance. Only instead of a bromance between 2 men, it's between a group of men. We see them backslapping as they trade the same jokes and insults they'd been trading since they were little kids.
For instance, one of them fell in love with a prostitute when he was 10 and asked her to marry him, causing his buddies to tease him for still wanting to honor his promise to her as an adult. Another has dreams which dictate the future so accurately that the other guys ask, "Wait, did you see such-and-such happen in your dream last night? No? Ok, then we'll be fine." Then, son of a bitch, they truly will be fine. It's a bit of silly, supernatural fun, among the movie's many such sparks of originality. There are also some tender scenes of them uplifting one another when feeling down, as well as some amusing scenes of them as children.
The cast was clearly having loads of fun playing their parts in such an agreeable, charming little romp. I could tell that their laughing in many scenes was not acting, but them genuinely cracking up at what they were doing in that particular scene. The feeling was infectious, meaning the viewer ends up smiling or laughing as well.
The actual movie is about 5 men who'd been friends since they were little kids, and parted ways for 3 years after high school, only to reunite after one friend -- who'd joined the yakuza -- went on the run from his boss and needs help. The yakazu boss is played by Yoshida Kotaro (many will recognize him as the older man from Ossan's Love), who puts in a comically flamboyant performance while sporting a floral patterned suite, fedora hat, and cane.
Since none of the childhood friends, now in their early 20's, has any gainful employment or direction they all readily agree when one says, "Let's go back to being the idiots we were during the best times of our lives!" This effectively translates to: "Let's help our pal who's on the run because the yakuza thinks he stole 300 million yen by finding the thief who truly stole it." There are multiple plot points intertwined with this as it comes to light who truly did steal the money, as well as how and why they did it.
None of this, however, really matters. Because the actual point of this movie is to watch the gang of pals displaying their hilarious comradery as they try to outrun the bad guys. In other words, it's a bromance. Only instead of a bromance between 2 men, it's between a group of men. We see them backslapping as they trade the same jokes and insults they'd been trading since they were little kids.
For instance, one of them fell in love with a prostitute when he was 10 and asked her to marry him, causing his buddies to tease him for still wanting to honor his promise to her as an adult. Another has dreams which dictate the future so accurately that the other guys ask, "Wait, did you see such-and-such happen in your dream last night? No? Ok, then we'll be fine." Then, son of a bitch, they truly will be fine. It's a bit of silly, supernatural fun, among the movie's many such sparks of originality. There are also some tender scenes of them uplifting one another when feeling down, as well as some amusing scenes of them as children.
The cast was clearly having loads of fun playing their parts in such an agreeable, charming little romp. I could tell that their laughing in many scenes was not acting, but them genuinely cracking up at what they were doing in that particular scene. The feeling was infectious, meaning the viewer ends up smiling or laughing as well.
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