Welcome Back Mr. McDonald

Starring:Toshiaki Karasawa, Kyoka Suzuki, Masahiko Nishimura, Keiko Toda, Jun Inoue, Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Kaoru Okunuki, Zen Kajiwara, Moro Morooka, Yoshimasa Kondo, Akira Fuse, Shunji Fujimura, ShirÃ´ Namiki, Hiromasa Taguchi, Yasukiyo Umeno, Takehiko Ono, Ken Watanabe, Kaori Momoi, Bsaku Satoh, Somegoro Ichikawa
Director: Koki Mitani
Studio: Kino Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Director Koki Itami's Hilariously Funny Comedy!
just fabulous - like Soseki alive
Another underrated classic from Koki Mitani
Pure Pleasure
A Wonderful, Wonderful Film!

Welcome Back Mr. McDonald
Starring: Toshiaki Karasawa , Kyoka Suzuki , Masahiko Nishimura , Keiko Toda , and Jun Inoue
Director: Koki Mitani
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00008HCAN
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Customer Reviews:

Director Koki Itami's Hilariously Funny Comedy!.......2007-02-28

From the very talented and funny director/writer Kiko Itami, comes this very funny film. "Wecome Back Mr. McDonald," [aka: "Rajio no jikan"] This is a very, very funny and intelligently well acted comedy. The comedies narrative follows the account of a live radio drama where hilarious chaos ensues when the script of the show is changed. I found myself laughing throughout the film. For anybody who believes that the Japanese do not have a sense of humor, or can laugh at themselves, then they need to see this film. Too many funny Japanese films have slipped below the radar here in the USA: Partly the fault of the titles given to these Japanese films, and the other being poor marketing of the films. If you can, get ahold of this film.

The film itself centers on a late-night radio drama that must bear with new changes being put into the program. The lead actress of the radio drama demands that she no longer wants to portray a parlor attendant from Japan, but instead wants to be a powerful American lawyer from Chicago named Mary Jane. In turn, the lead male actor is also upset when he has been given the role of a fisherman. Therefore, more changes in the script are created in order to please him. Eventually more and more changes are made to the script. Furthermore, the sponsors of the show get involved demanding even more changes. I found myself laughing out loud at this film. It is truly funny. This is not just a film for those who love Japanese cinema, but anyone who likes a good comedy.

Moreover, all of these changes are occuring as the live drama performance is going on. Truly funny! The frentic pace of the crew behind the scenes having to adapt to the new and constantly changing scenes, and the confusion by the new scriptwriter, Miyako Suzuki (Kyoka Suzuki) are just hilarious. Plus ALL of the characters in the film are a delight to watch, and are never over-the-top in their respective roles. From Bucky (Moro Morooka), Shuji Horinouchi (Akira Fuse) and the delightful Hiromitsu Hirose (Jun Inoue) this a hilariously funny film; and they all give stellar performances. I highly recommend the film. It is well worth the purchase, and much better than many stale American comedies. You will definitely laugh at this one. Highly recommended.

just fabulous - like Soseki alive.......2006-12-03

Just fabulous - I watched Prarie Home companion few weeks back - that was also about a radio show and enjoyed it enormously - so I rented this DVD - did not know what to expect - but this is hilarious - more like Monty Python movies -

It shows the change in plot of a drama act written for radio (the poor authoress) as conducted by the crew member - specially people in USA will enjoy it more because the show is about Mrs Mary Jane and her German husband Heinrick and secret lover McDonald - some of the pronunciations are just funny - it is full with rockets , machine gun noises and what not - there is some very cool noise generation mechanism - great to see the mechanical devices people used before computer effects we easily available

Another underrated classic from Koki Mitani.......2004-09-27

A very funny Japanese comedy? How come no-one has heard of it? Why the stupid title? Why should I watch this? If you have seen Tampopo, you are pretty much guaranteed to enjoy this, as the two directors have very similar styles. It is just too bad that Itami killed himself a couple of years back. . .

Although Tampopo gets much more attention, this stands up against Juzo Itami's film in its own right. Featuring some of the same actors (look out for the truck driver from 'Tampopo'), this is an absolute must-see for anyone interested in Japanese cinema. It ranks with Mitani's best work, and is guaranteed to brighten up your day. Just read the other reviews, watch it, and prepare to become an apostle of a cinematic master.

One final question - why is Tampopo paired with 'Eat Drink Man Woman', when it should be paired with this infinitely superior film?????

Pure Pleasure.......2004-05-04

I take most "quoted" reviews on DVD jackets with a huge grain of salt. Many of the reviewers are paid for their glowing review.

When I saw the "hilarious" on this one, I thought, "well, it probably has a couple chuckles".

Was I wrong! This movie is fall-off-the-couch funny!

I won't go into the details, since the other reviewers did. The film starts off slowly, but maintains your interest. Once the shenanigans begin, you're hooked! The film charges headlong from one ludicrous even to another, barely giving you a chance to catch your breath! The pace is breathtaking, but the filmmakers never stumble.

Not only is it side-splittingly funny, it is also charming, sweet, and completely devoid of any objectionable content. You can watch this one with your teenagers (mine loved it!).

Movies like this come along about once every 20 years. So, cherish this one.

It's a classic, and now one of my Desert Island DVDs (assuming the desert island has electricity!).

A Wonderful, Wonderful Film!.......2003-06-08

I first saw this movie as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival a couple of years ago. It was one of those extremely rare experiences when EVERYBODY in the entire theatre was laughing at the SAME TIME and was completely captivated by the movie. This is a very charming and very, very funny film, and I've been looking for it on US video or DVD for years. Glad to be getting a copy to show to as many people as I can. Please take a chance and see this film.

The story concerns a late-night radio drama being put on according to the script written by a humble woman who'd won a radio script-writing contest (she was, it turns out, the only entrant). The actors assemble, the technicians are all set to mail the performance in, when things start to go askew. The lead actress suddenly decides that instead of playing a simple pachinco parlor attendant from Japan, she wants to play a high-powered American lawyer named Mary Jane. This angers the male co-star (who'd only been slated to play a simple fisherman), and more changes are made to placate him. These, in turn, lead to more changes. And more. And then the sponsor gets involved and more things change. And more. The results are unforgettable (and hilarious) as the cast and crew take the story farther and farther from the author's semiautobiographical script in the tension-filled live performance.

Stay tuned for the surprisingly satisfying conclusion.

Again, it's a very funny, very sweet film. Very well done. It's a shame more people didn't get to see it on it's limited US release.

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