Sleepy Heads

What I mean is that most any movie that you can find "on the subject of being Japanese" is most usually a traditional period piece, centered around exhibiting the rich and intriguing history of the Japanese and their culture. In that respect this movie was an exciting, and hilarious contrast to me. Instead, it centers on a group of not so honorable, respectable, or traditional Japanese 20-somethings, and their struggles to exist in the VERY American environment of NYC, despite a large group of misfortunes, and short-comings. A successfully hilarious picture of modern, unsuccessful Japanese youth, attempting to make it in a strange foreign environment.

This movie is an all-around good time, especially for anyone who's lived in NYC, it has a distinctively New York flavor and also shows the the city as I remember it in the mid 90's. I've never seen any of the actors before, and the entire cast came off as fresh and charming. Toshiya Nagasawa was especially good as Ken, the nutty wooden-sword-wielding lazy bum. Eugene Nomura reminds me a little of Jackie Chan's classic happy-go-lucky characters, and he's also impressive in his role. His love interest, who I am guessing is played by Sayuri Higuchi Emerson, is very attractive and likable and great in the role. The remaining characters are also well-cast and all come together to make the film consistently fun and a little silly. If you're looking for a funny, lighthearted but memorable film, "Sleepy Heads" is just that.