The Funeral

. . . from the other comment on this movie. When I first saw THE FUNERAL, for the first forty-five minutes or so, I was disappointed. The video cover can lead one to believe it is a rollicking comedy, perhaps a sex farce. Yet the more I got into the movie, and went with its flow, and immersed myself in its world, the more I enjoyed it. There are parts that I find laugh-out-loud funny, but most of the humor is of a gentle kind, and there are parts that I find very touching. Since that first viewing, I have watched the movie several times, and enjoy it more each time I see it. And it is one of those movies that, each time I see, I notice some little detail that brings me pleasure. I have never been able to sit through A TAXING WOMAN, but I enjoyed TAMPOPO; and I like THE FUNERAL even better.

This movie was written and directed by director Jyuzo Itami. He came up with the idea from his own experience of attending the funeral of his father in law, and wrote the story in 1 week. The movie was also the directorial debut for Itami.

The story is about the funeral of father in law of Takusuke (Tsutomu Yamazaki) , and his wife Chizuko Amamiya (Nobuko Miyamoto). They were on the location of shooting commercial where Chizuko was starring in when the news of Chizuko's father Shinkichi's demise comes in. Then all the practicalities of funeral arrangement begins. Then unexpectedly Takusuke's lover shows up at the funeral.

The story is what could happen in every day life told with humor and sincerity. Many unexpected things happens in the short time of the funeral that is the core of the drama. There are some sexual depiction as is common to Itami's movies.

The movie that was made on a modest budget of 1.4 million dollars became a hit, and established Itami as a producer, and director.

The movie sets the tone for future Itami's movies of people in compromising positions, and showing humor that goes with it. Interesting plot, and humor makes this movie worth watching.

I am going to respectfully disagree with the above comments. Even though I am not Japanese and haven't been to Japan, I have studied Japanese culture (though I can't claim to be an "expert") and I believe that for the most part the humor is easy enough to follow. Like when the priest arrives in a Rolls Royce. It follows the same theme of the wealthy minister in many US comedies. And then there's the organization like how many cremation lunches to make at the crematory. And of course things that have nothing to do with culture like when the manager tries to get up to answer the phone and then collapses because he had been kneeling too long and his legs have gone numb. All the while, the rest of the family is trying to keep from laughing and disrupt the prayer service that's currently taking place. But even the cultural satire is easy to follow. Like when the deceased's brother stops the funeral so all the guests can pose while he takes pictures or then Aoki, one of the guests, brings his movie camera to film everything in order to preserve it. All in all, I rank this film with "The Gods Must be Crazy" is that it does a good job in satirizing a culture's transition from traditional to modern without being disrespectful to that culture. While I do not suggest that this film will teach the viewer about Japanese culture, it is still very enlightening on certain Japanese habits.

Told by Wabisuke Inoue (Tsutomo Yamazaki), this is a story about his father in law's sudden death from a heart attack and the ensuing arrangements for the wake and funeral, culminating with the actual rituals themselves. This film runs the gamut of emotions, and that is where its brilliance is. At times you laugh at the sometimes zany characters, but then there are moments so touching you find yourself, if not in tears, at least becoming part of the moving experience. For anyone who has ever been involved in the planning of a wake/funeral, here it is: The quibbling over the cost, the obnoxious relatives (one guy, Aoki, brought his video camera), the squabbling between the principal characters on "what he would have wanted", the people who are drinking and enjoying themselves too much to leave etc. But, when you feel there is a point where this is all absurd, there is a moment where someone really feels the loss. That, to me, is what makes the film so great. It has a smile on its face, but sometimes pain in the heart. Enjoyable and moving, its a real gem.

A wonderful Japanese (black) comedy that deals with the serious, yet funny situation of a funeral. Many black comedies will be more funny than serious, after all, the movie is making fun at a serious issue. Still, The Funeral jumps back between characters that creates a balanced story that is serious, yet funny. Many comedies will not include moments of culture. Here, the movie makes several moments of the story very real as the story showcases the culture of a certain people and their customs. Director Juzo Itami was considered one of Japan's interesting film makers. Since his suicide in the 1990's, very few film makers have come close to capturing his style of movie making. Similar to Passed Away and Marvin's Room, The Funeral is a touching movie with moments of pure delight.