SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

MartinHafer I can see by the other reviews that I am in the distinct minority on this one. Despite their really liking it, much of the film didn't seem to work for me and despite a few very nice scenes, the overall picture left me flat and a bit confused. Had the film been more of an outright comedy, I think it would have worked better for me. Instead, parts were comedic, parts were a bit dull and much of it was just inexplicable.The film is the story of a slacker who is in 9th grade and soon to take his high school exams. While we don't have these in the States, I know that in many countries this is a HUGE event--and Japanese families put a lot of pressure on their kids to get into the best schools. Despite this pressure, the kid chooses not to even try and is one of the worst kids in his class....and previous tutors were unable to get him to budge. This new one is odd...very odd. In fact, much of the time he seems to act for practically no reason and in ways you'd never expect. However, when the boy's father offers him a bonus for each ranking the kid improves, that's enough to get the odd tutor to act---occasionally slapping or threatening the boy to get results. Then, as if my magic, the boy improves (though how and this whole process seemed to come from no where) and instead of everything being wonderful, you see through the course of this film that the family is really screwed up--distant, dysfunctional and bland. So, again out the the blue, the tutor beats the snot out of all of them and leaves. Then, the mom and two sons are shown becoming sleepy and taking a nap...and so the film ends.As I said, the film has some wonderful moments--but too much of the stuff in between looks like outtakes or scenes that should have been deleted. I just kept hoping the film would get really weird or profound...but nothing. Perhaps I was hoping for the film to be like "Tampopo" or "Happiness of the Katakuris", all I know is that it left me very flat.By the way, although I did not adore the film, one thing sure struck me. The kids in the classroom were horrible--badly behaved, obnoxious and jerks. I assume this was meant as parody, as Jpaanese kids have fantastic reputations for studying and working hard...and NOT being total jerks. These kids were much, much worse behaved than any of the high and middle school kids I ever taught--and American kids are famous for being ill-behaved slackers. I'd love to hear more from someone who can tell me if Japanese kids ever actually behave like this.

Meganeguard Three years ago I took a class called Images in Japanese Popular Culture and within the class we watched several wonderful films, including of each from the multitude of Zatoichi and Tora-san films, a beautiful film titled Furusato by Koyama Seijiro, a real tearjerker titled Okaasan, and Ichikawa Kon's beautiful rendition of Tanizaki Junichiro's The Makioka Sisters. However, I believe the film that truly stuck in my memory was Morita's Family game starring Matsuda Yusaku, father of Matsuda Ryuhei, and Itami Juzo, the brilliant actor and director who would later create such masterpieces as Tampopo and A Quiet Life.Family Game opens by introducing the viewer to the Numata family, dad, mom, older brother Shinichi, and younger brother Shigeyuki. While Shinichi is a wonderful student having been accepted to a top high school which has a strong record getting its students into the top universities, younger brother Shigeyuki is much closer to the bottom, around 8th or 9th. While basically absent from the household, except when he comes home after work drunk, dad is concerned that his younger son won't get accepted into a top high school. Therefore he hires Yoshimoto, a tall, clean cut young man who attends a third-rate university. Many tutors have failed before the arrival of Yoshimoto, so dad offers him 10,000 yen per class rank Shigeyuki ascends. Therefore if Shigeyuki rises thirty ranks Yoshimoto will receive 300, 000 yen. Seems like a good deal, yes? Well, Shigeyuki is not quite willing to cooperate. With his non-confrontational mother who prefers leaving bigger decisions to her husband or others, Shigeyuki is used to getting his way, so when he is told to write the words he does know in Basho's Narrow Road to the North, he pulls a stunt in which he writes "twilight," 夕暮れ, over and over again. When Yoshimoto sees page after page of "twilight" he then proceeds to slap Shigeyuki hard enough to bloody the boy's nose, and warns him that if he tries to pull anymore stunts like that again he will be hit, and Yoshimoto is not one to pull his punches. Yoshimoto informs Shigeyuki's mother that the reason the boy's nose bled was that he got a bit over-excited, but although it is never directly stated she is of course worried, but dad thinks the end justifies the means, so the tutoring continues. With an absent father and a gentle milksop for a mother, Shigeyuki actually does become closer to his tutor and his grades do actually rise, but it is not through actual academic assistance, Yoshimoto normally looks at books about plants during their tutoring sessions, but the closeness and discipline Yoshimoto offers helps the boy. However, should Yoshimoto really be the one providing such a foundation? Family Game is completely dominated by the presence of Matsuda Yusaku. With his large size he almost fills the apartment of the Numatas' which is almost at bursting point with its four family members. However, it is his aggressiveness that really takes the stage. With no sense of personal space, Yoshimoto gets as close as he possibly can to Shigeyuki and often touches him as well, including one part of the film in which Shigeyuki is dressed only in his briefs. This scene doesn't have any sexual undertones in my opinion, but it is again another example of the magnitude of Yoshimoto's presence. Yoshimoto does other things to excess also, including drinking all of his beverages, often noisily, in on breath. While it is not too popular in the Western world, although it pops up quite often in film classes, Family Game is a pretty amazing film that should be seen just for the film's last ten minutes, but should be seen by those who not only enjoy Japanese films, but films in general.

ginkoale In a somewhat indirect way, this film comes across to me as a precursor to Miike's "Visitor Q". At its core "Kazoku Gamu" is the story of an outsider who frequently visits a family and greatly influences (and disrupts!) the household. While it is nowhere near as gross as "Visitor Q", there are disturbing undertones (such as child molestation) hidden beneath the film's pleasant surface.Even with all comparisons put aside, "Kazoku Gamu" remains a really entertaining film on its own. There are many moments where characters burst out with erratic behavior, as well as really funny dialog. All the acting is very well executed too.A classic of its time.

gordon-31 A middle-class Japanese teenager won't study to pass exams to get into high school so a tutor is hired. The tutor, who is basically a slob, gets the done. The family lives in a high-rise apartment across the Sumida River from Tokyo and it is interesting to see what family life is like in that set-up. The teenager's mother tries valiantly to see her children succeed in a rather chaotic situation.The Japanese education system is a rat-race to pass exams. It deserves a better story than this one.