Judge! (2014) User Reviews (4)

" I have come here to eat the most delicious food in the world."

[dan-843-657853 · 7/10 · 29 March 2015]

The South China Morning Post review of this film says "Judge is lowbrow, but funny." At first viewing this is true; with its strong visual gags and the fact that, if one does not understand Japanese, subtitles have to be "digested." On second viewing the film dialog reveals clever word play based on the protagonist's real-life inability to speak English.

I wonder if the need to view it twice to understand the word play is the weakness of the film? Hardly any viewer sees a film twice, but this film needs repeat viewing to understand the relationship between the protagonist's garbled English and the food ad subject matter. The fact that it was scripted and directed by advertising talents likely caused this problem. Movies are seen once. TV commercials are seen umpteen times in which a subsequent "discovery" by the viewer leads to deeper understanding of and interest in the ad. Ads need to continually engage the viewer upon each repeat viewing, with the viewer seeing something he/she had not seen in the first quick 30-second viewing. It was not a Japanese box office hit, considering the all-star casting, as it should have been because the script required a fuller understanding of both the word play and the English language. I see many J-films where the script writer labors over every line/detail but these likely "go over the head' of most viewers. Only on repeat viewings and analysis, as done for Ozu film classics, do these get noticed.

The film is a joint Shochiku-Fuji TV collaboration that is supposed to be a series of comedies. I suppose a hapless ad manager could become a modern-day Tora-san, but charming humor needs to come across in the first viewing.

The film's casting and acting level of non-Japanese actors is high compared with other Japan-produced films, likely due to the film's advertising origins with international standards. The Japanese cast is wonderful beginning with Satoshi Tsumabuki showing us his wide variety of spot-on facial expressions that won him his star audition way back in 1997 and his current status as a top commercial model. Keiko Kitagawa, Etsushi Toyokawa, Lily Franky, Kyoka Suzuki and Yoshiyoshi Arakawa all shine in their roles; reaffirming the Japan tradition of star ensemble comedy. Run time is short for this entertaining Japanese film, meaning you can watch it twice!

Judge!

[politic1983 · 6/10 · 2 June 2014]

Kiichiro, our undoubted hero, is a hapless employee at a Japanese advertising agency. Loathed by the majority of those he works with, the ad concepts he works on repeatedly fail to impress and his future with the company is endlessly in doubt. With pressure from a major client to fix the voting at an international advertising grand prix, one of the agency chiefs decides to send Kiichiro the California, knowing his failure will justify his desired dismissal. Finding nothing but dishonesty and corruption (what?! in advertising?!) within the judging, Kiichiro is left disillusioned with the industry he chose as a career path.

But, this is a comedy, so everything works out well in the end...of course.

Nagai and script writer Yoshimitsu Sawamoto both work as advertising directors, with the vast majority of what happens claimed as being 'based on true events.' But on watching 'Judge!', it's clear that both exaggeration and artistic license are added to this reality. What this is is an enjoyable mainstream romp of a film: there is nothing here to be taken seriously, despite its attempts at moral messages, with a cast of big names and enough laughs throughout.

Perhaps the film's failings are in that it is a film about advertising, directed by an advertising director. Advertising relies on stereotypes and exaggeration, with which this film is chock-full. National stereotypes are played up, with manga-esque characters flirting with the farcical. But this isn't meant to be anything more than it is - it has Yoshiyoshi Arakawa and Lily Franky in it.

politic1983.blogspot.co.uk

bland comedy

[Hombredelfuturo · 4/10 · 28 February 2017]

...full of well known Japanese actors here but that s not enough to a predictable and too worn script. No doubt that Lily Frank is just right on these micro rolls that he always does. All the other characters are pretty well done but the atmosphere is ridiculous/cartoonish so bland. Have all the "hooks" that a Sunday movie should have. The start is very commercial a like but good then when the camera lifted up to change to a macro plane (one of the Hollywoodesque trademarks)...I did know that this movie is not for me.

One of the funniest movies in years

[ebossert · 10/10 · 24 February 2015]

After taking the blame for another disastrous advertising campaign, a man is asked by his arrogant boss to take his place as a judge at the world's biggest advertising competition (in Santa Monica) and rig the results to help a potential client. This is briskly paced as it throws tons of jokes out there, most of which hit the mark and are surprisingly hilarious. The fox commercial is an absolute riot. It's also a bit unpredictable during the latter half. There are a few brief moments of serious drama that come off as cheesy, but this is one of the funniest comedies in recent years, and almost all of the humor is clean family fun.

I think the reason why this film works so well is that the pacing is very fast and it never tries to be too serious. Many Japanese comedies are laid back and subversive, or out-of-this-world wacky, but the blistering pace here feels more like an American comedy - only executed far better than the typical American comedy.

I see myself re-watching this one a lot in the future.