Rating: 3.5/5
It’s a bold move to remake arguably the best Japanese movie ever made. If you must transplant the location — bolder still — 50’s England isn’t a bad choice
That said, this does not stray far from Ikiru, complete with iconic final scene of Williams on the swing set. While I found this affecting, I also recognize that what is affecting about it was already set in place by the movie it is remaking
Bill Nighy’s performance will be the one most recognized, it seems, but I have to give props to Aimee Lou Wood, who perfectly gave off the glow that Nighy’s character is so drawn to and wishes to imitate. She’s a favorite of mine from the Netflix show Sex Education and it’s nice to see her getting opportunities like these
One of the biggest flaws of this film is the near chronic use of montage. In order to cut an hour from a 2.5 hour story, moments are rushed along so that the big conversations can be had. As a result, Nighy spends maybe 10 minutes onscreen as the “humorless civil servant” whose transformation affects everyone around him. Of course I am thankful for an Oscar movie that isn’t 2.5 hours as so many others are, but this is one where that time could have been better spent
Also, similar to The King’s Speech, the cinematography is busy and insists on itself, often distracting from the story rather than enhancing it
The acting works, the jokes surrounding British haughtiness and bureaucracy work, and if I had not seen Ikiru I would be tempted to praise more. Regardless, for all its shortcomings, it is a nice movie to watch, and I enjoyed watching it