The Family Game (Foreign Film Favorites) [DVD] - Award-Winning Japanese Drama, Perfect for Movie Nights & Cultural Enthusiasts

I first became interested in this movie because of Juzo Itami's name in the credits - I've loved almost everything I've seen from Itami, including the Funeral, A Taxing Woman, and of course, Tampopo. The Family Game however, is one I should have stayed far, far away from.Calling The Family Game a "comedy" is a stretch - there's nothing funny in this movie, and the entire script seems to plod from one pointless scene to another, with very little cohesive material binding each sequence.There is zero character development - and I know some people will cry foul at this, but honestly - the younger brother's grades go up, the older brother's grades go down - and you have zero insight into why either happened. Yes, the "I want to piss off my bully" comes into play, and then there's the whole "I can hit better than you" "fight scenes," but even those feel tacked on.All in all, I would say skip this one... there are so many other great Japanese family/life/culture movies to spend your money on.