The Family Game (1983)
"Kazoku gêmu" (original title)

A sendup of the stereo-typical Japanese family: dad is a salaryman jerk, unable to relate to anyone; mom is a hopeless housewife; the older son is a moderate academic success; but the ... See full summary »

Director:

Yoshimitsu Morita

Writers:

Yôhei Honma (based on the novel by), Yoshimitsu Morita (screenplay)

Stars:

Yûsaku Matsuda, Jûzô Itami, Saori Yuki

17 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Yûsaku Matsuda	...	Yoshimoto, the tutor
Jûzô Itami	...	Mr. Numata, the father
Saori Yuki	...	Mrs. Numata, the mother
Ichirôta Miyakawa	...	Shigeyuki, the younger brother
Junichi Tsujita	...	Shinichi, the older brother
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yôko Aki	...	Yoshimoto's Lover
Kôichirô Doi	...	Tsuchiya
Katsunobu Ito	...	Shigeyuki's Japanese teacher
Shûsuke Kaneko	...	Bookstore guy
Yoshihiro Katô	...	Shigeyuki's gymnastic teacher
Asako Kobayashi	...	Yuriko Tagami
Asako Maekawa	...	Yuriko tagami
Yoneko Matsukane	...	Shigeyuki's English teacher
Mayumi Matsuno	...	Michiko hamamoto
Izumi Nakamori	...	Yasuko kikuchi

Storyline

A sendup of the stereo-typical Japanese family: dad is a salaryman jerk, unable to relate to anyone; mom is a hopeless housewife; the older son is a moderate academic success; but the younger son is a rebellious goof-off for whom a tutor must be hired. The tutor, played by the prototypical bad-boy actor Matsuda Yusaku, proceeds to blow the entire family apart (Matsuda's role is modeled on the myth of Susano-o no mikoto, the renegade deity who figures in the Kojiki).

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Plot Keywords:

high school | japanese | entrance examination | salaryman | dinner table | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

1 April 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jeu de famille

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Art Theatre Guild, New Century, Nikkatsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Mrs. Numata, the mother: My son is not dumb because, as a little boy, he memorized an entire book about roller-coasters.
Yoshimoto, the tutor: Perhaps then he can work in an amusement park.

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Connections

Version of Family Game (1982)

User Reviews

A rather slap-stick portrayal of an important story.

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.