Big Dreams Little Tokyo (2006)

Big Dreams Little Tokyo is the story of Boyd, an American with an uncanny ability to speak Japanese. Boyd aspires to succeed in the world of Japanese business but finds himself mostly on the outside looking in. Meanwhile, his roommate Jerome, is a Japanese American who has always felt too American to be Japanese but too Japanese to be American. He aspires to be a sumo wrestler but finds his ... See full summary »

Director:

Dave Boyle

Writer:

Dave Boyle

Stars:

Dave Boyle, Jayson Watabe, Rachel Morihiro

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dave Boyle	...	Boyd
Jayson Watabe	...	Jerome
Rachel Morihiro	...	Mai
Drew Knight	...	Andy
Pepe Serna	...	Mr. Gonzalez
Michael Yama	...	Mr. Ozu
James Kyson	...	Murakami (as James Kyson-Lee)
Sonny Saito	...	Mr. Tanaka
Robert Suetsugu	...	Mr. Sugimoto (as Bobby Suetsugu)
Naohiro Takita	...	Mr. Fuji
Dane Allred	...	Boyd's Dad
Kei Miyara	...	Takanori
Yuta Kinjo	...	Kei
Jonna Tamases	...	Lydia
Hiroshi Watanabe	...	Masashi

Storyline

Big Dreams Little Tokyo is the story of Boyd, an American with an uncanny ability to speak Japanese. Boyd aspires to succeed in the world of Japanese business but finds himself mostly on the outside looking in. Meanwhile, his roommate Jerome, is a Japanese American who has always felt too American to be Japanese but too Japanese to be American. He aspires to be a sumo wrestler but finds his weight and blood pressure are thwarting his dreams. Together they struggle to find their place in a world where cultural identity is seldom what it seems.

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Plot Keywords:

japanese | sumo | japanese business | cultural identity | business | 

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Taglines:

Because a fish out of water is best served with ginger and wasabi.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish English Japanese

Release Date:

2 November 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

San Jose, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brainwave, Beagledorp Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In spite of its title the film doesn't take place in Little Tokyo (Los Angeles) but in Japantown (San Jose) - there are also shots of San Francisco's Japantown.

User Reviews

Considering the budget, it's an amazing film...

David Boyle is a young filmmaker and in "Big Dreams Little Tokyo" he attempts something pretty amazing--to star, direct and write this film himself! Now if you consider this and the paltry $200,000 budget, the end result is truly amazing. And, I look forward to seeing more of his films--the guy has some talent and it's a nice quirky film.

The film is a comedy--but not a laugh out loud film. Instead, it's a nice slice of life film involving some weird characters that you really come to like. Boyle plays an odd American. He's earned a BA in Japanese and actually is VERY Japanese in the way he thinks and talks--which is odd coming from a white guy. His roommate is an oddity as well--a Japanese-American who isn't quite big enough to become a sumo wrestler. Both have large ambitions to be more than they are--and both seem destined to fail. There is a LOT more to the story than this--including some wonderful characters (Mai was terrifically adorable). In fact, the story itself is nice but it's the characters that make the movie well worth seeing.

Boyle has a nice touch--the film is sweet and engaging and if you give it time, you'll be amply rewarded. Those who demand a high-speed film or a movie with lots of clarity and a Hollywood style ending might be disappointed--those who just want to see a film about people will be amply rewarded.

By the way, in one scene in his apartment, you can see a film for another one of Boyle's films "White on Rice" on the wall. A great way to advertise his next project, huh? Also, there is a scene where the Mexican gentleman meets his translator and says "Catinflas". Catinflas was a very entertaining Mexican comedian--and I assume the man thought his translator reminded him of Catinflas due to his very quirky clothing (and hair).