Big Dreams Little Tokyo (2006)

Director:

Dave Boyle

Writer:

Dave Boyle

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Japanese | Sumo | Japanese Business | Cultural Identity | Business

Cast

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
Tomoko Matsumoto	...	Yoshiko
Michael Birkeland	...	Mr. Stephens
David Arciniega	...	Javier
Takaaki Nagoshi	...	Gofer
Mio Takada	...	Gondo (as Mio)
Hiroshi Otaguro	...	Watanabe
Hiroshi Tom Tanaka	...	Suzuki (as Tom Tanaka)
Sueko Terakami	...	Skeptical Woman
Eric Bjarnson	...	Mr. Kitamura
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fuminao Abo	...	Bored Businessman
Richard Boyle	...	Law Professor
Kannika Coley	...	Circle Lounge Musician
Jonny Craddock	...	Sushi Customer
Annette Horiuchi	...	Grandma
Russell Horiuchi	...	Grandpa
Hsiang Hsu	...	Sun Bather
Scott Hurst	...	Circle Lounge Musician
Jun Ma	...	Chinese Man
Setsuko Maruyama	...	Waitress
Taylor Moulton	...	Boy in Restaurant
Tsuyoshi Nakata	...	Circle Lounge Musician
Eiko Nijo	...	Japanese Girl (scenes deleted)
Antonio Palacios	...	Receptionist
Hassan Sherkat	...	HR Executive #2
Robert Swenson	...	Circle Lounge Musician
Carl Tohinaka	...	Himself
Phillip Vernon	...	Doctor Habib
Walden J. Wilson	...	HR Executive #1
Dale Thomas	...	Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Dave Boyle

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Dave Boyle

Produced by
Duane Andersen	....	producer
Meg Boyle	....	producer
Howard Hayes	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Mark Schulz

Cinematography by
Bill Otto

Film Editing by
Duane Andersen
Scott Hurst

Production Design by
Erica Elmer

Set Decoration by
Barbara Abbott

Makeup Department
Macy McKenzie	....	key makeup artist
Tiffany Vukich	....	makeup department head

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jonny Craddock	....	first assistant director
Lansia Wann	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Shawn Astin	....	property master
Tom Hail	....	construction coordinator
Clark Schaffer	....	set designer

Sound Department
Mario Crystal	....	adr recordist
Larry Dean Embry	....	additional sound
Darrell Karren	....	production sound
Yaz Kim	....	additional sound
Michael L. McDonough	....	sound designer
Ryan Purcell	....	foley artist

Visual Effects by
Todd Sali	....	visual effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Stephen H. Aldridge	....	still photographer
Sal Cocuzza	....	gaffer
Adrian Herman	....	first assistant camera
Scott Hurst	....	key grip
William Long	....	best boy electric (as Bill Long)
Tsuyoshi Nakata	....	second assistant camera
John H. Virgo	....	grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sonja A. Nelson	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Edward W. Arsuffi	....	post-production consultant
Spencer Burnside	....	assistant editor
Jacob Hoehne	....	post-production consultant
Ramy Katrib	....	post-production consultant
Dieter Sanchez	....	telecine assistant
Patrick Woodard	....	on-line editor

Other crew
Bryce Bishop	....	production assistant
Jeffrey S. Breglio	....	legal services (as Jeff Breglio)
Spencer Burnside	....	script supervisor
Kim Dixon	....	publicist
Mark Madsen	....	production assistant
Edvin Megrabyan	....	on-line supervisor
Antonio Palacios	....	production assistant
Amanda Suchy	....	production coordinator
Ben Wilson	....	key set production assistant

Thanks
Peter D. Brown	....	special thanks
Courtney Gains	....	special thanks
Kirby Heyborne	....	special thanks
Wynn Hougaard	....	special thanks
Tyler Measom	....	special thanks
Eiko Nijo	....	special thanks
Joe Polhemus	....	special thanks (as Josiah 'Farrah' Polhemus)
Rick Porras	....	special thanks
Maya Shimoguchi	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Brainwave
• Beagledorp Productions

Distributors

• Echo Bridge Entertainment (2008) (USA) (all media)

Other Companies

• Dominion3 Public Relations  publicity
• Dominion3 Public Relations  unit publicity

Runtime:

USA:86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish | English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Filming Locations:

San Jose, California, USA

Company:

Brainwave

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.

You have to see this film!

Big Dreams is a comedy that's perfect for teens and adults. The film is not overly saturated with slapstick, but rather plays to a more intelligent audience.

This film highlights the changes in our world today, where cultures blend together in new and unique ways. And such cultural blending creates some great comedic material which is effectively used in Big Dreams Little Tokyo.

Having just completed a brief introductory course in Japanese culture, I now realize there's more to this film than meets the eye. There was great attention to detail in this movie as it pertains to cultural norms and behavior. Watching an obviously white Caucasian American try his best to become a Japanese businessman is surprisingly entertaining. Equally funny is the Japanese-American character (Jerome) who is trying to find his place in the world of sumo-wrestling.

I highly commend Dave Boyle for his hard work. It takes a lot of talent and determination to make movies, Boyle has both of these qualities and I admire him for it. Keep up the good work Dave!