Tengoku wa matte kureru (2007)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Yoshimasa Toki

Writer:

Yoshikazu Okada (writer)

Release Date:

10 February 2007 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Cast

Yoshihiko Inohara	...	Hiroki
Aya Okamoto	...	Kaoru Nakano
Shunsuke Kiyokiba	...	Takeshi
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ayumi Ishida
Ken Ishiguro
Keizô Kani'e
Erika Toda

Also Known As:

Heaven Can Wait. Maybe... (International: English title)

Runtime:

Japan:105 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Company:

Shochiku Eizo Company

A treacly, obvious melodrama

Tengoku wa matte kureru ("Heaven can wait. Maybe...") is a painfully labored melodrama about three school friends whose youthful friendship turns into a strained love-triangle. The three characters are little more than types: the smart, quiet boy; the slow but determined blue-collar worker; and the object of both of their affections, the professional store clerk who can't choose between her two best friends.

The big plot twist, such as it is, is surprisingly tame, and it's lack of suspense leaves the subsequent events without tension. Much of the film is filled with repetitive camera shots of a fish market, hospital room, and the insertion of vapid pop songs, leaving little room for plot or character development, and what story there is, is predictable and bland.

With a script and acting that seems more suited to daytime soap operas than a feature film, and sugary music that dripped with pathos, I found it hard to muster much sympathy or interest for any of the characters.