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IMDbPro

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald

Original title: Rajio no jikan
  • 19971997
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
2K
YOUR RATING
Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
Comedy
Just before the live airing of a radio play, an actress decides to change the name of her character. This cascades into a battle of egos by all involved that causes continual script changes ... Read allJust before the live airing of a radio play, an actress decides to change the name of her character. This cascades into a battle of egos by all involved that causes continual script changes while the play is on-air live.Just before the live airing of a radio play, an actress decides to change the name of her character. This cascades into a battle of egos by all involved that causes continual script changes while the play is on-air live.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Kôki Mitani
  • Writers
    • Kôki Mitani(screenplay)
    • Tokyo Sunshine Boys(play)
  • Stars
    • Toshiaki Karasawa
    • Kyôka Suzuki
    • Masahiko Nishimura
  • Director
    • Kôki Mitani
  • Writers
    • Kôki Mitani(screenplay)
    • Tokyo Sunshine Boys(play)
  • Stars
    • Toshiaki Karasawa
    • Kyôka Suzuki
    • Masahiko Nishimura
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 20User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 17 wins & 10 nominations

    Photos13

    Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Toshiaki Karasawa and Kyôka Suzuki in Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Toshiaki Karasawa and Masahiko Nishimura in Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Jun Inoue, and Moro Morooka in Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Jun Inoue and Keiko Toda in Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Ken Watanabe in Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Kaoru Okunuki and Kyôka Suzuki in Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Jun Inoue, Toshiaki Karasawa, Yoshimasa Kondô, Moro Morooka, Masahiko Nishimura, Kaoru Okunuki, Zen Kajihara, Kyôka Suzuki, Hiromasa Taguchi, and Keiko Toda in Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
    Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Toshiaki Karasawa
    • Manabu Kudo, the director
    Kyôka Suzuki
    • Miyako Suzuki, the writer
    Masahiko Nishimura
    Masahiko Nishimura
    • Tatsuhiko Ushijima
    Keiko Toda
    Keiko Toda
    • Nokko Senbon
    Jun Inoue
    • Hiromitsu Hirose
    Toshiyuki Hosokawa
    Toshiyuki Hosokawa
    • Hamamura Jo
    Kaoru Okunuki
    • Sumiko Nagai
    Zen Kajihara
    • Harugoro Otaguro
    • (as Zen Kajiwara)
    Moro Morooka
    Moro Morooka
    • Bucky, the writer
    Yoshimasa Kondô
    • Shiro Suzuki, Miyako's Husband
    Akira Fuse
    • Shuji Horinouchi
    Shunji Fujimura
    Shunji Fujimura
    • Mansaku Iori
    Shirô Namiki
    • Suhuru Hosaka
    Hiromasa Taguchi
    • Makoto Tatsumi, sound mixer
    Yasukiyo Umeno
    • Furukawa
    Takehiko Ono
    • Ben Noda
    Ken Watanabe
    Ken Watanabe
    • Raita Onuki, the truck driver
    Kaori Momoi
    Kaori Momoi
    • Takako Nakaura
    • Director
      • Kôki Mitani
    • Writers
      • Kôki Mitani(screenplay) (play)
      • Tokyo Sunshine Boys(play)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Toshiyuki Hosokawa introduces his character as Donald McDonald after seeing a McDonald's fast food bag. The reason for this is because Ronald McDonald is known as "Donald McDonald" in Japan.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Singapore Panda/New New Panda (2013)

    User reviews20

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Best Japanese comedy since Itami
    At a time when Japanese movies are becoming less and less imaginative and more and more standardized, THE RADIO HOUR stands as one of the happiest surprises from their industry in many years. Koki Mitani's script and direction are beautifully assured, and the actors, particularly the hilarious Jun Inoue as the cheerful, prankish Hiromitsu, couldn't be better. Mitani doesn't bother directly explaining anything to the audience; rather, he expertly shows a wide range of human behavior, each quirk of which leads to yet another bizarre twist in the ongoing live-broadcast drama. Fortunately, Mitani likes all his characters, and with marvelous economy, sees that we well understand why they behave the way they do. In fact as the story unfolds, one begins to see Mitani's story as something of an allegory for the filmmaking process, or the process of any endeavor, including the theater or the radio, that involves a broad number of collaborators. There's the actor who'll go along with anything, and the actor who won't; the actress who demands a star turn (but mainly because she feels underappreciated); the technicians who've seen it all before, and scramble to improvise; and, finally, the playwright herself, increasingly weirded out by what's becoming a perversion of everything she intended. But, finally, was what she intended any better than what what the rest of the team threw together? They needed her to get started; she needed them for the same reason.

    Collaboration means interdependence, and if the audience is finally happy, as Mitani ultimately suggests, then what better outcome could there be? There is not a finer or more cheerful film to come out of Japan since the last works of Juzo Itami, and it is fitting that his widow, the great actress Nobuko Miyamoto, contributes a (nearly invisible) cameo, to one of the few Japanese films to emulate the spirit of her late husband's art. And like Itami's films, THE RADIO HOUR is that rare Japanese comedy that audiences anywhere can enjoy
    helpful•11
    0
    • ankyron-2
    • Dec 8, 1999

    FAQ1

    • A radio station on 1602 kHz?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 8, 1997 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • 心情直播不NG
    • Production companies
      • Fuji Television Network
      • Premiere International
      • Toho Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $11,507
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $8,887
      • Sep 12, 1999
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 43 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR

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