Linda Linda Linda (2005) User Reviews

Beautifully Constructed Study of Young Love, High School Politics, and of course, Rock and Roll.

[massaster760 · 8/10 · 29 November 2007]

In most films, directors try (with varying degrees of success and failure) to capture various feelings and emotions set in times and places that will connect with the viewer. When the director fails to catch the vibe emanating from the source material the film falls apart. But every once in awhile a director gets the material and turns out a product that seamlessly captures a slice of life. The latter better describes Nobuhiro Yamashita's Linda Linda Linda, a beautifully constructed study of young love, high school politics, and of course, rock and roll.

In preparation of a High School Festival due in three days, band leader Kei (Yu Kashii) forms a group to cover the works of a J-Punk band named The Blue Hearts for the festival. She quickly finds a drummer, Kyoko (Aki Maede), and a bassist, Nozomi (Shiori Sekine). After some difficulty, the group finds itself their singer; a Korean exchange student named Son (Donna Bae), who only has a basic knowledge of Japanese. The group prepares tirelessly for the coming event... but will they be ready in time?

OK, (I want to get this out of the way) I have one major gripe about Linda... To be honest, the first thirty minutes are paced so slow that it borders on tedium. Some scenes (in the beginning) are totally unnecessary to the plot and could have been edited better to provide the film with a better flow. Though after that, the film magically changes itself into a beautifully endearing coming of age drama complete with cute Japanese schoolgirls and blazing punk rock.

After the clumsy beginning, Linda Linda Linda does one thing that few films can boast. It does an exquisite job of capturing the awkwardness of youth, the purity of blossoming friendships, and the universal love of music. As the film progressed, I was constantly reminded of simpler times in my life. A time when friends were closer than they ever were (after which life puts you through the ringer). A time when every experience was fresh and new and exciting... basically it reminded me of how it was to be young. This is no small accomplishment and is the film's strongest point, as well (I believe) as Nobuhiro Yamashita's primary goal in making Lind Linda Linda.

Other than the emotional aspect of the film, Linda also features brilliant cinematography and a great score. Much of the camera-work seemed to be aimed at casting a "Abbey Road" effect, as many of the film's shots could be easily mistaken for album cover artwork. Add James Iha's (Smashing Pumpkins) melodic rock soundtrack and covers of the J-Punk band The Blue Hearts, and you get some moments of intense allure (i.e. what I like to call, "mind candy").

And we can't forget the actresses. Everyone holds their own here, playing their roles expertly and acting how you'd expect teenage girls to act, the standout being Donna Bae as Son. Her wide eyed, naive Son clinches the film and puts it into the level of greatness. She plays the kind of girl that you'd want to befriend, both subdued and full of life at the same time.

Bottom Line-This is a beautiful film that encapsulates all the emotions of youth. A bit boring and unfocused at the start but the rest of the film more than makes up for it.

Hugely Enjoyable

[mcnally · 8/10 · 28 January 2006]

I saw this film at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. Named for a song by legendary Japanese "punks" The Blue Hearts, this film tells the story of four girls who form a band for an end-of-year high school festival. They decide to play covers by The Blue Hearts, and although the film only covers a few frantic days of practice, the pace is sometimes glacial. I'm not sure that this is a bad thing, though it felt like the film wanted to go in two directions. On the one hand, it was a typically sentimental Japanese film about the passing of youth, and the director gives us a few shots of each of the girls smiling wistfully while gazing off in the distance. On the other hand, it's a film about a thrown-together-for-the-hell-of-it cover band, and it could have used a bit more of that kinetic attitude. That being said, it was hugely enjoyable (though probably a good 15 minutes too long), and Bae Doo Na, who plays the gawky Korean exchange student, literally steals the film. Her transformation from gawky outsider to sassy singer, though unrealistically quick, is endearing. And only in a Japanese film would someone get to sing the lyrics, "Like a rat, I want to be beautiful" and make it sound heartfelt.

A underrated rocking Coming of Age gem

[scheevers-50200 · 8/10 · 12 July 2018]

Although not quite on the same level as another coming of age Japanese teen musical Swing Girls (2004), Linda Linda Linda still has that kooky charm and punk rock vibe that makes it worthwhile checking it out.

Nothing major happens, no big love drama or major fall outs in this film or bullies trying to stop them, and that's refreshing to say the least. For me this probably has the beautiful Bae Doona;s best performance to date (I might slightly give the nod to A Girl At My Door but this film runs it close). She steals the film, as the kooky exchange Korean student turn front woman, to think she was 26 at the time of this film and a bit older then the other three female leads but she makes you believe she's a teenage girl.

The other three members of the band are very good, especially Aki Maeda (Battle Royale) as the drummer. But none come close to topping Bae Doona. The ending has a bittersweet feel to it, as some else mentioned in their review that it's the last significant thing that they probably do. With shots of empty corridors and grounds of the school, it's kind of eerie in a strange way. Also big up the music of the Blue Hearts, you end up humming Linda, Linda for weeks after hearing it.

I did have some problems with it. I did have some trouble with the pacing and I felt a few scenes could have been trimmed to make a tighter film. But overall it's nit picking as this film has it's heart in the right place, plus Bae Doona stealing the show. Well worth checking out.

3 chords and sass: Just you and me, punk rock girl.

[stevenvenn · 10/10 · 10 September 2005]

I just saw this film at the Toronto Film Fest and this is what Josie and The Pussycats should have been. This charming little Japanese film will have you singing the Blue Hearts title song over and over. A group of aspiring teenage girls form a band to perform for the high school rock festival, can they get it together? Kudos to Nobuhiro Yamashita for putting together such a cute and impressive cast of young women who make up the band who are all skilled actresses. This is a sweet film that will win over any teenage girl who ever thought that they could start an indie band (but also wins over an adult crowd with it's modest charm and it's humor). Fans of Japanese female bands like Shonen Knife and the 5678s will also dig this film I think.

BAE Du-Na (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Take Care of My Cat) as Song wins my vote as the most endearing oddball in this film who wins you over with her big eyes and teenage awkwardness (not to mention a lot of funny misunderstandings because she is a Korean exchange student who speaks little Japanese). Generally this is a movie that will be talked about a lot I think when it gets a full release. Hands down one of the best at the Toronto fest this year (2005).

Warm, sweet and loud

[ssslithe · 9/10 · 24 October 2005]

Saw this yesterday at the London Film Festival, and as a fan of The Blue Hearts, I wasn't disappointed. Four schoolgirls start a covers band so they can play at the school festival, and have to overcome a tight time-limit and personal dramas before they get there.

The film is beautifully acted and shot, and totally sweet from start to finish. At two hours it's a tad over-long, but some mesmeric camera-work and subtle humour helps it along nicely. The casting is superb, with every character believable and captivating. And of course the music's fantastic - the title song gets played to death but it's still a cool cover of a great Japanese punk song, and James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins does a brilliant job with the incidental music.

I'm so glad this film got an English sub, and considering how quickly the tickets sold out for these two London screenings, a full release would be warmly welcomed. Highly recommended.

A Nutshell Review: Linda Linda Linda

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 29 October 2006]

The closing film of this year's Japanese Film Festival, I was half expecting it to end with a rousing and wild finale, given its similarities to last year's commercial release Swing Girls, which also set its story with characters involved in putting up a musical performance. However, it didn't quite live up to expectation, but nonetheless the journey was still pleasing to the eyes (ahem).

Unlike Swing Girls where the characters had no idea how to play with the jazz band instruments, the group in Linda Linda Linda have been jamming in their own rock band, so they have some prior experience. Save for their lead singer, who was hastily recruited, and turned out to be a Korean (you'd recognize her from The Host), from the school's Korea- Japan foreign student exchange programme.

So begins the frantic pace of finalizing the composition of the group - lead vocalist Son (Bae Du-Na), drummer Kyoko (Aki Maeda), guitarist Kei (Yu Kashii, last seen in Death Note), and bassist Nozomi (Shiori Sekine), and the independent as well as combined practice and training sessions. The songs were as catchy as the lyrics were inane (well, if the English subtitles were to be trusted), taken from Japanese pink rock band The Blue Hearts. Naturally you'll need the element of adversity, and it comes in the form of a lack of venues to practice before their big day performance during the school's rock festival.

As per formula, you'll always have the misfits put together and then bonding just in time for their show. It's no different for Linda Linda Linda, as ultimately it's still a feel good movie. It follows the same technique in teasing the audience on the group's performing ability as they improve day by day, in not showing you their performing of the songs in full, and builds up anticipation for that bring-the-house-down finale. However, it lacked certain deftness in resolving the multiple minor subplots (like romance) it opened, preferring to leave them unresolved or open ended.

And when the final performance did come on, it's too little too late, with its lack of oomph in delivery, cutting short on the promised 3 song medley. It's a pity though, as the journey to the destination really hinted on a big-bang adrenaline filled ending.

Refreshing, energetic, fun

[verbiageon · 10/10 · 9 September 2005]

Describing the plot won't do it justice - it's so much more than yet another "putting a band together" movie. Every character is believable, and comes with a story making her or him alive.

There're laughs a-plenty, and at other times I found myself sitting there with a big smile on my face, from pure joy. And yet I wouldn't call it a comedy, as the laughs are not really central to the movie.

And then there's music, full of raw energy and quite memorable - many in the audience left the theater humming and whistling the title song.

I guess the best thing about this film is that it is real, there's nothing contrived or false in it that I could see. Generally I have no problem suspending disbelief and accepting the (lack of) internal logic of the world created in a movie. With Linda Linda Linda there was no need for that. It was easy to embrace the world of a high school festival and enjoy every minute of the screen time.

Hmmm... I think director Nobuhiro Yamashita's other films could well be worth watching.

Average. Another day-in-the-life movie. No major plot.

[pinokiyo · 6/10 · 30 March 2008]

If you noticed, the ones who enjoyed this movie are people who saw this during a film festival. This is not a film that you can enjoy watching at home, especially with a group of friends, UNLESS you have nothing else to do (or have some kind of fetish for Japanese school girls - that alone, is the reason, I'm sure, the majority find it interesting to watch) There's a few small sub-plots involving some of the band members having a crush with another character, but that really doesn't go anywhere. The only interesting character was the Korean exchange student (Son played by Du-na Bae). Aki Maeda (also famous in Battle Royale) is by far the cutest of the entire group, but her character is just two-dimensional, as well as others.

The ending was by far the most unsatisfying, as the band just plays "Blue Hearts - Linda Linda" song for the school -- and that was a given from the start of the movie. Basically, it's just another day-in-the-life-of movie.

Sure there were a few memorable scenes, but overall, the movie is just really tedious to watch. Be warned. If you have other plans, yet you really want to watch this movie, let this movie be your last priority. Viewing it once is enough.

If you couldn't stand Lost In Translation, then this movie definitely isn't for you either. This movie is just half an hour too long. Someone could walk into this movie an hour late and they really wouldn't miss a thing.

Let's sing a song for every @$$%&#! in the world!

[madscientist2787 · 9/10 · 27 June 2006]

I'm happy to report that the Japanese film Linda Linda Linda, which screened tonight at NYAFF (and was the first film of the festival that I was able to go see at the ImaginAsian theater) is hands-down the best movie I've seen at the festival so far. An upbeat and joyous film about a high school girls' rock and roll band, it's practically guaranteed to go straight to the heart of anyone who believes in music, and its power to save one's soul.

The plot is as straightforward as they come. Shiba High School is holding their annual Holly Festival complete with a musical talent show, and three friends - drummer Kyoko (Aki Madea, Battle Royale), keyboardist-turned-guitarist Kei (Yu Kasii, Lorelei) and bassist Nozomi (Shiori Sekine, of the real band Base Ball Bear) are struggling to get a band together. After their previous guitarist injures her finger and has to bow out, they recruit shy Korean exchange student Song (Bae Doo-Na, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) as their vocalist, and decide to cover three songs by the Clash-esquire 80's J-punk group The Blue Hearts. After weeks of staying up all night practicing, jamming until the wee hours (not to mention the fact that Song has to learn her lyrics phonetically), they are finally ready to play their music before their teachers and friends.

Admittedly, the description above probably makes this movie sound like every other movie about a band, or a sports team, or some kind of sentimental, rah-rah "Eye of the Tiger" pap. Trust me - nothing could be farther from the truth. What this movie is about is the people - the four schoolgirls that are its main characters are as quirky, and as button-cute, but also as three dimensional, as anyone you'd meet in life, and the movie's long, uninterrupted takes and improv-style acting give us a fly-on-the-wall feeling of being there. Opening with a MiniDV shot of one girl giving an on-camera interview about the Holly Festival, the movie starts out depicting its characters with shy restraint, gradually revealing more and more about their personalities, foibles, their joys and sorrows, until eventually, they literally start to feel like our friends. By the end, when the group performs their songs, we've honestly forgotten that they are characters in a film. We want to stand up and applaud.

I would honestly say that Linda Linda Linda is one of the greatest rock and roll films I've ever seen. Being a recent film, it doesn't have the legendary status of This Is Spinal Tap or A Hard Day's Night, but honestly, it's up there. This is rock and roll stripped down to its very core. No pretension, no decadence, no sex, drugs, limos, and all of that bullshit - just the three-chord structure of a song and its power to save lives. It's a truly beautiful thing to see and hear.

Japanese high school girl rock band story gets better towards the end

[ridleyrules · 7/10 · 7 February 2006]

Story told in a documentary-style, about 4 girls at a Japanese high-school campus who start a rock band. The goal is to perform at a festival of their school.

The movie starts out quite flat, with a distant and static camera. While the story progresses, the movie becomes more intimate as we learn a little bit more about the characters. We see the coming together of the band, rehearsing and interaction of band members with teachers, boyfriends and family.

There are not so many laughs. Script and acting are pretty straight. Highlight is the actress who plays the Korean exchange student and lead singer Son. She delivers a few very welcome comedic moments.

This almost two hour long movie really takes its time to get to its point. The finale delivers, though. There is even some suspense towards the end. 7/10

One of the best Japanese teen films I've seen...

[iwandered · 9/10 · 9 November 2006]

Those few people who commented this movie is 'boring' are missing the point entirely. Perhaps it is a matter of taste, what you are looking for in a movie. If you are looking for those quick pick-me-up rock'n roll flicks, with heroes/heroines get the girl/boy and fat recording contracts after performing jaw-dropping numbers, overcoming incredible odds, then perhaps this movie is not for you.

But pick you up in a bigger and more satisfying way this movie does. This movie is realistic in that it does not need artificial plot devices and major suspension of belief on the part of the audience. It just shows what ordinary teenage high school girls trying to put together a rock band in a few days for a festival would do in those precious few days of their lives. This is perhaps the last significant thing they will do before they head out to the real world (and maybe college).

Kudos to the director who sets the right pace for the scenes. In my opinion, Japanese movies in general have slower pace than necessary, but for this movie it was the right one and gives the audience the feeling that they really spent those few days with them. It is time well invested and gives the viewer a big payoff.

Of course Bae Doona absolutely steals all the scenes she is in. Not only she is an amazing talent, but these roles come naturally to her since she cut her tooth in a highly-acclaimed high school TV drama before taking on motion pictures. Look for her in the forthcoming 'The Host (2006)'(Korean title 'Gwoemul').

All in all, a very satisfying movie. And I just had to buy the Blue Hearts CDs. The songs just would not leave my head!

Does this song actually exist?

[Spuzzlightyear · 6/10 · 11 October 2005]

You don't see a lot of Japanese Rock and Roll movies, that's for sure. And now, after Linda Linda Linda, I'm proud to say that I can now say I've seen 2! Linda Linda Linda is the tale of a rock group comprised of cute little Japanese students. When their leader drops out, they recruit a Korean student, who still is learning the Japanese language. So after they recruit, they rehearse, some of the group fall in love, some talk with failed musicians, and so on. There's a lot of serious padding going on here actually, which slows the movie down terribly, so much so that even the lead actresses fall asleep, and nearly miss out the rock out conclusion! Admittedly, this is a cheap way to end the movie, and totally predictable, but oh well, I fell for it, and I'm STILL singing the chorus to Linda Linda Linda as we speak.. And I don't speak Japanese!

Awkward Silence: The Movie

[DrSmooth · 2/10 · 14 October 2009]

(This review will have some very obvious spoilers, so beware.)

A friend brought this over, and we made it through 45 minutes of the movie before we decided that Fast Forward 8x Speed was the only way that this film should be watched. There were points when we were watching the movie at normal speed where I would leave, prepare part of lunch, and return, to find that literally nothing had happened. 2 lines of meaningless dialogue were exchanged. Nothing happened the background, no important facial gestures were made, nothing but mind-numbing awkward silence.

This is NOT how to make a thoughtful film, especially when the movie's plot follows all the same basic Hollywood movie tropes. If I told you that Disney was making a film about 4 girls starting a band, and the singer was a French exchange student, what you would expect to be the "conflicts" that arise?

The lead singer has to overcome stage fright? Someone has an unspoken crush? The band is late for their performance, and a side-character has to buy them time?

*SPOILER ALERT*

All of those things happen in this movie.

At no point in this film do you have even the slightest fraction of concern that these girls won't be able to accomplish their goal.

*THIS ENDS THE SECTION OF SPOILERS*

I like Japanese films. I've spent a lot of time in Japan. I work for a Japanese company. Heck, I even know all the bands referenced in the record collections and MDs that they're going through, and I've sung along to the title track with friends at karaoke.

This is probably the worst film from Japan I've ever seen. Do not be confused. Though the characters will have points in the movie where they do typical Japanese high school things, this is not a "typical day in the life of" movie. This is "a day in the life of 4 extremely random, heavily-conflicted, awkward Japanese students."

There are noticeable problems with the DVD, as well. Viz decided that a great extra would be a producer reading aloud the Wikipedia entry about the Blue Hearts. What a value! In addition, they care so little about the subtitling that the band's name in the subtitles, "Paran Maum" is different than it is in the chapter selection menu, "Paran Marum". In the final auditorium scene, there is a VERY visible reflection/ghosting effect on everything, but this seems to be the fault of the original film.

2/10, do NOT view if you do not absolutely love awkward silences.

A feel-great movie

[howard.schumann · 10/10 · 12 March 2007]

Having just had a week filled with watching two Shakespearean tragedies, I was ready to be uplifted and found the perfect answer in Nobuhiro Yamashita's Linda Linda Linda. It is not only a feel-good movie, it is a feel-great movie that had the audience dancing in the aisles (figuratively, if not literally). Yamashita has managed to put together not only one of the best rock films but also one of the most truly honest films I have seen about what life is like for teenagers. It also has a very infectious song, Linda Linda Linda, arranged by former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha that will roll around forever inside your brain. The songs are not lip-synced but are actually performed by the talented actress musicians.

The plot is simple and can be summarized in a paragraph or two but the strength of the film is not in its story but in its quirky humor, natural conversations, great music, and the small moments that convey the roller coaster existence of high school life. Four girls attending Shibazaki High School in Japan want to compete at the annual Holly Rock Festival but things are not going their way. With less than three days before the competition, Moe (Shione Yukawa), the lead guitarist, has just broken two fingers in an accident and is unable to play. Two members, Kei (Yu Kashii) and Rinko (Takaya Mimura) have had a falling out over Rinko's attempt to recruit a boy to play in the bandand are not on speaking terms.

A patchwork solution is proposed where Kei decides to be the guitarist while Kyoko (Aki Maeda) moves to drums and Nozomi (Shiori Sekine) plays the bass. All that is left is to find a singer and a song, no small task. With days left to prepare, the girls agree to choose the first person who walks in the corridor in front of them. Since the first person was a boy, they decide to pass. They also pass on Rinko, a vocalist they used in a former band.

Since Rinko doesn't want to sing the song they've chosen, they pick the next girl walking by, a Korean exchange student named Son (Bae Du-na) who agrees to sing but without much knowledge of Japanese, rehearsals are a struggle to communicate. Calling themselves the Paran Maum, the girls have to sneak around the school and rehearse at night, often falling asleep on the floor. The pace of the film is slow and the girls face challenges but they are real life events, not "movie" problems. Kyoko is attracted to Kazuya (Katsuya Kobayashi) but needs to find the confidence to let him know. Kei must learn to work within the confines of a group and give up some control and Son has to become comfortable enough with the language to perform.

While the story may sound like a teenage soap opera, Linda Linda Linda stays away from cliché and the film is without contrived plot twists or dramatic confrontations with parents (who are mostly non-existent in the film). Along the way, however, there are some very endearing moments. One is Son's attempt to enter a karaoke club without buying a drink and her back and forth conversation with the attendant borders on the painfully hilarious.

Another great scene is when a young boy tries to communicate in broken Korean to Son that he loves her but there is more than a language barrier. The acting in Linda Linda Linda is uniformly excellent, especially the performance of Bae Du-na who moves from being shy and inarticulate to front and center stage and sweeps you away with her great smile. The ending of the film is so perfect that I dare not give it away except to say that the feeling the film leaves you with is one of pure and simple joy.

wow.

[jv_rules_1 · 9/10 · 26 October 2006]

please ignore the other comment . this movie is simple and effective. i saw it during the festival du nouveau cinema in montreal. i just randomly picked it even if the synopsis didn't seem that interesting...

set in japan, its about 4 teenage girls who form a rock band so that they can play a song at their school festival. the characters are well developed. the images are reallllly nice.(a la jim jarmusch) its like a teen movie made for people who don't usually like teen movies. the pace is a bit slower than usual teen movies but its much more mature and still ends up being funny.

plus, the soundtrack, by james iha (ex-smashingpumpkins), is quite good

go see it. or rent it or whatever.

Rock 'n Roll Bliss.

[ThrownMuse · 10/10 · 6 June 2007]

A group of Japanese high school girls are preparing to perform at the School Rock Festival. Three days before the fest, the guitarist injures her hand, leading to an argument between the keyboardist and vocalist. Their search for a lead singer leads them to a shy Korean exchange student (Du-na Bae) who barely speaks the language and can't really carry a tune. Will they be ready in time for the fest? This was released on DVD in the US a few weeks ago and I have watched it 3 times since, yet I can't seem to get enough of it. I think it's one of the best films this decade. It's probably the best movie I've ever seen about teenage girls, and one of the best movies I've ever seen about rock'n'roll. I've read complaints that it's slow and nothing happens in the film, and I can understand that. The movie has a very subtle feminist and punk-rock aesthetic that I don't think every viewer picks up on. It doesn't pander to its audience, nor does it beat you over the head with its messages. And the music is awesome. Du-Na Bae ("The Host," "Ring Virus") has quickly become my favorite Korean actress. She's brilliant and hilarious in this. The other actresses (including two young women from "Battle Royale" and a real-life j-rock star) are also excellent. "Linda Linda Linda" is rock 'n roll in the purist sense. Genius.

Lost the connection to the film

[YNOT_at_the_Movies · 26 March 2006]

"Linda Linda Linda" is a high school drama which bores me, because I can't make the connection with either the story nor the presentation of the film.

There is a school festival at a local Japanese high school, and one of the female student rock band can no longer play because one of its member broke her finger. What to do? They recruited a Korean exchange student Son to be the lead singer to sing Blue Hearts's signature song "Linda Linda Linda." They have to practice day and night because there are only three days left before the festival and Son's Japanese is not very good.

It might not sound much in this story, because indeed there is not much. If you went to a high school in Japan, I am sure that you would love this film and you can identify with the characters in the film and bring out so much nostalgia from you. But I didn't have that experience nor am I a Korean exchange student, so when the film doesn't make much effort to get me involved with the story emotionally, I start to yawn. I was bored being a bystander. The editing was sloppy as well in my opinion. It seems to me that the filmmaker doesn't want to cut anything shoot on films. So many scenes are randomly put together without a purpose, especially lacking of continuity.

While it was fun to see what Japanese high school life might be like, this film is a little too long and less interesting.

The fun of high-school...

[sinncross · 7/10 · 26 June 2007]

Two days before the school festival, a music band consisting of Kei (Yu Kashii), Kyoko (Aki Maeda), and Nozomi (Shiori Sekine) are without a guitarist and singer as two previous members had to leave the band. This jeopardizes their chance to add some meaningful memories to their high-school life's, so they are forced to scrap their original songs, get a new vocalist and learn some new songs. Their vocalist comes in the form of Koren exchange student Son (Du-na Bae), who is still learning the Japanese language. With the odds against them, each member learns something new about themselves, as they desperately try to learn the Japanese punk rock band The Blue Hearts song: Linda Linda.

The most refreshing aspect of the film is easily the story, which is very simple to follow from beginning to end allowing for greater accessibility. It doesn't follow the usual formula for film involving high-school girls by portraying a life of materialism and sex. Instead it focuses on four girls growing together as friends who wish to make sure that that had some memories of high-school of good times when they enjoyed themselves. While Bae takes a more centre stage role, each girl is as important as the other as each goes through a different experience not shared by the others. If there is a problem with the story, it is through it's execution. The director, Nobuhiro Yamashita, does many still camera shots which serve to slow the pace of fun story. While some scenes do work, enhancing the idea of holding onto your memories of the past, it does come across as being used too often for its own good. This becomes coupled with a general lack of spark: the story drizzles on till its finale, which helpfully ends the film on a bang.

For a couple of youngsters, the acting is acceptably good. Each character is easily distinguishable by their own quirky traits and this is a great achievement which is mostly due to the cast. There are the rare occasions where the actors come across as a little lazy and don't appear all to interested in what is happening, but many are probably not bound to notice.

Since the story is about music, it is important to note that the music is sadly lacking in energy, and this is a problem for a film which while not slowly paced, does not pace itself quick enough considering the events unfolding in the story. The tunes from The Smashing Pumpkins and James Iha make for a pleasant listen, but the only music which pumps with strength, are the three songs which the main characters play from The Blue Hearts.

Devoid of any offensive material until the final song where the lyrics contain two expletives.

Linda Linda Linda is a fun film that suffers mostly from pacing issues, and the factors meant to aid this issue, do not. Still there is a bright cast of wonderful personalities and the music they make is a definite delight to the ears.

I love girls.

[Dare_Daniel · 9/10 · 2 December 2020]

Watching this movie now as an adult feels like coming back to my last days of highschool to meet my best friends from that time.

It depicts the atmosphere of those days I still didn't really know what I was doing or what I was going to do in the future, but in the end they were just unforgettable.

This group of friends just want to have the fun of their lives because they know everything will change as soon as they enter the adult world. Their friendship is very sweet and it's fun to see these cute girls doing cute things.

The cast is lovely and the soundtrack by James Iha (ex-Smashing Pumpkins) is very peaceful.

Pretty sweet

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 7/10 · 18 June 2023]

Linda Linda Linda was a nice movie, and though nothing about it truly stood out, it proved pleasant enough to slip into for almost two hours, with a fairly low-stakes story featuring a cast of characters you still grow to care for, all the while wanting them to succeed. Things do stay away from being too intense or dramatic though, seeing as the plot revolves around three girls needing to find a new singer for their high school band, all the while an important event approaches. They end up picking a Korean exchange student, who has what they need, though her not being fluent in Japanese ends up being an obstacle for the girls and the three songs they need to learn to play together.

Maybe a different approach would feel more cliched and too heavy on stereotypical high school drama, and so everything being understated and usually quite relaxed makes this work as a nostalgic hang-out movie. People have their differences, but they're generally nice to each other, and it takes you back to a time in your life when maybe the thing you worried about most of all was something as ultimately inconsequential as a school music performance. In capturing how much the moment means to the characters, Linda Linda Linda ends up feeling charming and like an accurate portrayal of a young person's headspace.

All that being said, the movie was a little slow for me. I felt what it was trying to make me feel to a mild extent - maybe as much as the kind of drama it had could allow - and some of it was a little funny, even though maybe I was expecting the humor to be more pronounced. I guess it's like a music dramedy where the drama isn't too heavy, and the comedy is gentle. As for the music? It was also charming. It's just a nice movie, I guess. Its low-keyness made it hard for me to love it, but it was still very easy to like overall.

Sweet and Charming Little Film

[john_hugo · 10/10 · 29 January 2016]

I speak neither Japanese nor Korean and had to use English subtitles, but this is one of my all time favorite films. The main plot is basically 4 high school girls trying to put a band together in just a few days for a school festival. One band member had dropped out at the last minute and another broke her finger. So they are hard pressed to replace them and get going. The film carefully steers away from all the usual clichés and focuses on very believable situations skillfully acted by 4 adorable young ladies. Doona Bae steels the show as a shy quirky Korean exchange student, who rarely understands what everybody is saying, and yet is the lead singer. There is no foul language, sex or even a real antagonist. Linda Linda Linda is lighthearted, funny and simply charming. The title song of the same name has such a catchy hook, that everybody I know, who has seen the movie can't get the tune out of their head. Treat yourself to this rare gem.

Nice but kind of boring

[mister_bateman · 6/10 · 7 July 2020]

I don't actually have anything negative to say about this movie, but it didn't really captivate me. Like other reviewers have said, it's nice and warm and wholesome, and I do like other such school dramas. But something was missing. Maybe because none of the characters were really memorable, or it was just too mellow for my taste. I'd say check it out and see for yourself.

Definitely NOT swing girls

[the_doofy · 1/10 · 7 March 2019]

If U are the kind of person who will pour grape nuts into a bowl, and then add some card board shavings to it and then eat this mixture with a spoon without anything else being added, you will enjoy this movie.

LINDA LINDA LINDA at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, CA (SAN FRANCISCO Asian American FILM FESTIVAL)

[mywytefeet · 10/10 · 18 March 2006]

This movie was everything I imagined it to be and more! I love this movie! It was funnier than I imagined it to be and the acting was amazing. Bae Doona stole the show, but the whole band in general had a real quality feel to them, like I was watching a band come to life--not just actresses with instruments. Now I am just waiting for someone to make another version of the DVD that is currently out in japan, but with subtitles. Go see this movie! You will be laughing, going, "awwww" more than once, and loving every second of it--not to mention you may be wanting to start your own band after seeing this movie ^_^ Oh, and the soundtrack is the best I have heard in a long time! James Iha (previously guitarist for Smashing Pumkins) does an amazing job!

Delightful & charming leads to perfection

[ratcityfilmsociety · 10/10 · 30 March 2010]

This film combines a multitude of genres into a delightful romp through the end of a high school year, climaxing in a talents show performance for the ages. The resulting movie is simply delicious. There is that whole "lets enter the talent show" element along with several other teen related or specifically Japanese sub-genres involved in this beautiful brew. When I saw this at the Seattle International Film Festival, everyone exited the theater congratulating each other and ourselves for selecting this particular film. It entertains, strikes all kinds of right chords, sparks memories in the old and empathy in the young. As satisfying a film experience as I've ever had. I can not imagine ANYONE not being completely charmed by this engaging and quirky movie.