To understand how this film came about, you got to know a little bit of background about the director, Yamada Yoji. Though he may be internationally best known for his late-career "Samurai Trilogy" (2002 - 2006), Yamada has been directing films since 1961, and is best known for films that are set in the contemporary present, but feature a heavy dose of nostalgia. Yamada started his career at Shochiku, the same studio where Ozu worked. Though he initially tried to make films very opposite to the Ozu style, he came to be compared to Ozu time and time again, as the years went on. Yamada himself blames the Kamata studio style, which is present in the films of many older Shochiku directors.
I like Yamada quite a bit, though he is nowhere near the master of cinema that Ozu was. The core difference between them is that Ozu depicted the sentiments of his contemporary society. Yamada's films have very similar sentiments, but from a nostalgic viewpoint. Less "mono no aware" and more of a longing to a childhood home, tragicomic everyday realism with warm undertones and soft narratives. At his darkest, Yamada is not as dark as Ozu, and at his funniest, he is not as hilarious. He is good, balanced, and humane, and his works benefit if you don't compare the two.
But I guess Yamada couldn't help himself from eventually remaking an Ozu film, after making Ozu-esque films for 52 years (!). "Tôkyô kazoku" (Tokyo Family, 2013) is a remake of "Tokyo monogotari" (Tokyo Story, 1954), the Ozu film that is repeatedly voted to be the greatest film of all time. Because of the casual nature of the the narrative, it is not exactly like remaking "Vertigo" (1958) or "Citizen Kane" (1941), but you've got to admit: it's a challenge. Instead of making a scene-for-scene remake (god forbid!), this is more of a re-imagining of the original, with contemporary setting and some differences made.
I came in with an open mind, and the initial reaction was good. The original Ozu film was in black and white, Yamada's film is in color, but he has chosen a color palette that resembles that of Ozu's late-career color films like "Ohayo" (Good Morning, 1959). In hindsight, Yamada would have been wise to remake "Ohayo" instead. "Ohayo" is a comedic and pretty relaxed narrative, a good fit for Yamada, and in itself a remake of an earlier Ozu film (1932). It could have been updated, just change the television set of the 1959 film into a computer, or an iPhone or something. Not necessary a masterwork, but Yamada could manage the tone. "Tokyo Story" is too dark for Yamada. Ozu described it as one of his most melodramatic pictures, and Yamada's softball approach does not resonate with the narrative. The dramatic tension is not very high, and we feel too much sympathy for every single character.
The original film was told largely from the perspective of the parents who come to visit their adult children in Tokyo. This film does the opposite, and starts with the children. Therefore we come to understand their perspective too much, and they are made too kind for the film's core thesis to come through. Yamada's film is cozy and the nostalgia he has for the olden day family idyll goes opposite to Ozu's thematic about the selfishness of the modern generation. Because the drama doesn't bite, the film starts to feel slow, which is something I never felt with any Ozu film, though they were long. I feel bad watching this, because Yamada is talented and can do several things very well. This film highlights what he can't do.
All this being said, the film carries some charm from the original, though it doesn't add much. Some scenes have become too iconic to change, and are thus too similar to the originals. The acting is very good throughout, as Yamada films are always full of likable faces.
