WTF ASIA: Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald
Over the past couple of months, I have been barraged with this Gangnam Style video and people talking about it. It seems that that video and the dance from that video has become the representation of all Asia and Asians. Others have already expressed similar…reservations…about this phenomenon as I have, using a much more level tone eloquence than I could provide. If their arguments will not make people reconsider their opinions on the video or its popularity, any rant that type out is not going to have the effect that I desire. What this Gangnam Style thing did do was inspire me to make movie recommendations in a series tentatively titled: Watching and Talking about Films from ASIA.
The first film I will recommend comes from Japan, a land known for its samurai movies, anime, ultraviolent exploitation flicks, monster movies, horror movies, plain-old weird movies, and oddly censored porn. Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald, however, is a good-natured and somewhat of a throwback screwball comedy that looks at the business of entertainment, the consequences of compromise, creativity on a budget, the influence of the West in Japan, the wonders of the old fashion art forms in modern society, professional integrity, and the tussle between individual needs and group efforts. And I think that it is really funny.
A radio program has just finished its final rehearsal for a radio drama to be performed live that night at midnight. The story, about a married pachinko parlor worker who leaves her husband for a former lover, is not a particularly good one, but the writer was the only contestant, so the people working at the station want to do the best that they can with what they have. In any case, the movie is not even three minutes in when one of the actors decides to make a little change in his acting style. It is not quite as important a change as he seems to make it, but it sets the tone of things to come. Soon afterwards, the narrator asks the producer for some grammatical changes in his lines, again, out of the desire to provide the best product possible. The writer, an amateur who is overwhelmed by the experience of simply having her work being put on the air, is a little reluctant to change these lines, but soon relents.
Then, about ten minutes in…
Perhaps out of spite and ego, the main actress, who was the one who demanded the program be performed live in the first place, demands that her character’s name be changed. Her manager makes excuses to the producer as to the reasons, but that pretty much goes out the window when she demands the name “Mary Jane”. Now her character has to be half-American. Okay, a bit weird, but okay. However, the second main actor, who has been shown to be resentful of what he sees as the preferential treatment towards his co-star, demands that he be foreign as well. So now all of the characters have to be foreign and the entire story gets transported to America. Now, if some of you were wondering what a panchinko parlor was, don’t worry about it; since the story is now set in America, the occupation of the main character has to change. The writer, who may or may not have been using this story as a means of living out a fantasy, is not happy with these changes. But don’t worry, there are many more to come. A back-up writer comes in to do major alterations to the story and a couple last-minute changes that seem petty at the time, end up leading to huge changes in the story while it is on air. It is not long before the story turns from boring to utterly ridiculous.
This movie starts out kind of slow, but turns hilarious pretty quickly. Some of the humor comes from the fact that the radio employees simply refuse to do a bad or even a mediocre job. They could have settled for effortlessly stupid and called it a night, but it is watching the desperation and the determination of the employees, that makes this movie so great. Their need for authenticity and professionalism as the two main actors engage in their passive clash of wills is what leads to some of the silliest plot changes and the funniest sequences.
The characters, while not particularly deep or far from caricature, are well done. Except for maybe the two main voice actors, it is pretty easy to like and sympathize with the main characters. I can feel the stressed-out mania of the producer, the growing despair and creeping rage of the writer, the overzealous drive of the back-up writer, the hopeful concern of the assistant, the cynical weariness of the director. I must say, though, that my favorite character is the third voice actor. Unlike his two fellow leads, he seems willing to do anything and does it with gusto. Just like the crew, he is a true professional.
I have seen some reviewers say that it is fairly clever, but only modestly amusing. Well, I laughed a lot. So there. I believe that this movie could appeal to those looking for a comedy that does not revolve around a man-aged boy and his sex troubles. Sure, the storyline of a woman leaving her husband may be a little controversial, as might the sudden inclusion of violence into the radio drama’s storyline, but there is really nothing there. The perceived notions of America, particularly one city, might offend certain people, but is more likely to induce chuckles if not outright laughter. The portrayal and treatment of women in the movie might lead to some raising of eyebrows, but the emotional development of the writer, and her eventual confrontation of the cynicism of the station, can almost be seen as inspiring. Maybe.
As of now, the movie is available to be seen here:
I must warn you, though, that the subtitles can be very hard to read at times. You could download a zip file of the subtitles from here, alter the "srt" to make it a readable document, and refer to that whenever the subtitles go bad. Alternatively, you could buy it from Amazon for $34. I will admit that I used…other methods to watch it, but am seriously considering getting the DVD. If you can find a way to watch it, I highly recommend it.
The first film I will recommend comes from Japan, a land known for its samurai movies, anime, ultraviolent exploitation flicks, monster movies, horror movies, plain-old weird movies, and oddly censored porn. Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald, however, is a good-natured and somewhat of a throwback screwball comedy that looks at the business of entertainment, the consequences of compromise, creativity on a budget, the influence of the West in Japan, the wonders of the old fashion art forms in modern society, professional integrity, and the tussle between individual needs and group efforts. And I think that it is really funny.
A radio program has just finished its final rehearsal for a radio drama to be performed live that night at midnight. The story, about a married pachinko parlor worker who leaves her husband for a former lover, is not a particularly good one, but the writer was the only contestant, so the people working at the station want to do the best that they can with what they have. In any case, the movie is not even three minutes in when one of the actors decides to make a little change in his acting style. It is not quite as important a change as he seems to make it, but it sets the tone of things to come. Soon afterwards, the narrator asks the producer for some grammatical changes in his lines, again, out of the desire to provide the best product possible. The writer, an amateur who is overwhelmed by the experience of simply having her work being put on the air, is a little reluctant to change these lines, but soon relents.
Then, about ten minutes in…
Perhaps out of spite and ego, the main actress, who was the one who demanded the program be performed live in the first place, demands that her character’s name be changed. Her manager makes excuses to the producer as to the reasons, but that pretty much goes out the window when she demands the name “Mary Jane”. Now her character has to be half-American. Okay, a bit weird, but okay. However, the second main actor, who has been shown to be resentful of what he sees as the preferential treatment towards his co-star, demands that he be foreign as well. So now all of the characters have to be foreign and the entire story gets transported to America. Now, if some of you were wondering what a panchinko parlor was, don’t worry about it; since the story is now set in America, the occupation of the main character has to change. The writer, who may or may not have been using this story as a means of living out a fantasy, is not happy with these changes. But don’t worry, there are many more to come. A back-up writer comes in to do major alterations to the story and a couple last-minute changes that seem petty at the time, end up leading to huge changes in the story while it is on air. It is not long before the story turns from boring to utterly ridiculous.
This movie starts out kind of slow, but turns hilarious pretty quickly. Some of the humor comes from the fact that the radio employees simply refuse to do a bad or even a mediocre job. They could have settled for effortlessly stupid and called it a night, but it is watching the desperation and the determination of the employees, that makes this movie so great. Their need for authenticity and professionalism as the two main actors engage in their passive clash of wills is what leads to some of the silliest plot changes and the funniest sequences.
The characters, while not particularly deep or far from caricature, are well done. Except for maybe the two main voice actors, it is pretty easy to like and sympathize with the main characters. I can feel the stressed-out mania of the producer, the growing despair and creeping rage of the writer, the overzealous drive of the back-up writer, the hopeful concern of the assistant, the cynical weariness of the director. I must say, though, that my favorite character is the third voice actor. Unlike his two fellow leads, he seems willing to do anything and does it with gusto. Just like the crew, he is a true professional.
I have seen some reviewers say that it is fairly clever, but only modestly amusing. Well, I laughed a lot. So there. I believe that this movie could appeal to those looking for a comedy that does not revolve around a man-aged boy and his sex troubles. Sure, the storyline of a woman leaving her husband may be a little controversial, as might the sudden inclusion of violence into the radio drama’s storyline, but there is really nothing there. The perceived notions of America, particularly one city, might offend certain people, but is more likely to induce chuckles if not outright laughter. The portrayal and treatment of women in the movie might lead to some raising of eyebrows, but the emotional development of the writer, and her eventual confrontation of the cynicism of the station, can almost be seen as inspiring. Maybe.
As of now, the movie is available to be seen here:
I must warn you, though, that the subtitles can be very hard to read at times. You could download a zip file of the subtitles from here, alter the "srt" to make it a readable document, and refer to that whenever the subtitles go bad. Alternatively, you could buy it from Amazon for $34. I will admit that I used…other methods to watch it, but am seriously considering getting the DVD. If you can find a way to watch it, I highly recommend it.