☆ ☆ ☆ ½
Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t (1992) – M. Suô
Amon checked this
out of the library and it was fun to watch it as a family. A classic underdogs-make-good comedy using
the traditional formula that sees a bunch of oddballs rally to beat a team of
obnoxious bullies. The big difference,
of course, is that the sport here is sumo wrestling which is pretty weird, even
if it is Japan’s national sport. The
focus is on a university sumo team which has lost all of its members and is in
danger of being de-registered. So, the
professor who serves as coach has to recruit students to join up for the year’s
competitions, the students don’t have to be fat and the main character is
played by former idol Masahiro Motoki (later seen in Oscar winning Departures,
2008). Comic relief is offered by Naoto Takenaka, whose character gets diarrhea
every time he feels stressed. So, you
can see the type of humour on display here.
It is also surprising (or not) to see just how dated a 1992 film can be,
with some of the sexist jokes falling extremely flat these days (and
fortunately over the heads of the kids).
Of course, it is still a “feel good” film, because you really do want
this assortment of outsiders to triumph -- and, as everyone can foresee, they
do.
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