WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW:
First, the Recap:
Downhearted yet cautiously optimistic. When life has dealt us a blow that is hard to rebound from, it becomes very easy to believe that the happiness we once had will never totally return. In spite of the “best” or most “well-intentioned” efforts of those who do care about us, we can remain stubborn and closed off to any further change, even when it could be for our benefit. Yet, once such change suddenly arrives, especially when not immediately obvious, will we continue to fight against it? Or, will be embrace the magic of the unexpected?
Recent divorcee Mikuko (Kaho Minami) is in this precise place in her life. Reeling from the break-up yet and having issues with her seemingly carefree-but-impulsive daughter Chieko (Sumire), Mikuko doesn’t fully see a definitive path ahead other than to try and find some sense of settledness in her ingrained but somewhat empty daily routine. However, when an unforeseen “gift” in the form of an American man named Vincent (Greg Dale) arrives, it shakes up everything they both have been encountering in life, and could signal the start of something amazing, new….and needed.
Next, my Mind:
You know sometimes when you’re just wanting to ease back for an evening of relaxed viewing, sorely needing something lighthearted, uncomplicated, and wholly entertaining to laugh at and feel alive again? Well, look no further than this distinctly witty, undeniably charming, unavoidably engaging 113-minute bilingual rom-com from writer/director/producer Greg Dale, producer/executive producer Jeffrey Rowe, producers Katie Rong and Wilco C. Rullens, co-producers Alexandria Kayy, Sean Nichols, Shōhei Muroya, and Richard Hagiwara, plus executive producers Kenneth Pechter, Jeffrey A. Horwitz, Yuko Suzuki, and Stefan Worrall. And before you (perhaps) balk at the runtime (usually associating a typical romcom runtime closer to 90-100 minutes), let this critic state that the film beautifully fills every moment with character and story development in a totally intelligent, whimsical, and attention grabbing manner.
Cleverly employing its multi-language execution as a nicely fresh foundational twist, the narrative creates a perfectly amusing and dramatic aura as it follows a wonderfully affable, innocently hapless divorcee in Tokyo who cannot seem to get life quite sorted out to her liking until an unanticipated situation with an American ex-pat turns from massively awkward to enchantingly delightful. The pacing of the film, for this critic, was superbly executed, allowing for you to have plenty of opportunity to take in the smartly delivered and quite bountiful comedic instances while also relishing the more serious moments that a well-written and directed romcom like this should embody within its story. While I found the straightforward nature of the film overall to be one of its shining attributes, the fact that there’s the bilingual facet to the events somehow manages to add a really intriguing layer to it as well, cultural learning amidst the all the fun.
Through using present day and flashback sequences to explain some of Mikuko’s story, then film’s thematic forays into what it is to desire a better life, handling relationships that weren’t healthy, how the dreams we had may have fallen short or never came about, losing the drive, passion, and fire for living a vibrant existence, watching the world we once knew change so radically, our longing to be genuinely loved and appreciated, having to overcome our own fears of accepting things that are different than we expected, the beauty of reconciliation, demeanor’s towards foreigners, language barriers, and the elation of newfound hope and adoration all get their chance to arise throughout the narrative. The wonder and, ultimately, ongoing enchantment of it is that so much CAN be addressed with humor, but not in any disrespectful or condescending manner. It’s taking even the difficulties in life a LITTLE less seriously, but still with integrity so as to bring across the messages intended.
The culture clashing and language barrier aspects in particular are so astutely taken on over the course of the film, providing quite a wealth of the jocularity along the way. As I keep hinting at, it’s the sheer levity of atmosphere that is pervasive throughout the film, only tempered periodically with more philosophical and/or directly affecting sequences, that allows this to be such a worthy effort to watch for unabashed amusement paired with heartfelt sentiment. The film’s music score stood out to me here in its ability to effectively add that other dimension to the moments of mirth and stirring rumination as well, towing your feelings along through its plucky and gentle motifs that accompany the scenes with keen purpose. When it all comes down to it, this is precisely the style of romcom that’s been M.I.A. for FAR too long in theaters, and I believe this is in itself why this critic personally enjoyed the ride so much. It’s a perfect example of the genre done right!
For my first experience witnessing Minami onscreen, what a gem the actress is embodying a portrait of delightfully infectious energy and comedic timing while also displaying an utterly believable, well-grounded vulnerability in showcasing a woman trying to find her way in life again through her role as Mikuko, a middle-aged divorcee still yearning to be loved by someone sincerely and wholly. Already at odds with her adult daughter whose attitude she doesn’t appreciate, the unheralded arrival of American expatriate Vincent only makes Mikuko’s reality more insanely problematic from the very start. “Sent” as a “present” from her daughter, Mikuko’s understandable reluctance to now accept him as a new roommate, even for a set period of time, seems impossible to comprehend. Yet, as she tries to open herself up to actually getting to know him, much more on his part initially than hers, it turns the tables on her perspective.
It is so blatantly joyous to watch Minami navigate her character through the mess the situation creates, as the actress guides Mikuko into the realms of exasperation, disbelief, patience-testing sufferance, then newly budding affection, and ultimately mutually shared fondness that is implausible to ignore or not support as the viewer. A superbly priceless performance that befits the film’s rollicking yet impactful tone and mood. Likewise, Dale is a total riot as Vincent, an American abroad who is sent to find Mikuko by her daughter Cheiko whom he met on his current travels. A playfully unwitting, entirely harmless chap whose honesty is matched only by his tenacity in the circumstances he’s now involved in, Vincent’s means to enter Mikuko’s life is fraught with hysterical misunderstandings due to the culture shock. Yet, as he keeps attempting to win her trust, could it be that more will start brewing as time progresses?
An equally adept performance is what Dale brings to the table, and the chemistry, both funny and tender, the actor shares with Minami is credible, heartwarming, and so enjoyable to watch. It’s just hard NOT to root for how Dale imbues Vincent with such an immediately likable personality while eliciting so many laughs along the road. Primary supporting roles arrive from Kippei Shîna as Kiochi, a man in Mikuko’s circle with whom she may be wanting a deeper connection with, Mayuko Kawakita as Nana, a teacher at the school Vincent gets some work at that proves to be quite an asset and friend for him in a new country and culture, Sumire as Chieko, Mikuko’s somewhat estranged daughter who becomes the main catalyst for her mother’s new “adventure” in love, and Vinay Murthy as Jairaj, a rather odd but risible man whom becomes Vincent’s employer and friend while trying to find his own success at being an English teacher and yoga instructor.
Additional primary supporting turns come through Jeffrey Rowe as Lafcadio Hearn, a favorite author of Vincent’s whose philosophy on life both inspires and effectively narrates the events transpiring, Riki Watanabe as Mikuko’s quite raucously over-the-top manager at work, Atsuhiko Yamada as a local grocer whom Vincent ends up befriending (and teaching about English!) along with the grocer’s wife played by Natsuko Izumiseki, and Hiroyuki Kaihô as a local tea merchant who also ends up benefitting from Vincent’s arrival in the end. Other appearances are made by Tomoko Nagi, Yukari Anna, Yui Katsuragi amongst a host of others, which I extend total acknowledgement to for ALL your performances, as they are all what make the film whole. So, in total, “Rules of Living” delivers precisely what a romcom should–winning charm, copious amounts of chuckles, the right degrees of heart and soul, and, most imperatively, that which is so severely lacking in the world today–something to actually FEEL GOOD about.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
