Cafe Isobe
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From AsianMediaWiki
User Rating
Current user rating: 92/100 (16 votes)
Profile
- Movie: Cafe Isobe
- Romaji: Jun kissa Isobe
- Japanese: 純喫茶磯辺
- Director: Keisuke Yoshida
- Writer: Keisuke Yoshida
- Producer:
- Cinematography: Taku Murakami
- Release Date: July 5, 2008
- Runtime: 113 min.
- Studio: Movie-Eye Entertainment
- Distributor: Movie-Eye Entertainment
- Language: Japanese
- Country: Japan
Plot
Sakiko is a typical teenager in many ways. She hates her divorced father, who chases after every skirt he sees. She does not know, if she will ever be loved by the other sex. When her dad suddenly inherits a lot of money and becomes really lazy, she hates him even more. He finally decides to start his own cafe, where Sakiko, of course has to help. From this moment, strange customers and good-looking waitresses form the center of tension between father and daughter.
Cast
- Hiroyuki Miyasako - Yuziro Isobe
- Riisa Naka - Sakiko Isobe
- Kumiko Aso - Motoko Sugawara
- Mari Hamada - Mugiko
- Soko Wada - Yasuda
- Yosuke Saito - Shibata
- Mickey Curtis - Hongo
- Haruna Kondo
- Dankan
- Yumika Tajima
- Kozo Sato
- Nori Horikoshi
Trailer
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Image Gallery
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Film Festivals
- 2008 (28th) Hawaii International Film Festival - October 9th-19th
faiz Says:
Dec 29 2010 9:58 pm
Such a humble dorama,,,
you must try to see this! This portrays (maybe) the real life of some japanese people. This doesn't tell about some rich family or love story, like the other dorama. But it just tell you a humble story about a simple family that life in apartment (like the typical japaneses almost do), divorced, make a living by run a mediocre cafe.... it's just epic. Like the story's just portrays the realities. I can't wait to see some dorama typical like this.
::thumbs up::
OVAIS Says:
Oct 23 2010 12:03 am
Loved it!!!!!!!! totally awesome ^^
Ki Says:
Apr 26 2009 1:09 am
Come on in, sit down, and relax. Pop in the film “Cafe Isobe” and enjoy 90 minutes of light hearted moments and goofy comedy. That’s what I expected from the film “Cafe Isobe” and I was half right. The film does comes across as a breezy comedy for at least the first third of the film, but then steps into darker territory as the film develops. Unlike bad Korean Romantic-Comedies, where these types of narrative shifts sinks the film, “Cafe Isobe” handles its more dramatic moments with just the right touch. The film itself is directed by Keisuke Yoshida, who previously directed the 2005 film “Raw Summer” and handled lighting duties for several other films. After watching “Cafe Isobe” I do have to say Keisuke Yoshida has some chops and you should definitely watch out for his future projects.
In “Cafe Isobe” blue-collar, middle-aged single dad Yujiro Isobe (Hiroyuki Miyasako) gains a large inheritance after the death of his grandfather. His ex-wife warns their daughter that Yujiro will probably quit his job after the inheritance, but Yujiro denies this. After Yujiro collects his inheritance, he immediately quits his job.
His teenage daughter Sakiko (Riisa Naka) wonders what her father will do next and the unexpected answer comes about shortly. After Yujiro notices that cafes attract large amounts of good looking women he decides to open a cafe himself. Yujiro has no experience in this line of work, but that doesn’t deter him. To the dismay of Sakiko, Yujiro styles the cafe in a tacky 1970’s retro vibe with authentic leopard prints and vintage 70’s posters. Now, Yujiro opens “Cafe Isobe” to the general public.
Keisuke Yoshida either did a masterful job in picking his three main leads or just got really lucky. I’m guessing it’s a combination of both. Hiroyuki Miyasako who played the middle aged dad did it so well you pretty much forget that he is portraying another character. Teenage actress Riisa Naka (likely to become a big star in the future) comes across as incredibly charming, but also conveys a level of bitchiness that comes unexpected. Lastly, I always enjoy Kumiko Aso in any film and she doesn’t disappoint here playing an oddball misfit with low self-esteem.
“Cafe Isobe” is a film you have to see. The movie has bits of the oddball dysfunctional family traits find in Toshiaki Toyoda’s “Hanging Garden,” a similar level of sweet humor found in Shunji Iwai’s “Hana & Alice,” a taste for the darkside like Shunji Iwai’s “All About Lily Chou-Chou” and the visuals of a compelling indie film found in recent StyleJam releases like “Adrift in Tokyo” and “Fine, Totally Fine.” Even better, “Cafe Isobe” is based entirely an original script by Keisuke Yoshida - it’s not based on a manga. The film also combines a level of familiarity with unexpected twists that makes it all the more enjoyable enjoyable to watch. “Cafe Isobe” is a unique film that can appeal equally to teens, bohemian hipsters, and middle aged adults.