It must be nice to have family in show business!

Rating: 1/10 (26 March 2004)

If this film had been done by someone outside the Hollywood camp and with all unknown actors, I wonder if it would have gotten any publicity at all. Instead, thinks to an inside track and a star with a name, this movie created more buzz and acclaim than was due anyone who worked on it.
There was little to no dialogue, and most of the best lines appear to be spur of moment quips from Bill Murray and nothing more. The movie was unsatisfactory in every area imaginable, from dialogue and story line to cinematography and directing. I was left pondering why this movie got any recognition whatsoever.
Before I actually saw the movie was I cheering for Sophia as the only female director getting any recognition, which was unusual especially for her age. I ended up wishing that this was not the movie and she was not the director who was getting this recognition, since it was so undeserved.
Having said that, this was not a complete waste of film, it was good for what it was, a first film. It wasn't genius, in fact I have yet to meet anyone who actually liked it or found it interesting. And based on the commentary it has received, the only people who liked it and found it interesting were those who had been to Japan and really enjoyed the culture there.
To conclude, we should give this film the credit it deserves and nothing more. As someone who has seen several first films done by college filmography majors, that's where this film belongs. The only thing that differentiates this film is a slightly larger budget and better access to equipment and stars. The only credit it deserves is as a nice first film done at a freshman level, with a note by the teacher saying there are some promising things in this movie to work with, but it has a long way to go before it should ever be nominated for any award much less an Oscar.