Not living up to its reputation

Rating: 4/10 (23 December 2006)

After all the rave reviews and the Oscar, this movie was definitely on my "to-see" list. Now that I've finally gotten round to see it, it's nothing less than a disappointment.
I find that the sleep deprivation, the existential discomfort and the uneasy relationships are portrayed very well. But that is all I got out of this movie, and that's a little less than what I was hoping for. Granted, it also makes for a great Tokyo travel guide with an attitude.
As with many movies, I sense two distinct camps here among the IMDb commenters. I'm gonna side with the dislikers on this one, though I would abhor to be considered as the kind of brute that just likes movies with big explosions or a lot of focus below the belt. I can dig "deep" movies as much as the next guy, but this one just doesn't have what it takes.
Maybe even the LIT fans can admit that it doesn't exactly have "Casablanca" quality. It reminds me a lot of "Una giornata particolare" (see tt0076085) which ponders much the same theme, and which is highly regarded in some circles, but which just disappointed me after viewing.