Warau Kaeru
2002 / 96m - Japan
Comedy, Thriller
3.0*/5.0*
The Laughing Frog poster

Watches

June 20, 2020

3.0*/5.0*

Not a bad film, but a little too subdued. A man decides to go back to his wife, after embezzling some money and disappearing from the face of the Earth for a while. She moved on with her life and isn't happy to see him return, but she still feels responsible for her husband and offers him shelter for the time being.

But things quickly become awkward, especially when her new boyfriend comes over to visit. A nosy detective makes things more tense and a meddling family further complicates matters. It's a solid setup for an entertaining farce, but the presentation is rather stoic and the film never truly comes to life.

Performances are good though and The Laughing Frog is never dull of boring, it just would've been better if Hirayama had opted for a more lively approach. Visually it's a bit grim, the soundtrack is not exactly memorable and the pacing just a tad slow for this type of film. It's decent filler, but nothing too special.