Noten Paradise
2020 / 97m - Japan
Comedy
3.5*/5.0*
Wonderful Paradise poster

Watches

June 03, 2021

3.5*/5.0*

What if Project X was an absurd Japanese comedy? Well, then you'd get something like Wonderful Paradise. A dry, madcap and completely absurd film that starts off quite tepid, but picks up steam in the middle and never slows down after that. Needless to say, the finale is quite something.

Due to his own mistake, Shuji and his family have to leave their home. His kids aren't too happy with the move and to annoy her father, Akane tweets that everyone is welcome to join their farewell party. The invitation is picked up immediately, and before they know, they have a miniature festival going on in their backyard.

The first half hour is quite slow and uneventful, but that's just part of the slowly building crescendo that wreaks havoc in the final hour. There's not a lot that makes sense here and everything is clearly played for laughs. Directors Yamamoto's execution is solid, though I will say that I've seen this done better. Still, if you're in for a hilarious comedy, this one comes well recommended.