Oh Lucy! (2017)

Directed by: Atsuko Hirayanagi | 95 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Shinobu Terajima, Josh Hartnett, Kaho Minami, Kôji Yakusho, Shioli Kutsuna, Megan Mullally, Reiko Aylesworth, Nick Gracer, Liz Bolton, Miyoko Yamaguchi, Hajime Inoue, Hiroaki Miyagawa

A lonely Japanese woman who is going to take an English course. It doesn’t sound like the most appealing premise for a movie, but Atsuko Hirayanagi proves it with ‘Oh, Lucy!’ that it is absolutely possible to make a sensitive film out of it; completely bizarre and chaotic, but also sensitive. So bizarre, in fact, that this might be one of the strangest titles on producer Will Ferrell’s curriculum vitae. With films like ‘Hot Rod’ and ‘Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis’, this is a major achievement.

In its entirety, the story of ‘Oh Lucy!’ quite complicated. The bottom line is that the main character, Setsuko, is taking over an English course from her niece Mika. Both ladies fall head over heels for teacher John, who has rather unorthodox teaching methods. He first gives his students an American name, Setsuko becomes the titular Lucy, and has them put on a wig. Mika travels with John to the United States, after which Setsuko and her sister (Mika’s worried mother) travel after them in an attempt to bring Mika home. Hilarity, drama and unexpected twists follow them on the road movie that starts halfway through the film. The return to Tokyo at the end does make for a satisfying ending, though, with ‘Oh Lucy!’ manages to make up for the uncertain middle section quite well.

This is where the biggest problem with this film comes to the fore. The tone of ‘Oh Lucy!’ changes drastically once the company arrives in America. To understand this, it is important to know that Hirayanagi released a short film of the same name in 2014. This film covered much the same story, but the film remained in Japan. In the beginning of the full-length film, Hirayanagi has virtually copied her highly successful short film. Both in tone and in literal scenes. This is reflected in the film itself. The part that is taken from the short film has a strongly absurdist comic content, while the storyline that follows looks more like a dramatic road movie. A constant tone could have done better for this film.

For the most part, the characters in this film are convincing. The lonely woman in Setsuko (Shinobu Terajima) is well portrayed, and her obsession for John (Josh Hartnett) convinces. John’s character is less well developed. The man has secrets, but the setup for this is unfortunately missing. That makes the triangle between Setsuko, John and Mika less convincing, so that a pretty fierce action by Mika towards the end of the film does not come into play.

Not only does the love triangle between the three main characters fail, the mutual relationship between the two sisters also leaves a lot to be desired. It quickly becomes clear that the two have quite a history, but because that history is only carelessly explored in subordinate clauses, the conflicts between the two sisters get a forced character.

“Oh Lucy!” is a completely absurd rollercoaster ride of emotions in which hilarious, shocking and moving moments alternate with forced relationships and an unnecessarily complicated plot. In addition to the acting performances of Terajima and Hartnett, the ending of the film makes up for a lot, which fairly restores the shaky middle part.