Japanese Story
User Score
5.8 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 4 out of 13

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  1. StephenS.
    Jan 30, 2004
    6
    Since PJ Hogan?s Aussie hit ?Muriel?s Wedding? gave her a lift, Toni Collette has gone from strength to strength, scoring good roles with prominent American directors. She?s the only name actor that Sue Brooks, also an Australian, uses here. As a true local, not seeking to curry favour in the international market, Brooks gets the laconic Australian speech and manner right. Her story is that of a hard-bitten female geologist who falls for the uptight Japanese she?s squiring around the northwest of Australia. In Australian movies, going to the outback is often an indication that the director lacks ideas. While the outback cinematography is a great strength of ?Japanese Story?, it is also true that the desert is used as a character in its own right to paper over limitations in the story. Brooks? confident, but portentous, directorial style is a little rich for the one-trick script. Which doesn?t do enough to establish Collette as a professional geologist, or to convince us of her sudden shift from contempt for her companion to concupiscence. Which doesn?t really nail the presumed point of the movie ? that the honorable Japanese is undergoing considerable personal growth while hanging out in the Kimberleys. Patriotic Australian critics salivated over this one, but a more objective summary for the American audience would be ?tolerable for an Australian film?. But we?re grateful that Brooks did not use the ubiquitous Nicole Kidman as the Aussie geologist. … Expand
  2. ClaireJ.
    Jan 5, 2004
    2
    Terrible. in every sense of the word. a film devoid of even a plot. the only thing compensating for such a horrible peice of "cinema" was the scenery.
  3. CraigS
    Mar 8, 2005
    9
    Slow paced, and deliberately so. This film is beautiful yet unrelentingly sad. I must be getting soppy in my old age, because it left me blubbering like an infant. Not bad for a 30 year old cynic.
  4. MargoW.
    Jan 27, 2008
    3
    Toni Collette is superb, but the film isn't. I think the film would have been better if the two leads had remained friends (a too short and unlikely jump from antagonism to romance), and if the swerve at the end hadn't occurred.
  5. ErwinK.
    Jan 3, 2004
    9
    Great movie! Poetic rollercoaster riding on the changes in Collettes emotions.
  6. DaveL.
    Jan 6, 2004
    8
    The best Australian film of 2003. Toni Collette is stunning - this is her best work.
  7. TyS.
    Apr 16, 2004
    4
    I really wanted to enjoy this movie but it left me empty . I love anything in the Australian desert as it is an amazing part of the world but this movie lost me once the two started to get intimate. It jumped far too many gaps in too short a time and then that scene at the waterhole ?? What the ?? Not my kind of movie I guess as it was just too boring and far fetched. Ty.
  8. JohnP.
    Apr 7, 2005
    10
    Undoubtedly one of the most intelligent and sensitive explorations in cultural differences, Japanese Story gently but accurately portrays how two almost opposite persons can share their deepest emotions whether in love or death. An astute glimpse into the nature of love, commitment and death. See it more than once and take away something new and wonderful. Breathtaking, stunning and heartful. A hidden gem!… Expand
  9. TC-fan
    Jan 13, 2004
    8
    Toni Collette gives an incredibly moving performance in this film - maybe her best, which is saying something.
  10. ScazzA.
    Feb 26, 2004
    9
    What a powerful story, simply told in the enigmatic Australian Desert.
  11. juderobe
    Nov 22, 2010
    7
    This movie has a lot going for it. Toni Collette and the Japanese visitor were both convincing although Collette overplayed quite a bit at the beginning. Many elements were comedic, and that includes the playing with Australian and Japanese cultural differences. When they got stuck in the desert I thought of the Japanese classic "Woman in the Dunes," and I was so glad about how unpretentious "Japanese Story" was in comparison!… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 32
  3. Negative: 2 out of 32
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Michael Rechtshaffen
    70
    This offbeat take on "The African Queen" stumbles on a couple of awkward transitions, but generally succeeds on the merits of Collette's unerring ability to carry the viewer along her constantly changing emotional landscape.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: David Stratton
    90
    Develops into a powerfully emotional experience thanks to a career-best performance by Toni Collette.
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  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    60
    Totally convincing in a physically demanding role, Collette carries the movie on her shoulders -- and that weight is what it's all about.
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