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Happiness of the Katakuris, The
EMAILPRINTAnthology Film Archives
Mixed or average reviews
Based on 11 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Musical
Written by: Kikumi Yamagishi
Directed by: Takashi Miike
Release Date:
Theatrical: August 15, 2002
DVD: February 25, 2003
Running Time: 113 minutes, Color
Origin: Japan
Language(s): Japanese (with English subtitles)
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
Starring Naomi Nishida, Kenji Sawada, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinji Takeda, Naoto Takenaka, and Tetsuro Tamba
A family is aghast when guests at their peaceful mountain inn keep dying. To keep bad word of mouth from spreading, they chop up and bury the guests.
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Audition Dead or Alive Dead or Alive: Final Gozu Ichi the Killer One Missed Call The City of Lost Souls The Great Yokai War Three... Extremes Zebraman
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
The biggest surprise for Miike fans and musical lovers alike is that for all the black humor of this deliriously bizarre fantasy "Happiness" is a warmhearted film about sacrifice, support and four generations of family togetherness.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
A joyously demented musical-comedy built on a macabre foundation, like "The Sound Of Music" with a kickline of corpses.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Adrian Martin
A camp musical-comedy hoot. It comes on like an outrageous episode of "The Simpsons" or "South Park."
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Janice Page
If there's one image that sums up the filmmaking style of Takashi Miike, it's the close-up of a bubbling hot pot on the family dinner table.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
Grisly, yes, but it's all done in fun; having tried his hardest to shock audiences with his previous films, it now appears Miike simply wants to entertain, and he pulls out all the stops.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Patrick Z. McGavin
Though the result is a distant, hyperstylized exaggeration of form and movement, the film itself turns repetitive and exhaustive.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Dave Kehr
It's all very zany. Occasionally it is even madcap. You would almost be tempted to smile at times, albeit weakly, if it weren't for Mr. Miike's habit of pounding home every joke with exaggerated reaction shots.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Jonathan Curiel
Occasionally, this film is funny and cute. When the family's little girl narrates, it reaches a level of humor that is ironic and endearing.
Read Full Review >Variety David Rooney
An unexpected departure off the map, flinging together elements of Alpine musical, ghoulish Jan Svankmajer-style claymation and a family portrait so hokey it makes the Brady Bunch look hip.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Paul Malcolm
It's an amusing scenario, until even Miike seems to lose his taste for the oddly sweet concoction and allows the film to drift aimlessly to a rainbow-hued finale.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
William G. gave it an8:
Japanese cult director Takashi Miike, better known for his shocking and ultra-violent AUDITION and ICHI THE KILLER, creates a surprisingly cheerful and madcap musical, not without its share of comedic and horror elements. On occasion, entire scenes are done with claymation. While this might not appeal to some, this film is delightfully demented, and is one of the most original and eccentric films of the past decade. Like it or not, you'll have a hard time forgetting HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS.
Emmet O. gave it a 9:
A delight. Kitschly while flirting with schlock horror at the same time and then bound up with a moral about the importance of familial unity. The family's discovery of a corpse morphs into a bad 80's pop number, while a love song sends the daughter of the family into an epileptic fit. Confirms just how much better Chicago would have been with the inclusion of corpses.
Andrew M. gave it an 8:
Quite simply, the single most bizzare movie I've ever seen. _Am
Stephanie R gave it a 10:
THIS MOVIE WAS GREAT!! I didn't stop laughing! If you like Cannibal: The Musical...you'll get a kick out of this film.
