Eipuriru fûruzu

I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I sat down to watch the 2015 Japanese movie "Eipuriru fûruzu" (aka "April's Fools") from writer Ryota Furusawa and director Jun'ichi Ishikawa. But it being a Japanese movie was actually sufficient to persuade me to sit down and watch it.

As luck would have it, then it turns out that "April's Fools" is actually a rather entertaining movie. Sure, it is a movie that is not your average comedy, but that is actually what makes the movie so entertaining and enjoyable. And I must admit that I love the way that the storyline was concocted and put together by intertwining all the different character's storyline into a common storyline. It worked out so well.

Now, there is a lot of things going on in "April's Fools", and we are introduced to a heap of characters, whom all do play a crucial part in the storyline and plot. And the way that all stories were connected in one way or another was just a stroke of genius on writer Ryota Furusawa's part.

"April's Fools" has a good ensemble of actors and actresses on the cast list. And I will say that the people in the movie really carried out their jobs phenomenally. There is an abundance of good acting performances to behold here. And the actors and actresses were given very richly detailed and interesting characters to portray in a very entertaining storyline and plot.

This is definitely not your average run-of-the-mill comedy, and it deviates quite a lot from the majority of comedy movies pumped out every year. If you enjoy a good comedy, where there is more to the story than just quick and easy laughs, then you definitely owe it to yourself to sit down and watch "April's Fools" if you are given the chance.

I am rating "April's Fool" a seven out of ten stars rating. However, while the movie is quite good and entertaining, it is hardly a movie that you will watch more than once.

This movie is completely over the top, most of it is unbelievable. There are scenes that are so unrealistic, it's just annoying and stupid. The few nice and heartwarming parts aren't able to salvage it, overall it's just a total mess.

Exaggeration has become pretty common in run-of-the-mill Japanese movies of late. Of course there remain Japanese auteurs who strive to give us something like real life, while keeping things interesting; Hirokazu Koreeda may be the best known of these. But they are a minority. I wonder if this isn't due in part to the pervasive influence of manga.

Even so, April Fools is, ...wow. Over the top, exaggerated, absurd, pretty much from start to finish. I don't think there was any two- minute segment in the entire movie that could be defended as "realistic".

There is also a lot of soppy sentimentalism to deal with, especially towards the end. Numerous scenes that go on way too long. Numerous twists that are highly predictable.

This is one that I would given a pass to. If you're looking for a Japanese comedy, there are better choices; one recent example is The Woodsman and the Rain featuring Kouji Yakusho.

April Fools is not absolutely awful...there are only a few bright spots, largely having to do with the female lead, Erika Toda. But they don't make this two-hour film worth your time.