Tokyo Pop

Tokyo Pop is the story of a girl punk-rock musician living in New York, who finds the scene dead and at the behest of a friend, moves to Tokyo, where things are allegedly happening. Carrie Hamilton, who stars, is the late daughter of Carol Burnett, and despite a strong physical resemblance, she's a unique talent in her own right and carves out a distinct identity for her character (only once did I detect a mother-daughter similarity: when she's calling out to passing cabs in Tokyo, I felt we were just moments away from the Tarzan yell). She's tough and confident when we see her in black leather prowling the streets of New York and Tokyo, and she's fearless. We're never afraid for her when she first arrives in Tokyo completely lost; we feel that she'll figure it out. After suffering some early setbacks as a gaijin (foreigner) who the Japanese eye warily, she hooks up with a Japanese boy who calls himself a rock-and-roller and whose English is workable, if a little tentative (he often tends to answer her by saying "Sure" or "Maybe"). He invites her to be the singer in his band, and then the Happy Fairy Land Storybook kicks in. The band becomes a sensation, singing a cute boy-girl rendition of the Lovin' Spoonful's Do You Believe in Magic and her face is on every magazine cover and billboard. The fame game is fun until it isn't and Carrie has a crisis of conscience and needs to go back to playing "her music" and breaks up the act. Yet in the final scene that plays during the closing credits, we see Carrie gushing an 80's power ballad. Why? That ending completely subverts the story we've seen for ninety minutes; she's transitioned from Debbie Harry to Debbie Gibson, another sellout singing Americanized Tokyo Pop.

It's not unheard of; real-life rock-and-rollers have done the same (Eric Clapton is a glaring example, although his metamorphosis took longer than one plane ride), but it just kills any integrity the character and the movie have built up. Tokyo Pop is a showcase for Carrie Hamilton's talents, nothing more. I mourn her passing.

Hello! My name is Paula, I live in Argentina, and I've always had this odd fascination about this film, since I was a teenager actually, and I the last song performed by Carrie Hamilton was so enchanting! It is called "Never Forget", but I can't find it anywhere! and nobody seems to be interested in this film, or the movie soundtrack. Please contact me if you can provide me with some info. paula155@hotmail.com is my email address. I really don't get how this movie is so mysterious and has no fans clubs, forums, or things like that. It was really disappointing when I knew about Carrie's death. She was so young, and talented, her voice was an inspiration.

I loved this film. A lot. Though my tastes may be a bit different than most people I've met, I really did enjoy both the comedic and romantic aspects of the film, and I thought both blended very well. My favorite example of this was when Hiro (played by Tadokoro Yutaka of Red Warriors), takes Wendy (fantastically played by the late Carrie Hamilton) to a hotel; the movie makes a good point of explaining just how much of a problem language barriers can be, though in a way we can all laugh at, which I found to be great ...

Overacted in some parts, underacted in a few, and misdirected in many, this film is my idea of a great time, and I hope those of you who feel the same way make an effort to see it for yourself.

I really enjoyed this movie. The characters are real and likeable and the story is entertaining. The script is excellent and the exchanges between the Japanese and gaijin characters genuinely amusing and realistic. I loved the way the hero (Hiro) was always several beats behind in his responses to English. Anyone who has spent some time in Japan and has an interest in the Japanese music scene will find a lot to take delight in here. And the occasional desperation of a gaijin, feeling lost and alien in Japan, is cleverly portrayed. The people who made this movie really knew what they were on about, from the Japanese and the gaijin point of view.

The two lead actors are very believable and the other cast members are all excellent. The band scenes and the portrayals of the varied types of musicians are great fun.

I had never heard of this movie before I watched it and it was a revelation to find something so amusing and true about a place and a music that I love. Thank you to these film makers!

This is a very light movie that highlights some aspects of being a foreigner in Japan. This movie was released the first year that I moved to Japan so is especially relevant to me. It is often more travelogue than drama as I felt that some scenes were shot simply to show absurd aspects of Tokyo life and clashing cultures (the Japanese mother getting ready for her aerobics class as the daughter practices chopstick use; the boy working in a neighbourhood crepe shop; the plastic food factory; suited Salarymen fishing on the Kanda RIver). Still it has a certain simple charm that makes me smile and I feel that it better captures aspects of Tokyo at that time than Lost in Translation does for a more contemporary Tokyo. I just came across it as i was cleaning out my videos to take to a flea market (my favourites have all been replaced by DVDs). This doesn't seem to be available on DVD now so I am watching it as I dub it to make my own DVD. It still makes me smile and will certainly do the same for anyone who has spent time in Japan.