Customer Reviews

Getting Any?

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was first exposed to the filmic works of Kitano Takeshi more than half a decade ago when the teachers of my Japanese language class screened Kikujiro the class after our midterm. Charmed by the film, I hurriedly purchased Hana-bi, A Scene at the Sea, and Kids Return. What struck me about his films was that there was no set formula, even though the same actors appear in his films, or detailed theme, but each film contained its own melancholy, surrealism, and playfulness that, although completely and firmly set in Kitano's filmic world.

However, although I enjoy each of the above mentioned films, the film that I have used to introduce a number of my friends to the films of Kitano Takeshi is Getting Any?, a film that is often consider by both Japanese and Western critics to be Kitano's lewdest, most hackneyed film that completely fails at being a comedy. Well, I enjoyed the film and, besides Kikujiro, I have watched it more times than any other Kitano film. Why? Because its brand of surrealism set in modern Japan is a rarity to be found in the filmscape of Japanese cinema.

Getting Any?, Min'na yatteruka?, centers upon the life of Asao, a deadpan, seemingly emotionless fellow whose main goal in life seems to be buying a car and getting a girl with whom he can engage in "car sex." Unfortunately, Asao has little money and can only afford lemons that fall apart almost immediately after he purchases them. Undeterred, Asao decides to do a number of things to make money such as selling a relative's organs, robbing a bank, by first going through an elaborate scheme to make his own pistol, robbing an armored car, and becoming an actor. The "plotline" of Asao having sex with a girl in his new car falls by the wayside at the middle of the film when he becomes a gangster and later the fly man. Haphazard, surreal, and just plain insane, Getting Any? makes for an interesting film viewing experience.

Film scholar Aaron Gerow states that Getting Any? is more than just a display of the bifurcated nature of Kitano Takeshi in his personas of Beat Takeshi the film/television actor and Kitano the director, but that it is an attack against the setting of formulaic, staged comedy. Kitano, who considers Getting Any as his magnum opus, supposedly made Getting Any? intentionally unfunny in order to strike against the prosaic, threadbare nature of Japanese comic television to show how empty and lame it really is without the accompanying glitz of television. If this is the case or not, Getting Any? is definitely not a typical comedy which will leave many, both Western and Japanese, scratching their heads.

Though it cannot be listed amongst Kitano's best work, Getting Any is still a lot of fun to watch. It really shows the other side of Takeshi Kitano, and what he used to do when he was doing stand-up comedy. This film cannot [or shouldn't] really be compared to Kitano's other work, since it's theme is so radically different. Getting Any belongs to a different category, and it should be treated accordingly. As a comedy it stands alone among Kitano's other films, yet elements of his comic style can be found in all of those other films as well. Many people compare this movie to Monty Python films, and I think they are quite right; and just like the Monty Python films Getting Any requires multiple viewings to get all the subtle jokes. That also means that one can watch this movie several times and not get tired of its humor. The yakuza sequences are especially priceless [you can watch them over and over again]. This film will certainly entertain both the hardcore Kitano fans and the casual viewers as well.

I'd have to say this film is quite different from the usual Kitano fare. Than again it's a comedy, and a pretty wacky one too. Yet I found Getting Any? just as entertaining as all the other more known Kitano films, albeit on a whole different level. As an all out comedy it really does a good job of entertaining, even after repeated viewings, though Kitano tends to go overboard with some of the scenes. I know that some of these scenes were edited out of the so called international cut, though this dvd happens to be the director's cut, which is a good thing because the Yakuza scenes where heavily edited from the international cut, and they are one of the funniest scenes I've ever scene. As a matter of fact the Yakuza sequences [a good part of the film] and the studio scenes alone well worth it for any Kitano fan, or comedy fan to buy this disc.
I watched this film with my friends, and they didn't get all the jokes at the first time [probably because you have to read the subtitles too, so some of your attention is reserved for that], but then we watched it again a couple of days later, and we were pointing out all the subtle jokes and "hidden characters" [hint: these are the people who died in the previous scenes, but they keep coming up in the subsequent sequences, it's a bit like watching the Simpsons or Futurama, you really have to pay attantion to catch these little private jokes]. I must say watching this film with others is twice the fun, and it's addictive too [like most cult classics].
I'd have to say Kitano does a great job yet again mixing comedy elements with violence, though there's much less violence and blood in this film [ it's a comedy after all]. People should approach this film from a different angle though, don't expect another gangster flick [not a serious one at any rate].
I warmly recommend this flick for any comedy fan, besides there aren't that many films out there that make fun of the whole Japanese society, mannerism and pop culture all wrapped up in a two hour film. Good job Kitano.

After enjoying some of Kitano's other works [Brother, Violent Cop, Fireworks] I decided to pick up his one and only comedy, Getting Any?. Wow, my first reaction was "this cannot be by the same director, it's just so different from his other works." Then I watched it again, and I must say this film gets better and better with each subsequent viewing, as I missed a lot of the more subtle jokes during the first viewing. This film makes fun of Japanese pop culture, behaviour, and pretty much everything else that is sacred to the Japanese. It's done in a similar style as the Pink Pather series with Peter Sellers.
The yakuza scenes are my all time favorites, I can watch these any time and laugh at the wacky characters and their silly situations, and not get tired of it. Any one still wondering whether they should get this film, especially if they enjoyed Kitano's more violent movies, should wonder no more. This film is a must have for any Kitano fan, and it provides great entertainment, especially when you're watching it with your friends. Highly recommended.

I have to say I find this Kitano film very weird and very funny at the same time. The situations in which the main character gets involved in throughout the whole film get more weird each time, yet the movie remains entertaining. Despite its weirdness I kept watching it because it's also so addictive [I ended up watching some of the funniest scenes over and over again]. Viewers who don't get all the jokes at the first time around should watch the film again 'cause it is fully of subtle jokes that you would miss the first or even second time around. Overall it's a very funny film.

I've been waiting for this Kitano film to be released in region 1 for a long time. Finally it has happaned. I must say this movie is a lot different from his other, more violence oriented films, but it's a comedy so it should be. The film holds up very well, even after watching it a few times. There are so many subtle jokes that only reveal themselves after repeated viewings. It is very important for me that any film that I purchase on dvd will remain watchable even after a few viewings, and Getting Any? certainly meets that standard.
DVD content: besides the film, which has a very prestine anamorphic transfer, there is an alternate ending, a very extensive director's bio, and the usual stuff [trailer, production notes, filmography, etc.].
If you like comedies, done in the same spirit as the funnier Peter Seller movies, like the Pink Panther series and the Party, you should definitely get this one, it won't disappoint. For Kitano fans this dvd is a must purchase, because it really shows his funny side. Highly recommended, and thank you 21st Century DreamQuest Films for releasing this funny film on dvd.

I'm a big fan of Takeshi Kitano films, and I'm glad I picked up this rare comedy gem. Getting Any? is definitely different from his other films, but that does not mean it is not entertaining. On the contrary, Getting Any? holds up very well even after repeated viewings, and more importantly the jokes are just as funny as they were the first time around. It is quite refreshing to watch Kitano and his wacky characters in this all out comedy, that makes fun of just about everything holy to the Japanese culture. I sincerely recommend this film to anyone who likes comedies. It's a must for Kitano fans.

What a hilarious movie, made in the Monty Pythonesque style. Some may find it strange, no doubt because they lack even a minimal knowledge about Japanese pop culture, which this film is ridiculing. As the film progresses each sequence gets more and more hilarious, and stranger, yet this allows the film to retain its forward momentum throughout its 108 minutes running time. Not only that but this film makes a great show when you have your friends over. It is almost always guaranteed to provide a great conversation afterwords.
If you call yourself a Kitano fan you wouldn't want to miss this unique comedy gem, and if you're a fan of asian cinema, give this film a try, you won't be dissappointed. Very highly recommended.

One of the stupidest, most bizarre, and straight up perverted movies I've seen in a long time, but it was friggin' funny as hell. If you can handle 'stupid funny' then this movie is definitely enjoyable. Loosely organized around the fact that this perverted guy wants to score badly.... so he goes off and tries many different means to accomplish this task. The end degenerates into a big of a Godzilla parody, but still funny. Be sure to stick around for the end of the credits too.

I love Takeshi Kitano's dramas which exemplify the best of what I enjoy about Japanese cinema. I had experienced some of his style of comedy with his redux on Zatoichi but nothing could have compared me for his in/famous comedy Getting Any?, a film that when it flopped drove him into depression that was part of the cause of his accident that paralyzed half of his face. Part of the reason I wanted to watch this was Kitano's recent comedies Takeshis' and the unreleased Hooray Director that gets released in June.
So enough of that jib-jab, hows the movie? It definitely is what could be termed insane with a tone that matches something like Kentucky Fried Movie throwing one idea for jokes into the next with reckless abandon. Describing the plot is almost impossible in my opinion. The basic idea is that thirty-five year old Asao decides to get a car he can have sex in. Whent the several ideas at procuring the car go awry, he then plans to get money to get a first class ticket on a plane because of course the flight attendants have sex with the first class passengers. Where it goes from there is a bizzare off kilter experience that can only be described as a surreal journey of the odd-ball.
Comedies are hard to rate since like horror films they only work for certain members of the audience. Some will like this film while others will absolutely hate it. Me I can definitely attest that I laughed quiet a bit at the film. Despite the overload of the jokes there were some that were indeed humorous to my sensibility. But while there were jokes I laughed at I do admit that a lot of the jokes probably work better for Japanese audiences, and some of those jokes at times are taken to such extremes that they overstay their welcome so to speak. For the most part as well while I liked a lot of the humor the last half of them didn't really work as well as the first despite the presence of Kitano himself playing an oddball scientist.
I guess all I can say to end it is probably the perfect way to end all positive reviews of caution, see it at your own risk.