Review of All About Our House (2001) by Jy S — 22 Apr 2009

All About Our House is a Japanese comedic drama from Koki Mitani. While employing a pretty original plot, the comedic aspect of this film isn't a barrel of laughs.The story involves the building of a house where the designer goes for a modern day artistic design, while the contractor goes for the old school Japanese design.

It comes down to a generational gap. This is a great start for a comedy. At just under 2 hours, which is a tad long for what happens in this movie, the pacing is moderate and the story drags just a bit.

The tension between the 2 designers of the house is quite entertaining, however the antics of the conservative contractor, while funny to some, come across as irritating. He becomes a character to hate, while you feel sorry for the young modern designer.

This is where the drama takes over the comedy. Fortunately, as the film progresses both of these characters become likable.The camerawork is pretty well done, although it seems the director is holding back at times.

The dialogue is also pretty hilarious. "A house full of toilets? Yuck!"Props goes out to the casting, because all characters are nicely chosen. Toshiaki Karasawa and Kunie Tanaka carry this film as the designer and builder respectively, while Akiko Yagi and Naoki Tanaka portray the couple of the house.

Naoki Tanaka's character has a little bit of a geeky personality that provides some laughs.All About Our House does have its funny moments, however this isn't for people that want a kick back over the top comedy.