Review of Like Father, Like Son (2013) by Alex C — 27 Jan 2014

In "Like Father, Like Son," everything is going well for Ryota(Masaharu Fukuyama) and Midori Nonomiya(Machiko Ono), what with all of his promotions and all. And then one day, they get word from the hospital where their now six-year old son Keita(Keita Ninomiya) was born at wants to have a word with them. All Ryota hopes is that it is not something 'messy.' That turns out to be a massive understatement when they learn that their son was switched at birth with the son of Yukari(Yoko Maki) and Yudai Saiki(Riri Furanki), with the hospital advising an exchange of the boys.

If only "Like Father, Like Son" had stopped with an exploration of the ethical issues surrounding an impossible decision, you might have just had something definitely thought provoking.(Personally, I would try and forget the whole deal while sincerely hoping nobody is ever in need of a kidney.) Except it doesn't. And it becomes abundantly clear by the end that the movie's stated message is to spend more time with your children, thus somehow putting the movie on even more familiar ground and is why the movie is told almost exclusively from the viewpoint of the Nonomiya's in the first place. While admittedly all of which is a totally worthwhile message, it was told much more concisely and poetically by Harry Chapin in his classic song, "Cat's in the Cradle," and with many less endings, too.