Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2010

Right from the start, this latest film from director Tomoyuki Takimoto (Ikigami) tries way too hard to create a charming atmosphere. What’s worse, it fails. Rui (Maki Sakai, Drop), a 35-year-old assistant librarian, has for her whole life been living in a huge country house with her Aunt Toba (Mariko Kaga, Love Letter). Out of the blue, the 60-something aunt announces she’s marrying a much younger man and leaving town for good. Rui is crushed and lonely, so when the elderly Tony (Tatsuya Fuji, In the Realm of the Senses) appears in her garden to sketch the house, she becomes frightened and chases him off. Yet he returns the next day with a tasty bento, and she invites him in. Soon he is living there (huh?). Rui later meets a young, bumbling magazine intern, Kosuke (Takahiro Nishijima, Love Exposure), and pretty soon he’s living in the house, too. Marred by a silly scenario, ham-fisted acting and poor development of the various relationships, Soup Opera is a dud. (119 min)