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Family Game

Play trailer Family Game 1984 1h 47m Comedy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 5 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Japanese parents (Juzo Itami, Saori Yuki) hire a tutor (Yusaku Matsuda) for their foolish son and get a critic of their lifestyle.

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Family Game

Critics Reviews

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Vincent Canby New York Times 09/30/2006
4/5
The Family Game is not always easy to follow, but it's almost always funny and, from the opening shots until the last, it's a visual adventure. Go to Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse 07/03/2025
7
Beneath its quirky comedy, “The Family Game” is a razor-sharp domestic satire. Visually clever and thematically bold, it stands as one of Japanese cinema’s most incisive and original critiques of modern family life. Go to Full Review Diana Tuova Film Obsessive 08/14/2024
The film, like any good satire, will both shock and make its audience smile, satirising many aspects of the modern Japanese society, from “tiger parents” to table manners. Go to Full Review Chase Burns The Stranger (Seattle, WA) 12/09/2021
Headiness aside, the film is slick and easy to watch... Go to Full Review Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice 08/19/2004
3/5
Japanese black comedy about the dynamics of home life. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Scott R @ScottR Nov 25 NYT 1000 movies. A brilliant satire. The banquet scene at the end alone made this film worth seeing. I loved its insights into Japanese culture and humor. Saw on internet archive. See more 05/17/2011 Hilarious, quirky, and well directed See more 11/05/2010 Eine bitterböse Sozialsatire, die die Familie als Mikrokosmos begreift, in dem sich Gewalt und Kälte der japanischen Gesellschaft der 80er Jahre einschreiben, und sie durch einen psychopathischen, aber sehr effektiven Hauslehrer als Medium zerschlagen lässt. Die Komik von Moritas Film ist alles andere als freundlich, sondern offenbart ein nachdrà 1/4ckliches destruktives Potenzial, das sich bis hin zum tiefschwarzen und absolut brillanten doppelten Showdown hin schleichend zuspitzt. See more 10/01/2010 Undoubtedly one of the best Japanese films, and even all the films about family, ever made as far as I know. Morita is a master. See more 04/03/2009 Rather boring indeed. See more 11/16/2008 Great film. really love the scene where the family and tutor are sitting down to celebrate. See more Read all reviews
Family Game

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Cast & Crew

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Yoshimitsu Morita

Director

Yusaku Matsuda

Yoshimoto

Juzo Itami

Mr. Numata

Saori Yuki

Mrs. Numata
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Family Game

Family Game (1984) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Japanese parents (Juzo Itami, Saori Yuki) hire a tutor (Yusaku Matsuda) for their foolish son and get a critic of their lifestyle.
Director
Yoshimitsu Morita
Production Co
Nikkatsu
Genre
Comedy, Animation
Original Language
Japanese
Runtime
1h 47m
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